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Brighton ( part two)

Nancy BrightThompson savours Brighton and Hove actually

Roedean had a room for  aunt Maud as an alumna so I had a free day in Brighton. Phillipa dropped by. I was most impressed by her dynamism is as she imports and trains horses, competes in equestrian events at the highest level and is now starting her own business after project managing the building of a house. She is also a qualified fitness coach. And she is only 26 and friendly kind person who does much pro bono work in our horse sanctuary . I treated the two of us to some pampering at the spa in the marina.

Later I waked to Hove for dinner with some friends who lived there .the sun was setting with glorious colours over the sea. I rather regret calling Brighton seedy. Certainly  if there is such a word trippery would be a better description of the front round the pier . It reflects the times when there were no cheap air fares and 60000 trippers could go to a popular resort on a bank holiday. The fish and chips , the fair ground carousels, the tea shoppes catered for them.

On the broad promenade you reach a statue and your are in middle class Hove that does not encourage the day time visitor. There are no shops and cafes but beautiful white Georgian architecture . It’s feature of our coastal resorts that the town often has a snooty sister: Clacton and Frinton; Margate and Cliftonville; Hove where they say ” Hove actually” when asked if they live in Brighton

My friends are London based but now regard Hove as their home. The male A is an Arsenal article and his partner C a jovial Scot. We went to Morocco and ate calamari and sea bass . I can’t bear calimari in thick greasy batter so I was delighted that this was prepared in a lightly floured skin . The sea bass was simply cooked but delicious for that. I must recommend this to Daphne Colthard. Hove of course has a Waitrose not an ASDA. I heard that the Newhaven ferry to Dieppe might be coming to an end. I suggested to my friends that we should as foot passengers take the ferry to France for a long and liquid lunch

I certainly would recommend Brighton in winter . The accommodation is more reasonable off season, its less crowded but has enough vitality and recreation to sustain a long weekend.

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About Nancy Bright-Thompson

A widely-respected travel editor, Nancy is a past president of the Guild of Travel Writers (GTW). She and her husband Phil now run a horse sanctuary in East Sussex. More Posts