[B] Brighton: A day at the seaside

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Every year a fun bike race is held between London and Brighton, and before you ask the answer is no - we were strictly spectating! However, Jess's boyfriend Shaun and Shaun's dad were entered in the race so Jess took us on a trip to the seaside to meet them at the finish line.

We left London by train at around 9.30am and got to Brighton at about 11. It was a beautiful day and the boys weren't expected to get in until about midday (they left at 7.30) so we had a wander around the town, making our way to the Pier which dominates the beach. The Pier at Brighton is much more exciting than the Pier at New Brighton in Christchurch. Instead of a long walk to nowhere it has pubs, cafes, a gaming lounge and even a mini theme park at the end of it! The girls rode the log flume and I forked out for the more expensive 'Booster' which spins around really fast and made me feel quite ill. I got a great view of the city from up there though!

We walked back to shore and waited a while for the boys to get in but they weren't to be seen so we grabbed some fish and chips at a takeaway bar and ate them in the sun. They were delicious, and the beer wasn't bad either.

Our timing was pretty good because Shaun and his dad finished the race just as we were finishing lunch. We all went down to the beach to relax for a while, soaking up the afternoon sun. The beach wasn't sandy like a typical New Zealand beach, but pebbly instead - the bigger rocks were about the size of a golf ball and the smallest were about the size of a ten cent piece. The beach was full of people due to the bike race but there were only about five people swimming including us three. The water was incredibly salty - by far the saltiest water I've ever swum in - but it was cold and refreshing. After our swim, the weather changed and started getting a bit gloomy so we decided to call it a day and went off in search of the train station.

All round a great day out!

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Photos

View out to sea
If you look closely, there are heaps of sailing boats out there!

Comments

[rrruss]

Loving Your Blog
I have to say, even though it's early days, I love your blog. I've been in Argentina for 18 months now and it's another 11 months before I'm going to be in Brighton. Enjoy the UK! How long you there for? Russ

[B_and_R]

Thanks
Cheers, glad someone read it ;) We're planning on leaving by the end of Autumn. Its lovely here in summer but I'm guessing that it will be fairly grim in winter! Brandt