Day 80: Back to Eastbourne

When I was a child my grandfather used to take us out in his car on Sunday afternoon to give my parents a bit of time off. With six children I’m sure that was welcomed. When we asked where we were going he used to say, “there and back to see how far it is.”

I left Eastbourne on May 1^st and started my trip on the edge around the whole coast of Britain and tonight I will have been there and back to see how far it is.

Saltdean is a small village on the outskirts of Brighton and I called in on Ruth an old friend  who had been so encouraging about this trip. She is a writer and she had suggested not only to write a blog but to keep a journal as well . One journal has become three! So much happened that I did not record for the blog, and I just wanted to share some of it with Ruth.

Over a cup of tea I told her about the soldier theme and what some of it had involved. Why? Because Ruth was an army doctor for years. Things I had experienced around the military would resonate with her. It did.

I am waiting to see what I am supposed to do with the ideas and experiences that were shared with me by the soldiers I met on route.As a professional with a foot in both camps so to speak, Ruth may well be part of that too.

Peacehaven is a small town on the coast road just a little further on towards Eastbourne. It would be easy to dismiss it as an insignificant bungalow development but that would be a mistake.

Peacehaven was established in 1916 and originally formed for returning first World War veterans so that they could recover in peace and beside the sea. The land was cheap and people could afford to buy plots and build on them. Originally they could build out of any materials and it may have started like much like plotties movement I saw elsewhere.

Its name came from a competition in the papers set up by an entrepreneur who bought up much of the area and offered free plots as prizes but it was revealed to be a scam. The plots were free but the conveyancing was expensive. The naming competition winner was a lady in Leicestershire called Ethel Radford who suggested the name Peacehaven.

The Greenwich Meridian runs for more than 200 miles through Britain from near Withernsea in East Yorkshire to Peacehaven.  The line is invisible like the equator but there is a monument to it in the town .

Newhaven is another easily dismissed town but again there are some distinguishing features. For a start it is an active port. From here you can take the ferry to France for a day trip.

There is also a 19th century fort there to protect the harbour. It was the largest defence work ever built in Sussex and is now open as a museum.

Seaford is a small seaside town just before the Seven Sister Country Park. It is worth the trip just to visit Pomegranate an unfussy small restaurant run by Steve and Sava. The food is consistently great, with imaginative specials every day. Thankfully an exception to the poor quality food offerings elsewhere on a lot of coastal Britain.

The Cuckmere Haven is famously featured in geography textbooks because it is a fine example of a meandering river with several oxbow lakes.

The iconic Seven Sisters cliffs that feature on the front cover of Bill Brysons latest book (The Road to Little Dribbling) are there in all their glory and are another  popular film location.

The area is  designated.  The Seven Sisters Country Park and the visitors centre is worth a visit. .

It's a lovely flat walk from the car park to the sea where there is a nature reserve.  From the 16^th to the 19^th centuries these beaches were popular with smugglers who were pursued by revenue officers from nearby Newhaven with mixed success.

You can also see old pill box war defences on the route left over from World War 2

On to Birling Gap from where you can stroll along the cliff top to the Belle Toute Lighthouse. The lighthouse was once the Eastbourne Lighthouse but was decommissioned and sold to private owners who converted it to a Bed and Breakfast location. It was shot to international fame in 1999 when it was moved back from the edge of the cliff to prevent it falling into the sea due to cliff top erosion.

And then it’s home.

So….what have I learnt?

I appreciate my own hometown more than I would have believed possible when I left.  It is a beautiful place unspoiled by slot machines and tacky tourist attractions on the promenade but with lots of much more interesting tourist attractions on offer every month.

It is a clean town.

In spite of the recent criticism of the new pier owner, ours is still one of the best piers along the entire coast of Great Britain and I can say that because I have seen almost all of them. I even like the gilding that catches the evening sunshine.

The flowers everywhere I also have taken for granted and think more towns would benefit from the colour and the beauty and the sense of self esteem that come with taking care of your environment.

I LOVED my trip and I know my mother would also have loved every minute.

The best bits?

Definitely the people I met and the small miracles and magical moments I found by scratching under the surface. The local people who advised me what to see and what to do and the surprising number who did not consider that their towns had anything to offer to a visitor but sent me instead to neighbouring places. 

I appreciate the people who make their homes on the coasts of this stunning beautiful island of ours and now know how tough life is for so many of them living on the edges.

Going by myself meant that I talked to people from all walks of life and saw things from their perspective, particularly as these were interesting months politically in the UK with the EU referendum going on.

I missed my family and particularly my daughters. Morgan, beloved number one daughter, acted as my media persona par excellence and sorted my photos and blogs when I had no signal (much of the time) and made sure I was not sued on my return for being totally non PC. She also added all the links for me and tweeted on my behalf meaning that over 8,000 people have looked at a blog that was intended for my six brothers and sisters and my lovely neighbours. Thank you Morgan. Love you lots.

And how far was it to go there and back again? 5649 miles.

Would I do it again?

In a heartbeat.

Day 79: Brighton

My last day. I can’t believe it!!! 79 days since I left Eastbourne on May 1^st to take my mum’s ashes around the coast of Britain.

Today has to be Brighton but I wanted a different Brighton to the usual tourist stuff so I asked Ben my son in law and Freya my beloved number two daughter - who both live there - for my what to see and what to do list.

Brighton has a myriad of claims to fame that deserve a week at least and a whole book to itself: in history, in film, in sordid court cases, in Pride Marches, in fiction and in being a wonderful vibrant city host to the Festival every May, and for being the home of choice of two of my favourite people.

So...

• Kemptown not Churchill Square
• West Pier not Palace Pier
• North Laines not The Lanes
• Open Market London Road not Western Road 
• Duke of York Theatre not Cineworld
• Not the Wheel but the i360

I parked up in Elm Grove as Brighton is also famous for very expensive parking, and walked first to the Open Market in London Road. It is called the open market but it is actually a large covered space with a wide variety of interesting stalls, little shops and small studio spaces on their first floor. 

It is heading towards becoming  like London’s Convent Garden particularly since its renovation.  Lots of interesting foods and ethical products as well as traditional fruit and veg.

Ice-cream is my favourite food group. I had one of the best ice-creams of my whole trip at Mathers in the market.

The North Laines are also a favourite destination of mine and judging by the crowds thronging the narrow streets or indulging at street cafes and watching the world strut by, a favourite haunt of everyone else's too. 

Every time I enter these labyrinthian streets new shops have sprung up amongst the established retailers, like mushrooms. Noticeable but unsurprising for Brighton, lots of male grooming outlets on this visit particularly products for beards!

The Laines are extremely eclectic and attract all sorts of shopping experiences and people. 

Brighton has sad side - a large homeless population and regretably  they were in evidence too.

Coming out of the North Laines I went in search of the Duke of York – a  Picturehouse (Cinema to the rest of us).

The Duke is an art house cinema away from the main drag with the distinction of probably being the oldest cinema in Britain that has been in continuous use. It opened in 1910 and was one of the first picture houses to be built in the World. Given that so many cinemas have come and gone, it is amazing that his has kept going and in 2012 it was voted the best cinema in the UK.

Like some of the boutique cinemas in New Zealand created by Lord of the Rings Director Peter Jackson, the Duke has sacrificed some of its seating capacity to make it comfortable with sofas and chairs. It has a 12 foot model of Can Can dancers legs on the roof which came from a theatre in Oxford. 

Coming out of the cinema I saw a queue outside the fire station. Curious I followed it to what turned out to be Brighton and Hove fire station Open Day. How lovely. Children allowed to put on the helmets and climb into the fire engines and their dads taking selfies like children themselves. Ice-creams, raffles and then all of a sudden mayhem as firemen rushed around grabbing their kit and gently pulling children out of the fire tender and piling in themselves. 

‘A shout’ – and they were off sirens blaring.

Another iconic old building that refuses to be ignored is the exotic Royal Pavilion – a Palace built as a seaside residence for King George IV as a place where he could enjoy the charms of his girl friend  Maria Fitzherbert.

Today people were relaxing in the gardens in the sunshine.

Like some other towns I have visited on my trip around the coast of Great Britain, Brighton has two piers. Or it had.

The West Pier was opened in 1866 and closed in 1975 and became derelict. It has suffered from two fires and very little of it remains but a sort of skeleton and even what little was left has been largely demolished to make way for the i360.

What on earth is Brighton thinking to be installing a massive erection on the seafront? I can’t help thinking it was a joke that someone with very little imagination took seriously! The popular Brighton Eye has gone (WAS it sold to Weston Super mare?) and this structure is taking shape in front of the West Pier.

I360 is supposed to be an observation tower but 180 degrees will simply observe the sea unless one can see far enough to spot the French Coast? Apparently the ‘i’ in the brand represents independence and innovation. Shouldn’t that be i i then adding to the impression of saucy seaside postcards?

It is proposed to be the World’s tallest slenderest tower with the World’s only vertical cable car. Looks like a donut to me. The planners are hoping to get it into the Guinness Book of Records in 2017. At £15 a ticket I doubt I will be a vertical traveller. Personally I could have suggested other ways to spend the estimated £46 million it has cost to build. Hostels and real opportunities for rehabilitation for the homeless in Brighton for a start!!!

It is due to open in August. Happily I will not be there to witness it but I am sure thousands will.

Kemptown is the area east of Brighton centre. It feels a bit like a village. It has independent cafes and shops and was the only place today where I could get a standby haircut.

Two young men, one washed my hair and the other cut it...good job done fast and good value.

Last bit to do, walk on through the town and past the Pepper Pot.

It’s a listed building just by Queens Park at the top of Kemptown. It was once part of an estate but the house has long gone and this is all that remains. No idea what it might be used for today. Not really concerned as I am now knackered and need a cup of tea and a lie down in a darkened room.

At least I have been able to unload all the craft beers I had gathered for Ben and Freya on my trip  so my car is less likely to explode should I impact with anything on the last lap home tomorrow. !