Weymouth

The golden sweep of Weymouth Bay catches the light like burnished copper on summer afternoons, while the town's Georgian seafront terraces stand in perfectly ordered rows above the sand. This isn't your typical seaside resort - it's got proper grit alongside the candy floss.

Radipole Lake provides an unexpected slice of nature right on the town's doorstep, where swans glide between the reeds and the RSPB reserve attracts serious birders. The harbour still works for a living, with fishing boats bobbing alongside pleasure craft and the chain ferry chugging across to Portland every few minutes.

History runs deep here. Maiden Castle looms on the hills above town - this Iron Age hillfort is absolutely massive and the views from the top stretch right across to the Isle of Wight on clear days. Down at Ridgeway Hill, archaeologists uncovered a Viking burial pit that rewrote the textbooks about Norse raids on the south coast.

For families, the beach is the main draw - proper sand that doesn't stick to everything, decent waves for bodyboarding, and enough space that you're not sitting on top of other people's picnics. The seafront gets busy in high season, but walk 10 minutes east or west and you'll find quieter stretches.

Staying at one of the nearby parks makes perfect sense. Chesil Beach Lodge Park gets consistently good reviews and puts you within striking distance of both Weymouth's attractions and the stunning Jurassic Coast. The town's well connected by rail - direct trains from London Waterloo take about three hours. Once you're here, everything's walkable or a short bus ride away.