We’ve had many great trips to Brighton in the past. Fatboy Slim playing an open gig on the seafront was certainly one of the most memorable. Some 250,000 people rocked up to see him play one hot summer’s day – over 4 times what the organisers expected. Those pre-parenting days seem a lifetime ago although of course we wouldn’t have it any other way. While POD always enjoys the likes of West Wittering, we made an impromptu trip to Brighton recently as we’d not visited for a while and she’d never been.
Having arrived in the seaside resort at lunchtime on a Sunday afternoon, we stopped off for fish and chips in Harry Ramsden’s before heading to the pier. It’s pretty much as we remembered it although its had a makeover since our last visit. There are several ‘carnival cutouts’ dotted around which are always good for a laugh. Unsurprisingly POD found them highly entertaining, she loves transforming herself into various characters!
There are a number of fairground attractions suitable for families with younger children. From the carousel, bouncy castle and slide to Cups ‘n’ Saucers, a Helter Skelter and Fantasia where kids get to sit behind the wheel of a bike or car. You have to purchase a wristband which entitles you to unlimited rides all day. These are based on height (under 1.2m or over 1.2m) not age and cheaper if you book them online in advance. Not all the rides were open so we decided not to purchase a wristband. POD was disappointed we couldn’t pay as you go so after a quick go on a Noddy ride, we had a few doughnuts before more larking around with carnival cutouts. POD had a go at winning a Minion too by knocking over six tin cans. She did well for her first attempt too, knocking down all except two.
The great thing about Brighton is that there’s so much to do there. On leaving the pier, we spotted paddle boarders and boats before heading down to the beach to skim a few stones. That said, POD is less about the skimming and more about finding pretty stones to hurl into the water but she enjoys it all the same. The light really was rather lovely as the sun lowered in the sky and there were a few giggles when the inward tide almost caught her boots!
With the POD great uncle based in Brighton, we couldn’t leave without meeting for coffee so we headed to the lanes after the beach. He took us to the Marwood Bar & Coffee Shop on Ship Street which is a gem of a place located in one of the backstreets. I love quirky places like this so if you’ve not been, do pay them a visit. They do great coffee and delicious cake among other things plus there are all kinds of interesting things to look at inside. It was the perfect way to end a rather lovely afternoon of silliness in Brighton.
