Brighton. Just the mere mention of the city sparks an evocative image. The home of LGBT+ equality. A hotbed for radicalism, electing the Green Party’s first ever MP. A commercialised, entertaining location for seaside memories, where a spark of adventure is guaranteed. Proud of its history, with a beautiful pavilion overlooking the parade of shops, independent and chain.
The city is all these things and more. There is a reason it continues to draw crowds year after year. Name a seaside location and it’s guaranteed to appear. If you desire your quaint, quiet, idyllic British resorts then yes, Southwold or Wells-next-the-Sea may both better serve your needs. But Brighton and, for example, Southend are there to serve all. No matter one’s background or personal circumstances, the thrill of Brighton comes from its universalism. Of a weekend, beaches - even shingle - are packed with families, individuals, couples of all ages. Whether sitting calmly on a (commercialised) deckchair, braving the waves or spending far too much on the pier, Brighton’s inclusivity lies in its welcoming attitude. Though an era before mine, the vision of Butlin’s holidays providing affordable travel resorts loomed large. It was no surprise then that this city would be the choice of holiday. Having initially planned to complete journalism work experience for the entire summer, my family persuaded me that just five days away would be a brilliant chance to recharge the batteries before an intensive autumn ahead. Besides, it was Brighton! We go every three years, last visiting the month before I started university (and wrote about here). Then, a mask was something you wore at a ball and lockdowns occurred only in prisons. The thrill of returning was one I couldn’t pass up. ****************************************************************************************************************** Despite the strike action (which I supported) on 13th August, our journey down south the following day passed with little room for fuss. One of the many privileges about living in Cambridge is a direct Thameslink service. Taking two and a half hours, it demands no changes in London, something anyone would have previously viewed as inconceivable. Yes, the train naturally got busier when we reached the capital. But, thanks to the volume of carriages, it was never overwhelming. Days you arrive in and leave a location are always funny ones. With suitcases to hand, the places for exploration are always slightly limited. Even when you’ve been sat down the whole journey, a sense of exhaustion begins to seep in. As such, our first day in Brighton was just one for general exploration and regaining our love from the city, which we’d held from afar. Much as I love a plan and to-do list, there was something freeing about the spontaneity that came from just seeing where a street would take us. Yes, itineraries can provide a degree of order, but it can make a holiday feel like one is rushing from one thing to the next. Given most of us experience this in our normal lives, isn’t that what holidays are about escaping from? ****************************************************************************************************************** We chose to reside in the Brighton Premier Inn. It had served us perfectly well in 2016 and 2019. There was no reason to think any different this time. Even though I am becoming more of an Airbnb guru, I can see the appeal that comes from the security of knowing what service you will be offered. Even if, despite the location, the entrance isn’t the most ascetically pleasing, a good night’s rest is guaranteed, as Lenny Henry would say. Right? Not quite. The trip marked my first Premier Inn stay since before the pandemic. Let us just say things have, err, changed somewhat since then. Our Monday morning breakfast saw the hotel run out of eggs very quickly due to a fault with the suppliers. The demands of customers had been fried. Bins were not initially collected, extra pillow cases were non-existent and the shower, in a change to the almost universal trend, was too hot. With a peculiar smell on our corridor and ceiling panels out of their slots, it was clear things had gone downhill. You need only read other Google reviews to recognise my experience was not unique. Premier Inn need to recruit more staff, urgently. Though I am generally unfussy regarding accommodation, not requiring a penthouse pad to die for, it was saddening more than anything else. ****************************************************************************************************************** Still, we weren’t going to let a few accommodation problems wear us down. Holidays are for the outdoors, exploring a new location. Brighton Pier always requires a visit. The West Pier’s burnt remains were still striking, even after many viewings. Disused since 1975, large parts of the pier burnt down in 2003. The lost memories forever removed are a captivating visual site on the otherwise ebullient, jolly seafront. As for the Palace Pier, it remains as commercialised and manic as you would expect. Fairground rides, rollercoaster adventures and arcade music galore ensures it cannot be forgotten. Even when the noise and chaos of the pier proves a bit too much, it is the perfect spot for gazing back onto Brighton and the wistful hopes and dreams inevitably evoked. One afternoon was spent at the Duke’s at Komedia Picturehouse watching an encore performance of ‘Prima Facie’. Starring Jodie Comer, best known from ‘Killing Eve’ and ‘Doctor Foster’ , it detailed the horrific process facing sexual assault complaints in the legal system. Comer was fantastic as Tessa, a barrister skilled with representing sexual assault defendants in the dock. Yet when the legal becomes personal, the tables are turned. A one woman show, the drama becomes slightly didactic towards the conclusion. However, there is no doubt the drama, the message - and its importance - were left in my mind upon leaving the cinema. ****************************************************************************************************************** A quick note on a restaurant that always delivers: Casa Della Pizza. Located on North Street, in the centre of Brighton, their menu could not be more simple. £11.99 for an all-you-can-eat buffet, including salad, pizza, pasta and carbohydrates galore. The staff are friendly, the food is delicious and regularly available, the quality is top-notch. Due to the buffet style, I always go overboard, meaning it’s a restaurant one can only reasonably visit every three years. Thankfully, they never fail to provide top service. Seek them out when you’re next down south! ****************************************************************************************************************** Though Brighton boasts of a widespread number of attractions to keep its visitors amused for days on end, the opportunity to visit other parts of the south coast was not one to turn up. In 2019, we had spent happy days in Bexhill-on-Sea and Lewes. This time, it was the turn of Worthing and Eastbourne. Both places I had heard of (thanks to my fascination with UK Parliamentary constituencies) but not locations that had guaranteed adventure. The days we visited provided neither with the opportunity to shine its best light - quite literally. While the weather never hugely affects my mood, and a good old rain shower is enjoyable as well as a necessity, the general dampness on both occasions put, well, a slight damper on our spirits. In Worthing, a fairly conventional High Street, with brands that generated familiarity and tiredness, was livened up by a carousel. A seaside trip without a carousel trip would be like a Politics degree which doesn’t involve Marx. Most of the day was instead spent on the pier, reading away to the sound of crashing waves, at one with natural and literary beauty. Props to Perch on Worthing Pier, a very fine restaurant with the most pleasing architecture. We spent many hours there happily eating and admiring the most scenic of views. In a sense, the meal was made more enjoyable by the risk that comes with being on a pier. What if it did collapse? Could this be the Titanic of piers? Perhaps it is what makes cruises enjoyable to so many, the appeal of which otherwise continues to escape me. ****************************************************************************************************************** Just as day follows night, old people follow any mention of the town Eastbourne. Associated as a retirement area for the geriatrics, our early rise demanded sharp attention. Again, following a descent down from the generic town centre, a game of crazy golf (in the dark) on the pier caught our fancy. Open only for the last free weeks, my flailing attempts to hit the bat (sorry, club) were weathered by somehow winning a free game. Despite the perks of the venue, that is a prize which will remain unclaimed. Any long term reader of my blog will be well aware of my love for the artistic and cultural. When the chance arises to venture into an establishment of human creativity, you will find me there. Thank goodness then for the Eastbourne Towner. A modern, yet not tacky, venture, it contained perhaps the largest lift I have ever seen. How sad the visit numbers, though more than modest, were never enough to ram it full. Containing an array of landscapes and portraits, the opportunity only to mourn my absence of talent in that department was only strengthened. ****************************************************************************************************************** Views are an intrinsic component of any holiday. Whether for the purpose of Instagram or, whisper it, one’s own eyes, memories of a new place are part of what make holidays worthwhile. Instead of the similar environment one enjoys or endures at home and work, going on a visit means an appreciation for something beyond yourself. Rather, when the world can often feel immensely insular and singular, holidays are a reminder of an existence that has so far been undisturbed by us. Both literally and politically, humans are often told to look up. Whether because of staring at their phone screen or only appreciating eye level, taller heights are often ignored. I often think this is a shame with buildings of shops. Yes, the familiar brand is there on the ground level. But the architecture and windows above really take it to another level. Thank goodness, then, for the Brighton i360 Viewing Tower. Open since 2016, it was a tourist attraction I had been trying to pluck up the courage to go on since my first visit to Brighton. Thankfully, this was the time for it. 138m high, it is akin to the London Eye in slowly making you appreciate a magnificent view. From the sea in one direction to the immediate Brighton coast and further inland, it provided a stunning rich array of views. Even with my admiration for tall views however, I have to admit my pleasure when my feet finally touched down. ****************************************************************************************************************** Travel should teach you many things. One I learnt was that the walk between Brighton and Hove was but a mile. I knew they were separate Parliamentary constituencies, but wasn’t aware they remained so close today. A gentle stroll by the beach with lovely views on the ground bought us to Hove Museum and Art Gallery . With an enriched range of crockery, pottery and specific focus on Tatty Devine, there was an eclectic variety of different forms of beauty. What moved me most however were some short silent films of life in Brighton and Hove nearly a century ago. Playing in a makeshift cinema (six seats!), the black and white films portrayed a completely different era. I am always someone who believes, despite everything, that the best day to be alive is today (apart from tomorrow). Yet this image of nostalgia, a reverence for the past, a simpler, perhaps gentler, life, moulded a feeling which has not yet left me. Maybe that is once again a demonstration that the best art holds the beguiling power to move, arrest and stun a beholder, just when it is least expected. The same can be said for holiday destinations with heart and, yes, soul too.
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