In Victorian times the town was famed for its health benefits and people flocked to the area to breathe in the sea air. Later it was the affordable holiday of choice for families during the 60s. Cheap holidays in Spain has seen the tourist trade change but during the summer holidays you will still see the beach filled with families making the most of the sunshine.

Weston has the second highest tidal range in the world, which means when the tide is in it is really in, but when it goes out, it really goes out. The silt (mud/sand mixture) is very high in nutrients and means that the area is a special preservation area due to the animals/fish/birds that feed on it. There is beauty in everything! It is perfectly safe to swim in the water - although there are no life guards. Please do not walk out in the silt. So many people do, and so many people have to be rescued by the Life Boats.

If you think of Weston as a giant bay divided into distinct areas.

To the left you have Brean Down, then coming to the right you have Uphill, Weston with the Tropicana and then the Grand Pier, Knightstone, Madeira Lake, the Old Pier, the woods and then Sand Bay. Brean Down Brean Down is the sticky-outty peninsula. There is a walk that leads all the way along it to the cliff end, past the gun hides where the coast was defended from Nazi invasion (as a side note: this month they have discovered 2 unexploded sea mines just off the coast). Many say it is a marvellous walk. We’ve never done it, but we are incredibly lazy. The town has just spent a lot of money creating a new cycle path which apparently is very scenic.

Uphill

Uphill is one of my favourite places in Weston. It is the cliff that overlooks the beach with the church on the top. Uphill has been associated with religious worship since the Stone Age. At the bottom of the cliffs a shrine was found dating back to the 3rd century. There is also the story that when Somerset was under water about 2000 years ago, only the highest hills (Uphill, Weston Woods) were above sea level. These islands were trading points for many merchants, one of which was rumoured to be Joseph of Arimathea, a tin merchant, who reportedly brought his young nephew, Jesus, to the area on one of his trips. The rumour also goes on to say that the song Jerusalem is about this visit. Uphill is a nature reserve. You can follow the walk up the cliff to St Nicholas’ church and the nearby Windmill, which was used as part of the chain of fire around the UK on night of the Millennium. It’s now an observation point that highlights all the local landmarks. At the bottom of the cliff is the boatyard and the start of the cycle lane and walking path to Brean Down. Uphill village is also very pretty and worth a wander. It also has a golf course which visitors can access for a day fee. Uphill beach is very popular for the extreme sports. Kite surfing and Sand karting are often on display.

Notable Music Venues in Uphill:
The Dolphin Inn

Weston

Donkeys, Ice cream, Fish and Chips, Buckets and spades – kiss me quick and squeeze me slowly. That’s what Weston is really about. This is where the shops are (a pretty fair representation of most British High streets). The areas of Meadow Street and Grove Village are trying to forge their own identity as the home of independent business and are well worth a look. Grove Village is the live music centre of Weston.

Notable Music Venues in Grove Village:
The Brit Bar

Loves

Legends

The Stables Games Room
The Stage Door

Black Cat Micropub

Olea

the Regency

The Vaults

The Royal Hotel

Theatres in Grove Village:
The Playhouse

The Blakehay

The Tropicana

The Tropicana used to be an open air swimming pool, but fell into disrepair until 2015 when Banksy (a street/graffiti artist) unveiled Dismaland: an acerbic art collection. When Dismaland closed the reinvigorated building became a music venue with a theatre and in the winter, ice rink. It is also home to the Weston Tourist Information Office.

Grand Pier

The Grand Pier is what Weston is best known for. It is an amusement arcade which has a bar and tea rooms at the end. They even sell their own “Grand Beer”. They have lots of entertainment on there in the evenings: bands, balls and comedians. You do have to pay a £1 to enter.

Other Notable Live Music near The Grand Pier

Skinny's Bar

Raddy's

Revo

Morgan's Music Bar

The Duke of Oxford

The Cavendish Bazaar

Dragon's Kiss

The Winter Gardens

Big white building on the seafront. This used to be the premier entertainment venue in the South West. Everyone played here, from Bowie to The Beatles, Pink Floyd to Deep Purple. It recently was sold to the college (for £1) and is now their flagship building. They still have live music here.



Knightstone

Knightstone is the jutty-outty bit at the right hand side of the beach where the boats moor and with the slip for the jet skis and speed boats. There are a number of coffee shops on the headland and you can walk around it and across the causeway of Marine Lake. This is especially pretty at sunset.

Notable Live Music near Knightstone

Monaco Bar

Marine Lake

Weston has the second highest tidal range in the world. Which means that when the tide goes out, it really goes out. Marine Lake is a sea-fed pool that unlike virtually all of Weston – has water in it. It is great for kids and the causeway is perfect to walk along at sunset. If you follow the promenade along it will take you all the way to Birnbeck.

The bars along the seafront here often have live music.

The Old Pier

The Old Pier is really called Birnbeck Pier, but most people call it the Old Pier. It is probably the most controversial thing in Weston. It was sold to a developer who wanted to build flats on the island. That was 10 years ago and nothing has happened. People are very upset. But the dilapidated state of the pier makes a fantastic photo opportunity. In 2023 it was bought back. As such fundraising events here such as live music events are being held here.

Weston Woods

I love the woods. There is an Iron Age hill fort that is still visible. There’s another golf course there and a number of horse riding schools.

Sand Bay

The final part of the Weston coastline. It is much quieter than Weston-proper. It is the area you go to to sit around a fire on the beach in the moonlight with a guitar. At the end of the cove is the start of the National Trust walk. Seals can sometimes be seen basking on the rocks there.
Notable event centres in Sand Bay

South Sands Hotel

Brean Holiday Park