About Bowleaze Cove

Simply Beautiful

You may never want to leave…

Bowleaze Cove is a small sand and shingle beach, near the village of Preston, just to the northeast of Weymouth, Dorset, England. The cove is on the Jurassic Coast and is known for its geology.

The beach is made up of mainly shingle and shell with some sandy areas. It is a popular family beach during the summer season. There are rock pools to explore at low tide and a small pier dividing the beach near to where the River Jordan flows out onto the beach. It is often a mark for anglers during late evening especially further along the beach heading towards Overcombe.

At Bowleaze, there is a takeaway, bar, cafe, Ice Cream Parlour and a gift shop.

Bowleaze Cove provides excellent views over Weymouth and during the peak weeks of the summer the weekly Weymouth firework displays can be seen from here. A Roman temple remains are located on Jordan Hill, leading down to Bowleaze. Just to the west is Furzy Cliff.

There is a coastal cliff walk from Bowleaze passing the Broadrock cliffs, Redcliff Point, and onto Osmington Mills to the east. The hill figure of the Osmington White Horse can also be seen from the area.

The cove is dominated by the Riviera Hotel. This Grade II listed Spanish-style 1940s building was formerly a Pontins. In November 2009 the hotel was sold for a reported £3.5 million to Saudi Arabian investors. It has undergone a £4 million refit and is due to reopen in the spring of 2012.

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John Constable – Oil on Canvas

Weymouth Bay: Bowleaze Cove and Jordon Hill was painted by the leading English landscape artist John Constable in 1816–17. The painting now hangs in the National Gallery, London.

In October 1816, Constable spent his honeymoon at the village of Osmington near the seaside town of Weymouth in Dorset. The idea for this painting dates from this period. The painting shows a view of Weymouth Bay on the south coast of England, looking west. The painting includes Bowleaze Cove, Jordan Hill. and the small Jordan River flowing over the beach, with Furzy Cliff behind. Beyond that in the far distance is the beach at Greenhill.

A larger version of the painting called Osmington Shore was exhibited by Constable at the British Institution in 1819.

John Constable
Jordan Hill Roman Temple

Jordan Hill Roman Temple

Jordan Hill Roman Temple is a Romano-Celtic Temple and Roman ruin situated on Jordan Hill above Bowleaze Cove in the eastern suburbs of Weymouth in Dorset, England.

Original amateur excavations on the site in 1843, by J. Medhurst, were followed by a series of excavations in the 20th Century suggesting that the site was in operation between c.AD 69-79 to the later 4th century AD.

In the 20th century the site became the property of the Ministry of Works and is currently in the guardianship of English Heritage.