If you love the sea, but don’t like to move too far from your car to see it, then
West Bexington may be just the place for you. It’s part of the Chesil, and so not
a beach for swimming, but as the car park is practically on top of the shingle, you
can often get a great view of the sea without even leaving your seat!
The car park itself is Council-run and Pay-and-Display. It’s checked regularly so
don’t risk not buying a ticket or try flouting other rules.
West Bexington is more or less the mid-point of the part of the Chesil that isn’t
backed by the Fleet Lagoon and is reached by a turn-off from B3157 at Swyre (pronounced
like “wire” with an “s”).
The road into West Bexington from the B3157 traverses a hillside, which gives a good
view of the Chesil and the sea. It also gives views into the village of West Bexington
itself and down over Burton Mere.
Even by Dorset standards, West Bexington is a fairly small settlement, consisting
mostly of a single road with houses and bungalows to either side. Even so, it boasts
its own “Manor Hotel” (with public bars) and, right down on the beach, a shop-cum-tearoom.
You’d never pass through West Bexington to get anywhere else, so if you come there,
you do so because that’s where you wanted to be. And if you do, you’ve made a good
choice.
The main road through the village heads straight for the sea, terminating in the
car park. This is a favourite spot for fishermen. Whether this is because the fishing
is particularly good, or whether its just because they don’t have to carry their
gear too far, who knows! It might even be the added bonus that as well as car parking,
the local Council has also provided public toilets.
Whatever the reason, it would be a rare day to find no fishermen at all at West Bexington.
But unlike some other favoured fishing spots along the Chesil, as well as those
doing the fishing, you are likely to find their families there too, either sitting
and watching the sea from the beach or, in bad weather, from vehicles in the car
park.
