A Sunday Day Trip to Brighton

This Bank Holiday weekend, we decided that we would have a day out for a change.  I can't remember the last time we did this on a weekend, as we all have different activities that we normally do on one day or another on the weekend, so there never seems to be an opportunity, unless we're staying away from home.

This Sunday, however, OH was still recovering from a very nasty virus, so he didn't go cycling, as he usually would, and I couldn't get into my usual class at the gym, so we headed out of town.  We got up extra early to avoid the traffic, and by 8.45 am we were all in the car (dog included) and on the road and made it to Brighton in just over an hour, which was much less time than we had expected.

We drove right into the centre of Brighton and parked in the Laines Car Park, which although expensive, was very handy for the sea front, pier and the shops in The Laines. We hadn't been to Brighton for over 10 years, since Little Bird was a baby. I'm not sure why, as there is plenty to do and see there, save that we tended to go to places with a sandy beach on the Kent or Essex coast when she was small.

We started off with a little mooch around some of the Laines, before heading out onto the promenade. It was lovely and sunny when we first got there with not a cloud in sight, but very soon the cloud came over and it was quite grey and overcast. We were glad we got out early, as we were able to appreciate the best part of the day.

First stop was a short walk down to the water's edge, so that Little Bird could have a paddle.  I'm afraid I tried to take a photo but it didn't come out.  I managed to take this one of the Pier though, but we didn't go down there as dogs weren't allowed.

Instead, Little Bird and OH had a game of Crazy Golf on the seafront, and I sat with the dog and had a nice cup of tea and read the weekend newspapers.

By the time they'd finished their round of golf, we were all pretty hungry, so we headed back into town and found a lovely little Bistro where we sat outside and had a lovely cooked breakfast.  No photo here either, I really don't like to take photos of my food wherever I go.  It was very nice though, not too much food, all cooked very nicely and reasonably priced too.

This was followed by a wander around the narrow little lanes full of small shops and a quick look at the Brighton Pavillion, before heading back to London.  By the time we left, it was 1.30 pm.  (We left so early to avoid an even pricier stay in the car park and we had seen most of what we feasibly could with the dog in tow).  As it was the Brighton Festival this weekend and the Brighton Fringe, there were lots of street entertainers to watch as we wandered around and it was a good atmosphere out and about, if a little busy.

As we drove out of the car park, I found myself not envying the long queue of cars waiting to get a space in the car park and was thankful we'd come early in the day. We were home by 3.30 pm and although we had a lovely day out, I wasn't sorry to come home.  It made me remember why we so rarely brave the Bank Holiday crowds at the seaside.