IRONMAN returns Sunday 17 September and, even if you are not planning on watching the event, please make sure you understand the plans for the day as your journey may be affected.
At a glance
- IRONMAN is returning to parts of Dorset with a 70.3 mile event
- 70,000 residents letters have been distributed
- Dorset Highways will be providing marshals with local knowledge and highways experience at crucial points along the route
- care providers can request an access pass from the event organisers – many have already been issued.
If you live, work in or are visiting:
- Piddlehinton, Piddletrenthide, Plush, Buckland Newton, Pulham, Kings Stag, Wolfedale Golf Course, Holwell, Glanvilles Wooton, Middlemarsh, Frome Whitfield, Cosmore, Cerne Abbas, Netercerne, Godmanstone, Fordington, Dorchester, Charlton Down & Charminster – download access information
- Preston Beach Road, Warmwell, Overcombe & Bowleaze, Crossways, Preston & Sutton Poyntz, Higher Woodsford, Lewell, West Stafford, Osmington & Osmington Mills, Moreton, Poxwell & Ringstead, Waddock Cross, Tincleton, Puddleton – download access information
- Preston Beach Road, Came Down Golf Club, Overcombe & Bowleaze, Littlemoor Road, Fordington, Dorchester, Winterbourne Came, Whitcombe, Coombe Valley Road – download access information
Download map of: Bike course | Running course
Traffic and parking restrictions
Restrictions in place for the event will:
- Prohibit the use of the roads described below by cyclists, horse riders and all mechanically propelled vehicles
- Impose temporary one way systems, on roads described in the public notice
- Reverse existing one way systems, on roads described in the public notice
- Revoke existing one way systems, on roads described in the public notice
- Impose a clearway to include no waiting, loading or unloading with tow away authorisation on roads described in the public notice
- Revoke the existing loading bay and impose a temporary taxi rank, outside ‘The Gloucester’, 1-20 Gloucester Lodge, The Esplanade, Weymouth
- To revoke the existing prohibition of driving order in Lower St Alban Street, which starts at the junction with St Nicholas Street between 06:00hrs and 19:00hrs
- To suspend the bus lane on the Esplanade (southbound) from Westerhall for its entirety
- impose a Temporary 10mph Speed Limit, as described in the public notice.
Diversions for road closures: There are so many different scenarios, that it would be extremely difficult to recommend alternative routes and so diversions are not being suggested or signed. On this basis, drivers should make judgement based on the roads being closed and plan journeys around them. It is not a mandatory requirement to provide diversions.
Please note: you should keep checking back to this information up to and including event day as some amendments to this article could be made.
Travel advice for residents and visitors
We know the road closures and parking restrictions will affect residents, businesses and visitors, so check what’s happening before the day of the event.
If you live or are visiting somewhere directly off a route that will be closed you may want to consider:
- delaying your journey until the road reopens
- moving your vehicle while the roads are open and/or leave it parked off the route so it is not affected by the event
- allowing yourself extra travel time and be prepared to wait for access to become available
- speak to a marshal during the event for advice
- on event day, check Live travel disruptions and @TravelDorset or #IRONMANtraveldorset before you travel and whilst on the move (if safe and legal to do so).
Travel advice for businesses
- staff who travel to work should allow extra time for their journey and check Live travel disruptions and @TravelDorset or #IRONMANtraveldorset
- consider if deliveries affected by the restrictions could be reprogrammed to avoid disruption on their route. If not, contact the race organisers (details below) preferably before the event to discuss access options
- advise your customers of the restrictions in the area.
Access for care providers
To protect vulnerable residents, car passes have been made available on request, for social carers and care workers to access service users’ homes, and care homes, during the event.
Contact IRONMAN race control (details below) if you have any issues on the day.
Access to Household Recycling Centres
Access to both Weymouth and Dorchester’s Household Recycling Centres (HRCs, or “the tip”) will be directly affected by road closures around the IRONMAN 70.3 Weymouth event this Sunday (17 September).
Weymouth HRC on Preston Beach Road will be closed all day. Local residents are being urged to take their waste to Portland’s HRC, or wait until the Weymouth site reopens on Monday 18 September.
Dorchester HRC at Louds Mill will be open, but access is likely to be disrupted until early afternoon. Local residents are advised to delay their journey until later that day, visit Wareham’s HRC or wait to visit Dorchester HRC on Monday 18 September.
Bus travel
Contact the operator for any planned service changes.
Parking information in Weymouth and Dorchester
- Short stay car parks in the town centre will be open as normal
- Pavilion car park and Lodmoor Country Park car park will be closed during the event
- Minimal disruption is expected to car parks in Dorchester.
Contact details for IRONMAN race organisers
If you have any IRONMAN access questions, please contact weymouth@ironmanroadaccess.com or call 03330 11 66 00 and provide the following details:
- Name
- Telephone Number
- Journey Start Postcode
- Journey End Postcode
- Time of Departure
- Details of Enquiry.
Please note the e-mail address will not be monitored on the event weekend.
I’ve been sitting on a bus in Dorch heading to Weymouth for over an hour and not reached Monkey’s Jump yet. This is ridiculous. The whole place is gridlocked even though the roads are open. And yes, I did check before travelling. Please don’t run this event in this way again.
Sorry to hear you had trouble travelling on Sunday Jane. We will pass your comments to the event organisers – James
We live in Lytchett Matravers and have been on holiday in our caravan for the past week in Devon. We knew nothing of the Ironman event today. We were stuck in traffic approaching Dorchester for over 40 minutes. There was no mention of Ironman on any of your road closure signs, and a total lack of police presence. We ended up detouring to Sherborne and Sturminster Newton to get home towing the van. Your organisation of this event is a total shambles. You may have contacted local residents, but what about the disruption to tax payers using a major highway through our county.
Just to be clear, we don’t organise IRONMAN – we just facilitate the required road closures. While we’re sorry to hear you had a disrupted journey, we’d politely state that IRONMAN’s communications have been excellent throughout but it’s always going to be impossible to inform absolutely everyone looking to use the affected roads. We would also suggest that the benefits to the wider Dorset community – especially Weymouth’s local economy – negate the temporary inconvenience of a half day’s worth of road closures each year.
That’s not the case, the Ironman’s communication was totally lacking, they didn’t keep to their word, it was as many say a complete shambles. The care providers were refused access, period, there are no excuses on this planet for denying access… So many people are aware and speaking up and I think that the organisers should take onboard the feedback and make a better job of organising next year instead of sitting in denial and pretending it was perfect and they are not at fault. It was very upsetting and frustrating for all carers who were denied access.
Cancelling the swim part of the even then bringing forward the cycling part without telling anyone was ridiculous, I had sorted out my route and left enough time to get to work, then to be told Combe Valley Road was closed 40 minutes early and to find an alternate route is not the way things should happen. I support the event but every year something else goes wrong.
I run an outstanding rated domiciliary care agency making essential visits to vulnerable and disabled people in their own homes around Dorchester, Crossways and Weymouth. We’ve never missed a visit in the 8 years we’ve been established, come storm, snow or even COVID. But yesterday, and despite being in contact with the Ironman organisers weeks in advance, my fabulous staff were prevented from reaching disabled clients in Crossways and Weymouth. The IRONMAN 70.3 Weymouth Road Access manager (name withheld) assured me that very morning that staff could be met and escorted through closed roads when it was safe. However absolutely nothing was done to facilitate this or even communicate it to the marshals concerned, even though precise timings and locations were provided.
They were simply turned away by surly marshals out of hand despite wearing uniforms and displaying their ID badges and told to take “alternative routes”. Unfortunately, there were no viable alternative routes between Dorchester and Crossways yesterday as the council had allowed all the main routes to be closed and the only access available was convoluted and gridlocked. As a result of this, two immobile council funded clients in Crossways, included one who is tetraplegic, were left without pain relief, pressure care, hydration or indeed lunch, for several hours. Two clients in Weymouth received no visits at all. We just couldn’t get there. The alternative access route planning and provision for essential workers in Crossways and also along the main cycle route in Preston Road in Weymouth was totally inadequate this year. To make matters worse, the “emergency” contact number given out to care providers for help on the day provided nothing more than a recorded message suggesting people send an email. Why is it that Dorset council continue to allow the Ironman organisers to run roughshod over the residents of Dorchester and Weymouth every year for a minority interest leisure event? We all pay hefty taxes to use the public roads all year round. And some of us have no choice but to continue using them even when events are scheduled. I would encourage the council to look again at the route planning and licence provision for next years’ event. Something needs to change. A few short years ago people were applauding carers in the street. How sad, then, that the essential work they continue to do every single day is now deemed less important than a bicycle race.
Very sorry to hear this Rowan. Measures are supposed to be in place to ensure carers can get to where they need to be while the race is on, so we’re unsure what happened here. We will pass your comments to the appropriate teams and someone should be in touch, thank you for raising.
Congratulations to Ironman 70.3 and to Dorset Council for holding such a fantastic event. A great advert for the town, as well as a much needed economic boost to the area.
However could you please pass on my concerns to the event organisers re the potentially dangerous junction of Coombe Valley and Littlemoor road. Last year the Events staff quite successfully controlled one way traffic up Littlemoor road from Chalbury Corner (successfully but still Russian Roulette, only with cars and bikes). This was largely because they had several experienced staff. For some reason this year there was only one Council worker assisted by two very obviously inexperienced Event staff. The Council worker did an amazing job juggling moving cars up Littlemoor road and dealing very professionally with several extremely abusive drivers trying to drive down Littlemoor road. This was inspite of several signs saying ‘Road Closed’. One driver refused to turn around and sped off turning left up Coombe Valley on the wrong side of the road and into an oncoming fast moving cyclist. Twice we phoned 999 as we could see a serious accident about to happen and a police presence would have helped. The Ironman Events organisers appeared to be unaware of the situation and in the nearly 2 hrs we were there no one came to assist or inquire. There was no shortage of Event staff or police in the area but none where they were most needed.
Please don’t let a great event end with an avoidable accident.