After a pretty hectic Saturday, we headed to Brighton for a day of relaxation on the beach. With the cost of the train under £15 from central London [if you go on Thameslink – there are quicker Southern trains from Victoria but they cost more], we took a morning train with croissants, strawberries and apple juice, and were ready to go by the time we reached the coast.

We avoided the stag and hen parties and walked along the pebbly beach towards the famous Pier.

We passed a Punch and Judy show, but by the time they came out to play we had continued on to discover the next excitement!

There were some beautiful old boats on the beach, which framed a mysterious ruined pier in the distance. We later discovered that this was the West Pier, which featured a concert hall, but burned down years ago [in 2003]… So sad! [The pier closed in 1975 and has been in decline ever since.]

We eventually reached the famous Brighton Pier [originally Palace Pier], and made it past the doughnuts for some fish and chips in the sunshine. That was after some hardcore gambling, with high stakes of 2ps… [We left empty handed of course, but I think we won at least 50p along the way!]

There were some groynes dotted along the beach which break up the force of the water. This included the Doughnut Groyne, which was naturally photogenic (shame about the people in the way)…

We decided to ride the Brighton Wheel – although pretty empty, there was minimal queuing time and we had five revolutions to admire the coastline from above. At £8 each, we thought this was pretty good value.

The Pier through the Wheel:

The beach from above:

The highlight of certain people’s day was undoubtedly the “super-incredible” (I quote [I was being at least partially sarcastic]) Volks Electric Railway, the oldest operating electric railway in the world. We pottered along the coast to the Marina… and then pottered back. At £3.70 each for a return ticket, it was a lovely way to see more of the beach from a picturesque train. (Something to note, though, is that this end of the beach, with the Marina cinema and shopping complex, is less attractive than the western end.)

The marina itself, looking gorgeous in the evening sunshine:

Some people were enjoying the spray!

We went to various places throughout the day, which we think are worth a visit (there are many more, but we went to these on this particular Sunday):

• Snoopers Paradise: An enormous treasure trove of antiques/junk/fabulous finds to rummage through. We actually made an exciting purchase – more details to come here soon!
• Casa Don Carlos: A popular but quirky tapas restaurant, with outside tables.  The night we went, a flambéed rum and chorizo dish was proving a hit.
• The Creperie: We had caramelised apple, Nutella and whipped cream, and marshmallows and chocolate sauce respectively. Oh, and a strawberry cheesecake milkshake. While watching Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

As ever though, the day disappeared in no time at all, and we had to say our goodbyes.

Where else should we try next? Do you have a Brighton must-see? Let us know in the comments!