THE WEST BAY HOTEL IN DORSET (UNITED KINGDOM)
Hosts, Sam and Tess welcome you to The West Bay Hotel, a traditional Dorset Inn set in the picturesque fishing harbour of West Bay. With a reputation for excellent cuisine, they have a tempting menu of both fresh fish and meat dishes specialising in locally caught seafood, served in a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere.
A cosy, beamed bar and restaurant awaits you with artifacts from the past adorning the walls. Locally brewed fine ales and an extensive wine list, catering for all palates, are served. Relax and watch the ‘comings and goings’ of the busy piers and quayside, read the newspaper or chat to new friends and old. In clement weather enjoy one of their two gardens with beautiful views.
The garden can easily accommodate a marquee so if you are thinking of a function or wedding, get in touch and we can make your event really special.
- Adress: Station Rd, West Bay, Dorset DT6 4EW, United Kingdom
- Directions: From the A35 Bridport Bypass, take the B3157 to West Bay and turn left at the row of shops.
- Telephone: +44 1308 422157
- Email: contact@thewestbayhotel.co.uk
- Web: www.thewestbayhotel.co.uk
- Accommodation: They have four recently refurbished rooms all with en-suite or private bathroom facilities. All are decorated to the same high standard and offer spacious doubles or ‘the family’ room for four. Tea and coffee making facilities, central heating, digital television and wifi are available in all rooms as well as free parking. A delicious home-cooked breakfast made from fresh and locally sourced ingredients awaits you in the morning.
- Tariff: Rates are per room, per night, based on two people sharing a room including breakfast. A minimum stay of 2 nights is required during July, August, weekends and Bank Holidays.
For availability of any of their rooms, you can ring them on 01308 422157 or email them at contact@thewestbayhotel.co.uk. They will get back to you, usually within 24 hours, often sooner.
- History: Prior to 1884, the West Bay Hotel was formerly known as The Neptune Inn and would have played host to the many fishermen, and no doubt, smugglers that lived and worked in the area. The property was built in 1739 and it was only when ‘the railway came’ that the name was changed as tourism was being encouraged in the area.
In 1857 The Bridport Railway Company opened it’s branch line from Maiden Newton to Bridport. An operating licence for the line was awarded to The Great Western Railway who were later to take overall control of the line and extend it to Bridport Harbour. The chosen name for the Station was 'West Bay'. Sadly, on 5th May 1975 the line was to close after having become Dorset’s last branch railway.
Records of Bridport Harbour (West Bay) history can be traced back to the 13th Century when sluices were constructed across the River Brit to form a navigable entrance. In the 1800’s local businessmen including the archaeologist Augustus Pitt Rivers and The Earl of Ilchester established The West Bay Building Company to build Villas and lodging houses for visitors. Only a terrace of ten lodging houses was completed – designed by Arts & Crafts Movement Architect Edward Schroeder Prior in 1885. The terrace remains a prominent feature of the harbourside to this day.
Bridport Harbour was also important during the 19th Century for shipbuilding and for exporting rope and nets. Thomas Hardy, the Dorset renowned Novelist and Poet, made reference to West Bay in his books under the disguise of 'Port Bredy’
- Location: Situated at the western end of Chesil Beach and forming part of the World Heritage Jurassic Coastline, West Bay offers two unspoilt beaches either side of the quaint picturesque harbour. The recent hit TV series, Broadchurch, was filmed here and the second series is currently being filmed.
While away an hour or two watching the boats come in and out and fishermen landing their catch or treat yourself to some local fish at the famous Riverside Café. Relax with a cup of coffee or a local ice cream from one of the quaint kiosks that sit alongside the harbour.
The historic busy market town of Bridport is just over a mile away and offers supermarkets, shops, Electric Palace Cinema & Theatre, Art Centre, Museum and Leisure Centre. It hosts two open air markets – Wednesday and Saturdays and a Farmers Market once a month. For lovers of golf, Bridport Golf Club is just down the road.
Lyme Regis, famous for the film French Lieutenant’s Woman and it's many fossil exhibitions, is just 15 minutes' drive away. Abbotsbury Swannery, Burton Bradstock and Golden Cap (highest point on the south coast) at Seatown are all within easy distance and the popular coastal town of Weymouth is about 30 minutes drive away.
- West Bay offers a wide range of restaurants, activities and attractions: Stay at The West Bay Hotel and try out some of these activities. Try your hand at Paraglyding, Diving on the Ruby J, Lyme Bay Ribs or Mackeral Fishing out at sea.
LUNCH MENU
This intimate and comfortable restaurant offers an excellent lunch menu featuring dishes such as Baked Fresh Code Fillet, Home Cooked Ham, Farmhouse Sandwiches or Freshly Baked Baguettes.
Their menu is freshly cooked using fresh ingredients. All their ingredients are sourced locally. They pride themselves in supporting West Dorset farmers, fisheries and bakeries. And they are proud to use the following local suppliers: Palmers Brewery | Davy's Locker | Cains Farm | Complete Meats
Lunch is served every day from 12 - 3 pm.
Mains:
- Moules Marinière ~ choice of : A La Crème, Bacon & Cider or MediterraneanServed with hand cut chips and mayo £10.00
- 4 Lyme Bay Dived Scallops, pan seared with lardons of smokey bacon and garlic butter served with salad and granary bread £10.00
- Beer Battered Local White Fish with hand cut chips and minty mushy peas. Served with home made Tartar Sauce £10.00
- Home Cooked Honey Roasted Ham, Free Range Eggs and Homemade Chips Choice of tomato & mushrooms or salad £8.95
- Gilthead Bream Fillet served on a wok tossed oriental stir-fryn £10.00
- Belly Pork, twice cooked in a Creamy Honey and Wholegrain Mustard Sauce and Served with a choice of potatoes and seasonal vegetables £10.00
- Juicy Rib Eye Steak with hand cut chips, grilled tomato and sautéed Mushrooms. £1.75 per oz. Minimum 6oz £10.50-£14.00
- Whole Tail Scampi, Hand Cut Chips and Salad £10.00
- Roasted Red Pesto 100% Chicken Breast in a toasted seeded bap with hand cut chips and salad £8.95
- 6oz Steak and Red Onion Burger in a toasted seeded bap with Hand cut chips and salad £8.95
- Harbourmasters Ploughmans ~ Smoked Mackerel Pâté, Prawns in Marie Rose Sauce Salad and Granary Bread £8.95
- Dorset Cheese Ploughmans (sourced locally) £8.95
Farmhouse sandwiches or baguettes:
- Tasty Cheddar with Tomato & Onion Chutney £5.00
- Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese £6.50
- Honey Roast Ham £5.50
- Bacon and Brie £6.50
- Prawns and Marie Rose Sauce £6.50
DINNER MENU
In the evening Sam and Tess welcome you to The West Bay Hotel ‘fine dining experience’. Excellent cuisine is offered by the highly experienced Chef, Chris Smith, and his team.
Daily Specials: Currently, freshly landed from the bay includes West Bay crab, lobster, dived scallops, sole, cod, skate, plaice and Portland mussels. Please check our their board which change daily.
Starters:
- Anti Pasti of Cured Meats: With a Salad Garnish, Parmesan Shavings and a Herb Oil Dressing £6.75
- Chef's Home made Soup of the Day: Served with Granary Cob £5.95
- Grilled Sardines: Marinated in a Sun Blushed Tomato, Cucumber, Lime and Chervil Salsa. Served with Granary Cob £6.95
- Warm Crab Pate: Served with Granary Toast and a Salad Garnish £6.95
- Fresh Creamy Garlic Flatcap Mushrooms: Served with Granary Cob £6.75
- Skewered Tiger Prawns: Marinated in Coconut, Sweet Chilli, Lime and Coriander with a Crisp Side Salad £6.95
- Duo of Fishcakes: A Smoked Haddock and Chorizo Fishcake with a Thai Style Fishcake Served wiith a Crisp Salad Garnish and a Sweet Chilli Aioli £6.95
Please check their 'specials boards' for scallops and moules.
Mains:
- West Country Prime Steaks: 8, 10 and 16 oz. All served with Tomatoes and Mushroom and cooked to your liking from £18.00
- Reef & Beef: Rib Eye Steak topped with Three West Bay Dived Scallops served in Garlic Butter £18.95
- Surf & Turf: 6oz Fillet Steak and Half a Lyme Bay Lobster grilled and served in garlic butter £24.95
- Free Range Chicken Breast Wrapped with Smoked Bacon: With a Chorizo, Sun Blushed Tomato and Spring Onion Sauce £13.95
- Duck Breast on a Fondant Potato: With a Crispy Pancetta Jus £15.95
- Beef Stroganoff: Julienne of Fillet Steak dusted with Paprika sautéed in White Wine, Brandy and Cream served with Rice £17.50
- Twice Cooked Belly Pork with a Sage, Black Pudding and Cider Jus £13.95
- Wild Mushroom Stroganoff: Sautéed and dusted with Paprika, flamed in Brandy and finished with Double Cream £10.95
- Roasted Red Pepper: Stuffed with Avocado and Savoury Rice topped with Goats Cheddar £10.95
- Spinach Crepes Stuffed with Ratatouille £10.95
Please check their ‘Specials Boards’ for seasonal, locally caught fish and seafood dishes. Ask about the availability and price of our famous ‘Sea Food Platters’.
BODEGAS URBINA TASTING AT THE WEST BAY HOTEL PRESENTED BY PEDRO URBINA JNR
1 Albarino 2013, Rias Baixas, Pazo San Mauro, Galicia, £13.99 Spain
2 Urbina Viura Blanco 2012, Rioja, Spain £9.59
3 Urbina Tempranillo Tinto 2013, Rioja, Spain £9.59
4 Urbina Crianza 2008, Rioja, Spain £12.99
5 Urbina Selection 1999, Rioja, Spain £15.99
6 Urbina Reserva Especial 2001, Rioja, Spain £18.99
Bodegas Urbina is located in Cuzcurrita de Rio Tiron, an area of Rioja Alta known for its long lived wines. Is a small family owned estate consisting of some 75ha of vineyards. Four generations of the family have dedicated themselves to the cultivation of their vineyards and production of wine.
In 1975 Urbina began to age and bottle their own wine in order to retain the special characteristics of a small single estate. Their sole objective, the production of quality wines, has been achieved as the result of careful viticulture using traditional techniques, harvesting by hand and avoiding the use of weed killers and pesticides.
Grapes: Tempranillo, Garnacha, Graciano, Mazuelo
Produce of: Rioja, Spain
Producer: Bodegas Urbina S.L.
- White Urbina 2012: The 2008 White Viura is 100% fermented and aged in stainless steel. Medium straw-colored, it Offers up a nose of melon, apple, and pear. On the palate it is smooth-textured, flavorful, and lively. This nicely balanced Offering Should drink well for Another 3 years.
- Urbina Tempranillo 2013: 100% Tempranillo, maceration for 15 days at 25 º C. Intense red cherry, with Ruby very bright, upper middle layer. Intense primary aromas of red fruits, strawberries and raspberries, elegant, discovering slight aromas of licorice and flowers. Fresh taste, good body, feeling strong and balanced flavors of nuts.
- Urbina Crianza 2008: 95% and 5% Tempranillo and Graciano Mazuelo. Fermentation at 28 º C and macerated for 28 days in stainless steel tanks, the wine spends in oak barrels for 12 months after it is bottled and a minimum of 6 months in bottle before release. Cherry-ruby color, balanced, nuanced black currant on the palate, good structure and persistence. This wine comes from vines that reach 20 years of age, but all coming from our high quality vineyards.
- Urbina Tinto Seleccion 1999: 95% and 5% Tempranillo and Graciano Mazuelo. This wine comes from the best grapes from the winery, all from vineyards over 20 years. These are wines that reach the winery Gran Reserva quality. Fermentation at 28 º C and macerated for 28 days. Stay 16 months in oak barrels. Color ruby red with purple tones. Intense aroma of fruit. Pleasant complex flavors and intense aftertaste. Well conserved at temperatures between 15 º and 18 º develop its great qualities and will become a type Gran Reserva, after 3 or 4 years.
- Urbina Reserva Especial 2001: 100% Tempranillo. This wine comes from the best grapes from vines over 20 years old. Aged two years in French oak and American and approximately two years in the bottle. Dark colored. Nose of medium intensity, which appears very fine black fruit assembled perfectly with the oak. Very round without any edge, the epitome of harmony and balance. This wine also combines very well with all meals and times of day. The prescriber and most famous world's wine guru Robert Parker gave it 90 points.
The 2001 Seleccion Especial was produced from organically grown fruit from 50+-year-old vines. It was aged for 24 months in French and American oak. It is dark ruby-colored with a funky/earthy nose that also reveals crushed rock, spice box, and black cherry. Made in a traditional style, it is graceful on the palate with silky red fruits, lively acidity, excellent balance, and a pure finish. It can be enjoyed now and over the next 6-8 years.
Please contact: info@palmerswinestore.com for further details.
WEST BAY (DORSET - ENGLAND)
West Bay, also known as Bridport Harbour, is a small harbour settlement and resort on the English Channel coast in Dorset, England, sited at the mouth of the River Brit approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 km) south of Bridport. The area is part of the Jurassic Coast, a World Heritage Site.
The harbour at West Bay is not a natural landscape feature and it has a long history of having been silted up, blocked by shingle and damaged by storms, and each time repairs, improvements and enlargements have subsequently been made. The harbour has been moved twice: it was originally 1 mile (1.6 km) inland, then was moved to the coast beside the East Cliff, then was moved again 270 metres (300 yd) along the coast to the west, where it is located today.
The previous main commercial trade of the harbour exporting Bridport's ropes and nets declined in the second half of the 19th century. When the railway arrived in 1884, attempts were made to provide the settlement with the facilities of a resort, and today West Bay has a mixed economy of tourism and fishing.
- History: Bridport historically needed a harbour in order to export its principal products, rope and nets. Originally the harbour was about 1 mile (1.6 km) inland, close to the town, and its exit to the sea - the river mouth - was 270 metres (300 yd) east of its current position. The Anglo-Saxons and Normans struggled to keep the harbour open because the river mouth repeatedly silted up and was blocked by shingle from Chesil Beach, so eventually a system of sluices was devised to help keep it clear.
In 1388 John Huderesfeld, a local merchant, started building a new harbour and levied a toll on goods loaded and unloaded. The toll was a market privilege granted to him for three years as a result of his petition that finishing the construction would not be possible without aid. After completion in 1395 a customs officer was employed full-time as trade grew. The new harbour prospered for fifty years until winter storms and an outbreak of Black Death damaged both its structure and trade, so in 1444 construction of a new harbour commenced - prompted by an indulgence granted by the Bishop of Sarum - and on its completion the harbour again prospered.
By the 18th century the small harbour was ill-equipped to deal with the increasing size of ships, plus the problems of silting and storm damage had never been fully resolved, so in 1740 work commenced on building another new harbour 270 metres (300 yd) to the west. This is the site of the harbour as seen today. Two piers, extending as far as the low tide mark, were constructed to house the harbour. The river was also diverted to run between the piers. The work cost £3,500 and was undertaken by John Reynolds of Cheshire. It was supposed to have taken only two years, but the new harbour didn't open officially until 1744. It could hold forty sailing ships.
Shipbuilding yards were set up west of the new harbour. They constructed a variety of vessels including frigates, cutters, schooners, brigantines, barques and fishing smack. The first registered launch was the 270 ton brig Adventurer in 1779, the last was the Lilian exactly a century later. The largest launch was the 1,002 ton Speedy in 1853. At one point the yards employed 300 men. In 1823, in order to accommodate further increases in trade, the basin of the harbour was enlarged eastwards and the old harbour gates were replaced by a sluice. As well as exporting Bridport's ropes, the harbour also imported raw materials such as gravel, coal and timber. By 1830 over 500 vessels were using the harbour each year.
Around 1865 the wooden piers were rebuilt in stone and the sluices were rebuilt. Despite these improvements however, trade at the harbour had begun to decline. Bridport's rope and nets were in less demand, and sailing ships were being supplanted by steam-powered vessels. In addition, the Great Western Railway's Bridport Railway had reached Bridport in 1857, and started taking the harbour's trade. The amount of harbour dues taken showed the extent of the decline: in 1881 they amounted to only 10% of those collected half a century before.
The railway was extended from Bridport to Bridport Harbour in 1884. The railway company named the new harbour station West Bay, as part of an effort to rebrand the harbour as a resort. Local businessmenincluding the archaeologist Augustus Pitt Rivers and the Earl of Ilchester funded the extension. Subsequently they established the West Bay Building Company to build villas and lodging houses for visitors. Only a terrace of ten lodging houses - Pier Terrace - was completed, designed by the Arts and Crafts Movement architect Edward Schroeder Prior in 1885. In 1942, because the terrace had an appearance reminiscent of some northern French ports, West Bay was used as a training ground for the Dieppe Raid. The terrace remains a prominent feature of the harbourside.
Between 1919 and 1930, coinciding with increased car ownership and personal mobility, new housing was built on the hillslope to the west of the harbour, on the landward side of West Cliff. The railway line between West Bay and Bridport closed to passengers in 1930, and operated for goods services only until its final closure in 1962. The station however was restored in the 1980s, and two old railway coaches have been installed on a short length of relaid track. In the second half of the 20th century further residential and tourism-related development occurred around the harbour and old shipbuilding area: new houses were built, old buildings were converted into cafés and shops, and several car parks were created.
At the start of the 21st century, as part of a new coastal defence scheme, the harbour's west pier was replaced and the east pier rebuilt; the work was completed in March 2005. The new west pier is named the Jurassic Pier. The scheme extended the facilities of the harbour, with a new slipway and outer harbour. This has enabled the harbour to be used on the 50% of days when southerly swell conditions occur, which previously was not possible. After the construction work a small regeneration scheme was implemented, with new housing - called Quay West- built on the west side of the harbour, on part of the old shipyard area.
- Geography and geology: West Bay is situated at the mouth of the River Brit on the English Channel coast. It is 1.5 miles (2.4 km) south of Bridport and 15 miles (24 km) westnorthwest of Weymouth and lies within the West Dorset administrative district. The coast at West Bay forms part of the Jurassic Coast, a World Heritage Site which stretches for 96 miles (154 km) and includes most of the Dorset coastline. West Bay also lies within the Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
West Bay is sited on deposits of river alluvium that indicate a former estuary. There are beaches and cliffs on either side of the harbour. The beaches were previously of a similar size—in terms of their seaward extent—but now East Beach is considerably larger, due to accumulation of finer sediment. East Beach is also designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest, and forms one end of Chesil Beach, a barrier beach which extends southeast for 18 miles (29 km) toward the Isle of Portland.
The cliffs to the east of the harbour are composed of Bridport Sands and Inferior Oolite, while immediately to the west they are Frome Clay (Upper Fullers Earth) and Forest Marble. The Bridport Sands deposits were laid down in the Toarcian Age toward the end of the Early Jurassic; they are arranged horizontally with clear banding visible alternating between harder and softer material. The cliff's distinctive colour is a result of oxidisation of fine pyrite grains, resulting in limonite. The Frome Clay and Forest Marble of the West Cliff are younger and were formed in the Bathonian Age of the Middle Jurassic. The section of the West Cliff closest to the harbour has been engineered as part of coastal defence management; large protective boulders on the foreshore are backed by a sea wall, promenade and artificial grass-covered slope.
There are several geological faults in the West Bay area. The Eype Mouth Fault, resulting from movement late in the Cimmerian Orogeny (but probably originating in the Jurassic), has a vertical displacement of 200 metres (660 ft) and is aligned east-west, emerging on the coast obliquely in West Cliff. It is intersected in the Brit Valley by the Mangerton Strike-Slip Fault, a later movement—probably Paleogene or Neogene—which is aligned roughly northeast-southwest.
- Economy: West Bay is a centre for fishing, tourism (focused on boats and the beach) and geology.
Fishing trips are available in the summer, including deep sea fishing. Boats can also be hired to row up the River Brit towards Bridport. The harbour has a secure boat park, holding up to seventy boats and entered via an electronic fob system; it is located behind the George Hotel and operates a waiting-list system.
The West Bay area has a number of local caravan and camping sites, as well as hotels and B&Bs, both in the bay and in surrounding villages such as Burton Bradstock. The bay has a number of kiosks, serving traditional fish and chips, often with locally caught fish. There are also a few pubs, cafés, and restaurants, the most notable of which is the Riverside Restaurant, which has been voted by The Observer as one of its top ten seafood restaurants.
The Bridport and West Dorset Golf Club, situated on top of the east cliff, has a full 18-hole course.
- Filming location: West Bay beach was used in the introduction to the BBC television series The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin and for location filming in the television series Harbour Lights. The town, harbour, and beach were used as locations in the 2013 ITV series Broadchurch. The West Bay and Bridport area experienced an increase in visitor numbers following transmission of Broadchurch; in one survey of sixty tourism-related local businesses, over three-quarters of respondents stated that trade had increased in 2013, and nearly half of these attributed this to Broadchurch.