I had never been to Brighton before and with the weather being uncharacteristically good my girlfriend and I decided to make the trip. Getting up at stupidly-early-o’clock to beat the traffic we arrived at around 7.30 am.
The first thing to do in any UK seaside resort early in the morning is to find a decent place for breakfast. Luckily for us we there was as café nearby. Every seaside resort has the café run by the good old local boy.
It was still early and, as Brighton is a late waking town, very quiet. We strolled along the pebbly beach front in the sunshine trying to ignore the many workman drilling holes in the road. Brighton is a unique looking place that could only be in England. Heading down to the marina revealed expensive boats and a promenade of fancy restaurants designed to make the rich fish that owned them bite. The city gradually began to wake up and we headed back to the pier.
Brighton pier is very much an old fashioned British pier filled with all sorts of amusements, rides and food stalls. The wooden boards underfoot conjured images of old movies and people dressed in stripped bathing costumes.
Walking away towards the old Brighton pier, which sadly burned down, I came across a long line of small galleries well worth spending a few minutes in. There are also a number of pieces of interesting art around the beach. The sun was high in the sky and we paused to sit on the pebbles and listen to the sea. It’s easier to make yourself comfortable on the pebbles than you might think and the way the beach is set it keeps all the noise of the town away.
After our rest bite we headed into the town to look around the cities fabled ‘Lanes’. These are a group of winding narrow streets with various different shops. It was more enjoyable to look around than a charmless shopping centre. There are a number of unique trinket shops here and it is well worth checking out if you are interested in antiques and things of their ilk.
On the way back towards the seafront we took a look around the grounds of the city hall. Brighton’s city hall is, oddly, designed like it was meant to be standing as some grand structure in India.
Our time was up and after another short stay on the beach it was time to head home. Brighton is a unique place and while it may have the image of being a bit old fashioned it is actually very interesting. It’s well worth making a trip if you have never been and want to head for somewhere a little different.
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