Oh Brighton. 3 degrees and freezing by the seaside. We both went away to Brighton feeling a little unwell in ourselves, therefore this coastal break came at a difficult time, but we had such a lovely time and Brighton is so beautiful!
The original intention was of course, for me to do my half marathon. It didn’t get done sadly. This winter, antibiotics, shin splints, aussie flu and a recent operation meant I was well and truly scuppered for the race. However, we had arranged the transport and the Air Bnb and felt after our stint of bad health (Ruben also having had the flu) we needed a break away and in spite of possibly making ourselves feel worse, I still feel we made the right decision. Getting away is always good for the soul and there is such vibrancy in this small city.
Brighton just doesn’t disappoint as its so rich in colour, both in the buildings and the fact you have every nationality living together, and a village feel openness to the alternative scene. I know it a little bit, as I’ve been a few times over the years from London, but it’s small enough and straight forward enough to follow if you don’t and I still visit many places I don’t know, there’s always new places to find.
The Air BnB we stayed in was lovely. Run by a family, we had a private room in the basement of the house. The bed was so so good, and the duvet so warm, I wanted to ask where they bought them from! They also weren’t shy about the heating- we were so pleased as it was so cold and we were not feeling the best! We slept impeccably well and Sunday felt more adept to cope with the temperatures.
What we did: walks along the seat front (and the black and white photo of Ruben below is us barricading ourselves against a wall to avoid the winds on the beach!), walks around the Lanes. Copious cups of teas and hot chocolate to keep warm: I can recommend “The Plant Room” and “Marwood” in particular. We had meals at reasonably priced restaurants such as Street Thai (I had a sublime red curry with prawns and rice) and pub food at The Market Inn (fish and chips- delicious!). We also had the best breakfast near where we were staying at “Moes @ The Circus”; check out the eggs on avocado breakfast, super yummy! (Photo below on right)
A particular highlight is that we visited the Royal Pavillion and I would definitely recommend you to do this if you have the time. Unfortunately, no photos are allowed to be taken inside, which is sad really (and I was spoilt recently at Kensington Palace where the taking of photos are not a problem) so I only have external photos of the beautiful building, over 200 years old and such an unusual palace in its flamboyant style. The restoration work to the inside is incredible and this is a must see. The Music Room and the Banqueting room are simply breath taking and the level of detail they have been able to source re the servants who lived and worked there for example takes you into another world. How it must have been back in the day! Errrm, and tt was also freezing I have to say, so I also can’t imagine how cold they were in there 200 years ago! We thought we would be seeking refuge from the cold in there, but came out colder, haha!! 🙂
The logistics
We got the train from London- originally meant to be from London Bridge but had to reconnect at East Croydon following a signalling problem. What should have taken an hour maybe therefore took 2. No huge dramas for us luckily. Our return journey was with the National Express, which took around 2hrs 15 minutes to return and was straight forward.
Our accommodation was more expensive than what it normally would have been due to the Half Marathon, however in total for 2 days and much food and drinking we estimate we spent around £130-135 each for everything. I felt like we were constantly drinking tea or a hot drink to keep warm and really, many places (like Marwood) we were buying tea for £2 a cup. The independent tea shops in Brighton are therefore not necessarily expensive.
Train London- Brighton £12, Coach Brighton-London £13, Air Bnb £30 (would be half the price normally, remember this was a running weekend so prices are increased, just as if attending Brighton during “Pride” etc) Expenses £70-80 for all food and drinking and including £11.70 entrance to the Pavillion (if bought online by 9.30pm the night before, 10% cheaper otherwise £13.00 for adults).
As always just remember to get your transport well in advance! Brighton is also great for a day trip, or sleeping on a mates couch who lives there if you have one!
Enjoy, we really did 🙂
