East Sussex – A Quick Overview

The county of ’sunny’ (in English terms) East Sussex can be found a short 45mile (70km) drive south of London.

The area that I have grown up in and lived in for much of my life has much to offer to visitors as well as some less attractive tacky features as well.

Brighton
The most obvious place to start is the town of Brighton on the coast, immortalised by the film “Quadraphonia” as one of the sites of violence between the mods and rockers during the 60’s. Brighton has always been a popular destination for tourists from Georgian times when the London nobility, including the prince regent himself, often came to visit. There is a strong legacy from this period evident in Brighton still with the central architecture dominated by Georgian styles and the most famous landmarks the Brighton Pavilion, built by the Prince Regent, and the 2 piers remaining from this era, albeit one only just.

Today, Brighton is a popular spot with many visitors, still due to the relatively warmer climate and the unimpressive pebble beach, but nowadays more due to the lively upbeat atmosphere. Whether you are a Londoner come down for a weekends partying or a foreign student learning English for the summer, it has much to offer. I know this sounds like a Brighton tourist board speech but when I was travelling I would talk about it in a similar fashion and most people I met who had visited, agreed.

The best time to visit is the summer although it does get quite busy. Something I used to enjoy doing before I went travelling was to go down on a Saturday afternoon, go to a free music festival on Madeira Drive, dance on the beach in the sun and go around some of the numerous (no understatement) pubs and clubs in the evening.

There are many bars and clubs in the central area around Dukes Lanes, the south lanes and an area locally known as ‘the level’, which is a strip of pubs and bars on the London Road. These places cater for any musical taste you could possibly think of from heavy metal to 70’s disco. Some of the better ones include the Zap.

The lanes areas are also a shoppers delight with all sorts of weird and wonderful shops including many antiques shops, tacky tourist shops selling Brighton rock and other paraphernalia, and many clothes and music shops as well as numerous junk/second-hand shops you can search through for that more obscure souvenir.

The town itself has many other attractions including the Brighton Pavilion (mentioned before) and the Dome, both of which have just had a £30 million overhaul. Next to the Dome is the Corn Exchange which is host to a number of museums and galleries. For the more adventurous, a trip into the underground tunnels and sewers can be organised for an altogether more different experience (and smell).

Lewes
Fifteen minutes inland from Brighton (by train or bus) is the county town of Lewes, which is steeped in history. There is the castle which dates back to Norman times (11th century) although it’s not the best castle in Sussex. There is Anne of Cleves house (one of Henry VIII more fortunate wives) which is worth a quick visit, but don’t get your hopes up too much – it’s just an example of a very old house.

There are many other old buildings in the town but the aforementioned are probably the most visited except maybe the many very old pubs like the Bull or the Crown where they serve Harvey’s, the local brew. The brewery itself is in the town and can be found by following the stench coming from it but unfortunately tours need to be booked up well in advance.

South Downs
Running from east to west along the coast of Sussex and Hampshire are the South Downs. At the east end is the town of Eastbourne and a few miles west there is Beachy Head, a large white cliff which is notoriously famous for being one of the most popular places in the world to commit suicide. The Downs are within easy reach of the main towns in East Sussex and make for an easy stroll to take in a view of the whole county.

Getting to and around Sussex
Train links to Brighton from London Victoria take around 1 hour and leave regularly everyday.
Check this site for the cheapest ticket.

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