Day 1: Eastbourne

The start of a 3780 Mile trip round the coast of Britain. I spent my first day as a hometown tourist in Eastbourne, where I live. I drove into the town centre to do my home town tourist bit. Hardly a major journey - just a mile down the road- but an opportunity to see if my master plan for the whole trip actually works.

I needed to find somewhere I could chat to locals and find out what I must see do. A charity shop turned out to be perfect. They gave me my itinerary and looking disdainfully at my jeans and t-shirt, persuaded me into buying a Per Uno jacket (turquoise and a snip at £6.50) as " I would need it for tea at the Grand."

Places I visited:

Beachy Head and the Visitor Centre

Interesting and free. Can get incredibly windy up there but there are some nice coastal footpaths.
Just be careful though as there is no barrier to the edge of the cliff and they are made of chalk so are known to crumble.

Beachy Head lighthouse and the war memorial. Had to be careful there. A very wet winter has made the cliff unstable but got a good photo of the iconic red and white lighthouse. 

   

Tragically Beachy Head is a renowned suicide spot.

 

The Grand Hotel
The volunteers at the charity shop were right. I needed a jacket. Tea was lovely in a comfortable sun filled lounge where a waiter in what was probably a version of morning dress (looked like an undertaker) whisked a starched white damask cloth over my coffee table with all the panache of a Spanish bull fighter.

The gluten free double chocolate chip biscuit came with the tea.

The tea was loose leaf so I gave myself a little tea leaf reading and frightened the waiter by showing him...

Doesn't it look like the UK with a circle round it? Good omen if a bit spooky! Tea and biscuit £5

The Towner Art Gallery
Big newish gallery usually free, and it has a good coffee shop. 

Great views from the window of the international  tennis in the summer.

The Green Almond

Lunch in my favourite place The Green Almond at the back of the Grand Hotel. 

Fab food, but you do need to book as its tiny and extremely popular. Buffet plate £6.50 Small or £7.50 large plus wonderful puds. All food is vegan and vegetarian, and most of it is gluten free which is such a luxury for me to have some choice.

Seafront and pier

I headed down to the Seafront and Pier to walk off lunch. Odd to think that Eastbourne, Brighton and Hastings have all had pier fires. Eastbourne had a bad one last year.

Eastbourne has a very well known bandstand. It often has concerts and shows and tickets are normally reasonably priced.

Eastbourne has really beautifully tended gardens as you walk along the prom.

Neates

Time for tea. The Volunteers sent me to Neates in Terminus Road where I had one and a bit gluten free scone. One and a bit? Yes they think one is not enough and two too much. Lots of clotted cream and homemade sharp raspberry jam. SO delicious. No wonder they claim to provide the best cream tea in Eastbourne, I agree!

Harbour

Sovereign Harbour is my last port of call (pun intended) for a glass of something chilled as the sun sinks past the yardarm. There are a cluster of restaurants (Italian, Thai, pub grub) and and little shops with a variety of gifts.

Tomorrow my trip starts for real as Gloria, mums ashes and I head off for New Romney.