Bowleaze Cove is a small sand and shingle beach, near the village of Preston

Preston, Dorset

Preston is a coastal village and suburb of Weymouth in south Dorset, England. It is approximately north-east of Weymouth town centre and west of the village of Osmington....

, just to the northeast of Weymouth, Dorset

Dorset

Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. The beach is a popular family beach during the summer season and it has a slipway for launching small craft including jet skis. The cove is on the Jurassic Coast

Jurassic Coast

The Jurassic Coast is a World Heritage Site on the English Channel coast of southern England. The site stretches from Orcombe Point near Exmouth in East Devon to Old Harry Rocks near Swanage in East Dorset, a distance of ....

 and is known for its geology

Geology

Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...

.

The beach is made up of mainly shingle and shell with some sandy areas. 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

Overcombe

Overcombe is an area in Preston in south Dorset, England, situated on top of cliffs east of Weymouth. It is the location of Jordan Hill Roman Temple.-External links:...

. Local scenes are exhibited in the shack gallery 'M's ART', where local artist Emma Davenport offers lessons and commission work in open studio. Also at Bowleaze are the Fantasy Island Funfair, a takeaway, and a gift shop. During the warmer months from Easter

Easter

Easter is the central feast in the Christian liturgical year. According to the Canonical gospels, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after his crucifixion. His resurrection is celebrated on Easter Day or Easter Sunday...

 onwards every Monday there is a market and car boot sale based in the car parking areas.

Bowleaze Cove provides excellent views over Weymouth and during the peak weeks of the summer and the weekly Weymouth firework displays can be seen from here. A Roman temple

Jordan Hill Roman Temple

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

 remains are located on Jordan Hill

Jordan Hill, Dorset

Jordan Hill is located near the coast close to the village of Preston, just to the east of Weymouth, Dorset, England. The hill leads down to Furzy Cliff on the coast to the south. Close by to the east is Bowleaze Cove...

, leading down to Bowleaze. Just to the west is Furzy Cliff

Furzy Cliff

Furzy Cliff is located on the coast near the village of Preston, just to the east of Weymouth, Dorset, England. It is at the northeastern end of Weymouth Beach, looking out over Weymouth Bay to Portland Harbour and the Isle of Portland. Close by to the east is Bowleaze Cove. Just inland to the...

. There is a coastal cliff walk from Bowleaze passing the Broadrock

Broadrock

Broadrock is a cliff on the coast in Dorset, southern England. It faces out into Weymouth Bay between Bowleaze Cove and Redcliff Point. There are many landslips on the cliffs at this point....

 cliffs, Redcliff Point

Redcliff Point

Redcliff Point is on the south coast of England, to the east of Weymouth in Dorset. It lies just past the eastern end of the sweeping Weymouth Bay on the Jurassic Coast, a UNESCO World Heritage landscape known for its geology. Fossils can be found in the Upper Oxford Clay in this area.The cliff...

, and onto Osmington Mills

Osmington Mills

Osmington Mills is a coastal village situated between Ringstead Bay and the town of Weymouth in Dorset, England. It is located within the civil parish of Osmington.- Tourism :...

 to the east. The hill figure of the Osmington White Horse

Osmington White Horse

The Osmington White Horse is a hill figure sculpted in 1808 into the limestone Osmington hill just north of Weymouth called the South Dorset Downs, within the parish of Osmington....

 can also be seen from the area. Café facilities situated by the beach have a publicly viewable webcam

Webcam

A webcam is a video camera that feeds its images in real time to a computer or computer network, often via USB, ethernet, or Wi-Fi.Their most popular use is the establishment of video links, permitting computers to act as videophones or videoconference stations. This common use as a video camera...

.

The cove is dominated by the Riviera Hotel. This Grade II listed Spanish-style

Spanish architecture

Spanish architecture refers to architecture carried out in any area in what is now modern-day Spain, and by Spanish architects worldwide. The term includes buildings within the current geographical limits of Spain before this name was given to those territories...

 1940s building was formerly a Pontins.

In 1816–17, the artist John Constable

John Constable

John Constable was an English Romantic painter. Born in Suffolk, he is known principally for his landscape paintings of Dedham Vale, the area surrounding his home—now known as "Constable Country"—which he invested with an intensity of affection...

 painted Weymouth Bay: Bowleaze Cove and Jordon Hill

Weymouth Bay: Bowleaze Cove and Jordon Hill

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....

while on his honeymoon. The painting is now in the National Gallery, London.

See also

• List of Dorset beaches
• List of places on the Jurassic Coast
• Greenhill, Dorset
  Greenhill, Dorset
  Greenhill is a suburb to the northeast of Weymouth in Dorset, England, with a sand and shingle beach.The A353 road, locally known as Greenhill, runs parallel and close to the beach. To the northeast it becomes Preston Road, leading to the village of Preston. Also to the northeast along the coast...