A whistle stop tour of the East Sussex coast

Ruined pier at Hastings



Carting at Hastings




The Old Town, Hastings



One of the many wonderful buildings in Brighton

I recently did a whistle stop tour of the East Sussex coast, starting at Hastings and ending in Brighton. With the exception of Brighton I was visiting everywhere for the first time.


Accommodation in individual towns can be somewhat limited, but when the area is considered as a whole there are options to suit most tastes and budgets. St Leonards is a good place to be based if you want the accommodation to be the centre of your stay. It has some impressive looking boutique bed and breakfasts. I’d love to try Zanzibar, which looks extremely stylish and boasts great reviews on Trip Advisor. On this occasion we just needed a bed for the night, so opted for something much more functional and stayed the Premier Inn Hastings. It was easy to find and the out of town location on the main road into Hastings suited us, but would not be much good if you didn’t have a car.

As we went down a road leading to the Hastings promenade we saw a ruined pier and this set the scene for a seafront which has too many faded buildings, some Georgian and Edwardian, others unsympathetic 1970s developments. The mix of traditional seaside attractions, are more impressive. There is a novelty boating lake for children (you sail around in swan like contraptions), a surprising number of crazy golf courses (three next to each other) and some outdoor fairground rides along with the usual arcades. The highlight for big kids is the carting track, under the cover of the responsible adult accompanying an excited six year old, I had great fun.

In the old town the character of Hastings changes for the better with an interesting array of medieval houses. Wandering along you instinctively slow down and want to have a look inside these charming homes, many are directly facing the street you are walking along and however hard one tries, it is hard not to peer inside.

The main high street in the old town, feels as though it is in a market town with its antique shops, art shops and food shops such as an artisan baker. We were not totally satisfied on the food front though as there seemed to be a lack of options for eating out in the immediate area.

Mention Hastings to most people and they are probably as likely to think of a famous English battle as they are a night away by the sea. We did not explore the historic ruined castle and dungeons, nor did we have time to check out the aquarium or the child friendly Smugglers Adventure attraction. We didn’t ignore the history of the area altogether though and spent some time at Pevensey Castle, which also has links to the battle of 1066, but dates back to the 4th century.

Our desire to spend a few hours at Beachy Head meant we just drove straight through some places that it would be good to have seen in more detail. What a shame we could not take in an exhibition at the Art Deco, De La Warr Pavilion at Bexhill on Sea, or to have got more a feel for Eastbourne. I have always thought of Eastbourne as less fashionable and quieter than Brighton and was surprised to see how busy it was. Some of the architecture is similar to Brighton and the seafront is better preserved. Maybe this explains why much of the new film version of Brighton Rock, will be shot there? On another trip it would be good to see more of both places, but sacrificing them in order to experience Beachy Head was the right decision (see previous post).

For the last few hours of our trip it was a choice between discovering somewhere else new by going to Lewis or returning to familiar and well trodden ground by rounding off the day in Brighton. We opted for Brighton. As you walk by the seashore you see shops selling the inevitable seaside souvenirs and amusements, but you also get nice arty shops and bars that serve decent wine by the glass, something which is all too difficult to do in many British Seaside resorts.

It isn’t all good news though, as I walk along the prom in Brighton I never fail to be dismayed at the unsympathetic developments along the main section. Too many ugly high rises compete with the Regency architecture. As you get to Hove this changes, as you can walk down many a side street in Hove, Bright and Kemptown enjoy looking at the elegant buildings.

Brighton was a favoured haunt of royalty and the Royal pavilion built by George IV and hated by Queen Victoria, is open to visitors and worth viewing. It is hard to miss, with its elaborate eastern inspired domes. I am not really sure what to make it, a stranger could be forgiven for wondering if it is a themed nightclub, both from the outside and some of the interior decoration on the inside, it is worth seeing and judging for yourself.

Deciding where to eat was easy. We went to the Melrose, an unassuming looking fish restaurant on the main promenade and just off Regent Square. It has been established for forty odd years and while it looks like a tired and traditional cafe, the food and service are second to none.

The shingle beaches of the East Sussex coast are not exactly a big selling point, but overall the area offers a good combination of things to see and do. Several days could have easily been filled had we done the things we did at a more leisurely pace and not forgone others. On another occasion, it would be good to retrace our steps and perhaps to extend our exploration further along the coast.