Travelbug - Brighton [Pier]

I did the lead up to this post yesterday but if you missed that....Miss M and I recently returned from a trip to the UK and as usual we got to do a few little excursions.

Our first day out was to the seaside town of Brighton.

Many decades ago, when I was a young teen, my eldest brother took up residence in Brighton for a few years.  We had the good fortune to visit him there and stayed for a week or so of which I have fabulous memories.

I returned a few years ago with my mum to find that although it was generally the same, some things had changed but I enjoyed it all the same and thought that Miss M would enjoy seeing Brighton too. 

a sneak peek of the Royal Pavilion

Once we got off the train, I knew it was not a really long walk down to the 'front' and I directed our route so we would walk past the Royal Pavilion. Once we reached the Pavilion, the sun had come out so we decided to walk on down to the Brighton Pier first.

First of all we walked on the pebble beach towards the Pier since I wanted to photograph it from underneath as well.

Looking at it from underneath, you can see just how rusty the pier pylons are.....I hope they check them often for structural integrity! The structure is also covered in rags washed in by the tide. Miss M found them quite photogenic while I found them to be a bit of an untidy mess....I am looking forward to seeing her view on them through the camera.

The one thing I definitely remember about the beach at Brighton, is the pebbles. You would think this would make it easy to walk on but it is really tough going in shoes and can NOT be done in bare feet at all. My dad never seemed to like sandy beaches, so visiting Brighton was the only time I remember having a deck chair and sitting on the [pebble] beach just like other families.

Finally, we found our way onto the Pier, I remember, from the 80's, it being cramped with souvenir stalls, ice-cream vendors, fish & chip kiosks, fair ground rides and a theater (where I saw a couple of concerts back then).

The dozens of souvenier stalls have been replaced by one or two places that sell 'rock' and postcards, the ice-cream stalls and fish and chip kiosks are mostly replaced by Cafe's, Bars and Restaurants.

The window display of the Victoria Lounge & Bar Terrace

 The Theater has been turned into an Arcade with video games and slot machines but the fair rides are still there and most importantly.....the Helter Skelter. Oh, how I loved to grab a hessian mat and slide around and down the Helter Skelter!

It says 'closed' but people were definitely enjoying this fairground attraction....just not me this time!

By the time we had walked to the end of the pier and back, we were getting quite cold and decided it was time to go and look for a nice hot cup of tea to warm ourselves before continuing on our excursion.

Before I go and write the next post about Brighton.....because I just know you are dying to see the Royal Pavilion, here is a note for Dasha who thought one of my castles was at Portsmouth.....alas not, Dasha! Here is a little game to help you guess correctly.....Can you match the Castle to its correct Name?

1. Hastings Castle, 2. Bodiam Castle, 3. Windsor Castle, 4. Pevensey Castle, 5. Leeds Castle, 6. Ypres Tower (Rye)

Thank you for reading....I hope you enjoyed this post.