Following those few dull and dreary days in Wimereux, long delays at the tunnel due to a broken down train and a dreadful trip on the A259, the France part of the trip is over and we find ourselves in Brighton. As we hate the appalling M20, and the nearly as bad M25, we decided to try to avoid both and spend some time in the south-east. Bad move – the A259 is horrible. Narrow, rubbish road surface, and too many bends. Add to that busy towns and dreadful on street parking and we have a stressful journey:

We are spending a couple of days here, then heading towards Chichester before heading back north.

A fiver each for a full day bus pass duly purchased on board, so off we went for a day out in Brighton.  Got off at the Royal Pavilion and went for a wander.  However, in spite of the rather obvious landmark of the sea, this is an easy pace to get lost in:

When we last visited here about 30 years ago, the obvious place to visit was The Lanes.  All these years on it seems more of a tourist attraction and less of a place to bag a bargain.  No doubt bargains are to be had for those who know what they are doing, but for those of us who don’t, fortunes are there to be lost.

The Lanes, Brighton

The  northern part of town has a nicer ambiance and more interesting and affordable shops:

Nicer shops

No normal tourist leaves without a picture of:

Royal Pavilion

And here is a seagull, who once again puts the Cornish variety to shame:

Bird on a bin