Tuesday 24th May: arrival day.
http://www.thetwentyone.co.uk/
We were traveling to Brighton today and made it to the airport for the car return and our 11.30am flight with ease. The three hour flight went smoothly as did collecting our next car and the 30 min drive down to Brighton.
Our lodging for the next two nights was a great B&B called The Twenty One. It is located in a little lane off the Brighton beach front and we even have water glimpses from our room. Our host, Andy, helped us with our bags and to sort parking and was helpful with suggestions for how to use our time given the short stay.
Our room was large and beautifully appointed and it felt rather a shame to leave it but we felt the need to use the afternoon hours to do a bit of exploring around Brighton town. We walked down to check out ‘The Lanes’, a maze of winding narrow lanes lined with shops, cafes and pubs and we also noted the huge number of Estate jewelry shops that some in my family would love. From ‘The Lanes’ we walked over to the waterfront and did a loop out along the famous Brighton Pier. We can at least say we’ve walked this iconic Pier but we both felt that the whole area was a huge opportunity going begging. Think Luna Park from the 60s and you’re close: trashy shops and theme park rides. Walking back from the Pier to our B&B gave us an opportunity to check out the Promenade and properties along the waterfront and many of these beautiful Regency buildings could do with a lick of paint and the Promenade could also do with some TLC.
This need stood out for us more so given that we’d just come from the magnificent and pristine waterfront precinct of Malaga. I dare not mention this divergence to any Poms though for fear of starting a rant about that’s where all their EU money has been going over recent years and, hence, the recent Brexit situation.
The greater appeal for us though was the street parallel but one back from the beach. This winds a bit and thus has a few incarnations as either ST James Street, Upper St James Street, Bristol Road or St Georges Road. This street was lined with a quirky mix of pubs, shops, cafes, high-end new and also Vintage clothing shops, antique shops and, then, residential houses. This is the place to head to when you come to Brighton in our opinion and not the Pier!
After this we wandered back past our B&B and on to a craft beer Pub called the Hand in Hand that Andy had mentioned and then to dinner at another pub called the Ginger Dog which had also been suggested by Andy as offering great food and… that it did. Finally, some vegetables with our dinner. We then headed home to get some well-deserved rest.
NB: there may have been a post or two since I last uploaded so scroll back and check if you want.
