Brighton

There is so much to do in Brighton and there is something for everybody to enjoy. The beach is the place that everyone flocks to when the sunshine comes out. As long as you don't mind a pebble beach and the cold sea it is a lovely place to sit and sunbathe.

The latest addition to Brighton is the 162m observation tower  giving a 360 degree view of the surrounding countryside. I confess I didn't go up it, but the other good way for coastal views is to catch a number 12 bus between Brighton and Eastbourne and sit on the upper deck.

Brighton is home to the famous 'lanes,' as well as Churchill Square shopping centre. The lanes are alleyways full of the more independent shops, whilst the centre is more main stream brands. There are places to eat in both places, so there really is something that will suit everyone.

Brighton is an hour's train ride from London Victoria with train links to Gatwick Airport. From the station it is one straight road downhill to the sea, with the shopping centre on the right about half way down. There are public car parks around should you chose to drive, but parking is not only tricky to find, but also expensive.

Brighton Pier is opposite the Sea Life Brighton in which you could spend a whole day inside looking at the wide range of sea life.

I am sure that there are lots of things missing from this blog post. I only went to the Brighton for a day at the beach, but there is so much to do it is somewhere you could easily spend a good few days. There are a fair few cheap hotels around the city centre.

Doughnut Groyne

There is also an arcade and fairground on the pier to keep the younger generations entertained. The pier also has a range of shops and has public toilets which is always handy to know.

Mayfield Lavender Field

Mayfield Lavender Field is open from June to mid September and is located in Surrey. It costs £2 for adults and is free for under 16s. There is a small car park onsite but it fills quickly, so you are able to park in a nearby sports centre for £5. There is a shop and cafe near the main entrance which were very busy. You are able to walk amongst the rows of lavender laid out over the field and there is lots of bee activity, so be careful. It is a very pretty setting and is a nice place to visit for an hour or so. These are my best pictures from my day out:

France: Cholet, Carnac and La Baule

So, I recently gate-crashed my parents holiday in France. I flew out to meet them as they had a car and were driving around part of France

Cholet was the home for stage 3 of the Tour De France team time trials. The days we were there very little was open, which was a shame as it had a shopping centre just off the town square. The shops had yellow mats out especially for the cycling and there was an exhibition of past memorabilia. Unlike when we had been in Nice there was no village for the Tour. On the day of the time trials the roads were closed and there were a collection of stands giving away freebies, but some made you answer a question first. The Tour De France is always preceded by a parade of caravans throwing free stuff from the floats. The floats are always pretty fun and people fight over the things that are flung from them. The team time trials were held over several hours with 5-minute intervals between teams. We stayed for about half of the teams as they pass by very quickly, although we were at a point where we could see them leave on one side of the road and arrive back on the other.

Cholet took it's preparations seriously

One of the many 'caravans'

One of the Tour de France teams

Next stop was Carnac, which is also a relatively small town with one main street. We were there for the World Cup semi-final game that France were playing and therefore quite a few places had closed. We took a little tourist train which took us through Carnac, along to Trinitie sur mer where we stopped to look at the harbour, which had a 1000 moorings and was full of yachts. 

Harbour at Trinite sur mer

After an ice cream break the train then took us to Les Alignments – a collection of Mesolithic stones all in straight lines. 

We visited St Cornely's Church. Legend says he was being pursued and turned his pursuers into stone (the megaliths know as Les Alignments). The Church has lots of beautiful stained glass windows and an intricately painted ceiling.

Portion of the ceiling

One of the stained glass windows

We also spent a few hours at the beach in Carnac which had very glittery sand. We also visited a biscuit factory and saw the chef rolling large sheets of butter into bread dough. There were lots of biscuits to sample and buy as well as souvenirs.

Our final stop was La Baule which was the biggest place we visited. There was a lovely Vietnamese restaurant near the train station which I would recommend. Most of the time here was spent on the beach, aided by men with carts going along the shore line selling drinks and ice cream and a number of bars are also situated on the beach. My parents went to look at U-boat pens and war memorials/cemeteries as there are lots of these around France as a result of the two world wars.

View of La Baule from the sea

There are 2 hypermarket chains in France which we enjoy – Carrefour and Auchan. This is the place to do all your shopping of French food and wine to take home as you aren’t paying tourist prices.

The other thing I love about France are the Patisseries. They open early every day with fresh bread and pastries. They are great places to pick up something for breakfast or to treat yourself.

Nantes airport is a very small airport, with nothing else apart from the duty-free shop, so if you are flying out of Nantes go prepared. I would recommend taking food and some entertainment or you may end up getting very bored.

Restaurant Review: Chez Bruce - London

Recently I went to Chez Bruce for dinner in South London. This is a Michelin star restaurant, which offers a 3 course lunch and dinner menu. The food is all seasonal - the difference being that lunch costs about half the price of dinner for the same menu. Drinks are not included, but you can buy some very high end wines should you wish. Booking is essential, but it is definitely worth the cost.

Whilst you wait for your starter to arrive there is the standard delivery of some very nice fresh bread and there is even someone who can help you pick out what wines you wish to drink with your meal.

The menu is specific to the date that you go and then as to whether you are there for lunch or dinner. As I mentioned, the menu is the same for both times of day, but the price is what differs. The food is fresh and seasonal, so the menu changes throughout the year.

Suffolk Lamb

I must have been spotted tipping the ice from my drinks glass into my water glass as about a second later a glass of ice, complete with a spoon in appeared next to me. This shows just how high the standards and level of service are at this restaurant.

When we paid we were then given a small bag of chocolate truffles and another of biscuits to take home with us. This was on top of a small plate full of truffles that had appeared with the bill.

 The price of 3 courses for dinner was £57.50 not including drinks. For lunch it is about £35 for 3 courses, so you can see the price difference

Magnificent Motors, Beachy Head and a trip to the Seaside

So I went to visit one of my favourite places recently. This blog will be more pictures than words, especially good if you like looking at vintage cars.

Magnificent Motors
This is held annually on the Western Lawns of Eastbourne seafront in May. A collection of vintage cars descend for public admiration and some of them are pretty amazing. I can't do more than look at the pretty cars and take photos as my car knowledge is non existent, but it makes for an afternoon well spent.

Beachy Head
The cliffs at Beachy Head are stunning. There is a classic red and white stripe lighthouse and lots of paths to walk. There is a high rate of costal erosion, so you can't get too close to the edge in places and it is also sadly an infamous suicide spot. The Beachy Head Chaplaincy Team patrol these cliffs and do a pretty tough job in intercepting those who are in very dark places. On a nice day the view extends out over Sussex and is absolutely beautiful. There are places to park at £1/hr and also a pub, should you care to go for lunch or dinner.

The Beach
Eastbourne is a pebble beach, but with the pier, the bandstand and the carpet gardens running along the promenade there is a lot to see (and photograph). It was a beautiful sunny weekend, so I got some lovely views to share with you.

Eastbourne is under-rated as it is often referred to as God's waiting room. However, it is full of things to do for all the family and is more peaceful than a trip to Brighton. It is mid re-development but the shops at the Arndale are still open for business. It is also great for country/seaside walks if you want to walk with a view.