Day 77: Worthing

My brother lives in Worthing and he runs an excellent Airbnb house. So popular is his home that yesterday he was fully booked and unable to offer me a bed. Happily he can for the next couple of days.

I spent most of the day catching up with Jeremy and his partner Renee, and telling them about my adventures on the edge around the coast of Britain.

Then I went out to begin to investigate Worthing, a town that in spite of having a brother recently move there from London, is a place with which I am unfamiliar. When we go there we tend to spend time with family, not to sightsee.

Jeremy tells me Worthing is 'on the up'. I will have to take his word for it but while it is not as pretty or as smart looking as Eastbourne, it does have its very good points, not least that it’s cheaper to buy a house in Worthing than it is in Brighton, just ten miles along the coast.

His suggested must see and must do list...

• The Museum and Art gallery
• The Pier (I am becoming a world expert on piers)
• Fish and chips (Nooooooooo...!.)
• The artists’ studios on the beach east of the pie

The Museum is in a very imposing Victorian building in the centre of Worthing. Not only was it free to get in but it was really good. I enjoyed it.

Amongst the usual local archaeological and historical artefacts it also has a textile and costume collection including wedding dresses...

And a toy collection that would fascinate any child or the child within any adult.

I gave fish and chips a miss and instead had a meal in a Thai Street food cafe just off the shopping street at 3 Bath Place. Very good value and good food.

I walked along the pier where there is a restaurant and a kind of semi permanent art gallery sort of sandwiched between the glass panel wind breaks, running down the centre of the pier. Interesting concept but I would think they would need to be changed regularly to keep up interest and possibly to prevent salt and damp damage. I think most of the exhibits are actually photos of the work rather than the work itself.

East of the pier towards Lancing and away from the town centre, there is a row of old fashioned brick and steel beach huts that the council has given over to a group of artists for small studio spaces. I loved the idea. Wish the council would do that in Eastbourne.

More exploring tomorrow then I am off to Brighton