Hi guys!
I have been really busy the past few weeks and I haven’t had much spare time to blog but I have recently come back from my mini holiday to Eastbourne. I went on a coach trip holiday with my parents from Monday 6th July to Friday 10th July which meant my dad could sit back and relax as he didn’t have to drive us around everywhere. For those of you who have never been on a coach trip holiday before, I will tell you a bit about them; a coach holiday is a holiday where you get picked up by coach and taken to your chosen destination by coach, you stay at a hotel for the week but you will have trips organised by the coach company throughout the week where you hop on the coach in the morning and are taken to a different place to explore there for the day before returning back to your hotel for the evening. We also got breakfast and our evening meal included so all we had to worry about was our lunch (or fill up in the morning on breakfast).
Now, coach holidays are dominantly aimed at elderly people and I was the youngest person in the hotel and on the trips but I was getting a free holiday so I can’t complain too much.
Read what I got up to below:
Monday 6th July – Day 1
An early start on Monday as we had to be at the coach bay waiting to board our coach at 8:45am. Monday was spent mostly travelling to be honest as it took about 9 hours to get to Eastbourne (with pit stops) so when we finally did arrive at our hotel in Eastbourne, we were exhausted and only managed to check in before we had to rush back out our rooms for our evening meal.
After our tea, we decided to explore Eastbourne and because our hotel was at the seafront, we decided to go for a walk along the promenade and take a stroll along the pier. My first glimpse of Eastbourne took my breath away! The beach has always been my happy place so I was eager to get down there and the sight of it was beautiful; it’s a gorgeous pebbled beach with a clear blue sea that looks very picturesque. I fell in love with it instantly and was happy that I had finally come here. I know Eastbourne from watching the teenage chick flick ‘Angus, Thongs, And Perfect Snogging‘, which I was obsessed with to but it mildly. From watching the film, I knew it would be beautiful and ever since then, it has been on my list of places to see and explore.
Afterwards, like any good Northerner, we stumbled across a Wetherspoons and had a few drinks before returning back to our hotel.
Tuesday 7th July – Day 2
We had a coach trip organised on Tuesday so after breakfast, we jumped on the coach and was firstly taken to a quaint little town called Rye. It is this beautiful old town with a lot of history, including using the vaulted cellars for smuggling in the 18th century. Firstly, me and my parents walked up to The Parish Church of St Mary where we were greeted to a lovely church which contained an unusual picture of Jesus (I think) where, depending on where you look at the portrait, his eyes would either appear open or closed.
After that, we carried on walking to the castle, which has now been transformed in to a museum. We didn’t have enough time to go in to the museum but we did manage to walk around to the back and explore the gun garden which dates back to the 13th century.
After a good look around there, we found ourselves wandering down a picturesque street named Mermaid Street. This was by far my favourite place in Rye; it is a stunning pebbled street with lots of quirky buildings lining the streets. We discovered houses with funny names such as The House Opposite and The House With Two Front Doors, and each house was lined with eye-catching flowers and decorative’s to really catch the eye. Mermaid Street is like stepping in to your very own fairytale.
The Gun Garden
Mermaid Street
After our visit in Rye, we jumped back on the coach and went on our way to Tenterden. To be honest, we didn’t see much in Tenterden apart from shops and we walked past a nice church so we decided to stop off at the pub (standard) and grab a bite to eat and have a cider before we returned back to Eastbourne. I got a lovely sausage panini that tasted fantastic and it was a really hot day so we managed to have out lunch in the beer garden and I even got sunburnt.
Afterwards, we got back on the coach to Eastbourne and freshened up before heading out to the Wetherspoons we found the night before for some steak and a few drinks.
Wednesday 8th July – Day 3
We enjoyed breakfast again before jumping on the coach to a place called Worthing. It was a very wet morning so it prevented us from getting the full experience of the town but we did manage to run off to the shops and find the market before calling it a day and finding a really cute cafe where I got my favourite coffee drink, a mocha. Afterwards, I decided to have a stroll up Worthing Pier on my own which I found strangely peaceful as it was raining and no one else was there apart from me. I managed to get some really artsy, gloomy pictures too which I was quite proud about.
Worthing Pier
And then we got back on the coach to go to my new favourite place, Brighton. Brighton is one of those places that you either love or hate, and I personally loved it. I like how it’s a busy city and there is a lot to do and see, but it also has the beach so you can chill out if you want to. I also love the gay influence of the city and I would love to go to Brighton Pride one year as I think it will be amazing.
We saw some really great places in Brighton, including the pier, the pavilion, and the lanes. The Royal Pavilion is a formal royal residence and just by looking at the magnificence of the building, you can tell it is pretty special. By looking at the pavilion, it does not feel like you are in an English town but instead somewhere far more exotic. Another exotic looking place were ‘The Lanes’ which were tiny little ally ways with lots of different and unique shops, cafe’s and bars down them. It was such an amazing place and I would have loved to have been able to explore them more.
Brighton Pier
The Pavilion
After a few hours in Brighton, we had to get back on the coach to Eastbourne. I would have loved to have explored Brighton more and actually go in to the Pavilion but it is definitely a place I will be returning to.
Back in Eastbourne, we had our tea and then went off to the promenade near the bandstand. There was a brass band playing and we got to watch fireworks on the beach, which was definitely on my bucket list. It was such a great feeling to be on the beach watching fireworks set off and I felt like a big kid again. It was the perfect ending to a great day.
Thursday 9th July – Day 4
Our last full day on our holiday and we were left to explore Eastbourne and see as much as possible. We started the day off by going to the beach at 9:30am which was one of the best things ever; there was next to no one on it and we had the whole beach to ourselves. I had a paddle in the sea and it was so cool and refreshing. We pretty much stayed on the beach all day and my pale skin burnt quite badly (I wore factor 50 sun cream too…).
We also managed to get ourselves to the ice cream parlor and I got a mint and chocolate ice cream sundae called “Mintnight Express”. I have a funny story regarding my sundae actually; so I had it and my dad wanted me to take a picture of him, so I grabbed my bag with my camera in and managed to knock the menu which knocked in to my sundae and it fell on me and on the floor, all in about 30 seconds of having it. I did manage to pick it up and clean up the mess, and only a bit of ice cream had actually fallen out of the glass so I still got to eat it and so I was still happy. I am too clumsy sometimes!
So afterwards, I left my parents to roam around the shops and I went for a stroll along the beach (not easy when it pebbles and I’m only wearing sandles). And I finally found the beach huts I had been looking all over for too!
When evening came, we decided to go for some tea and found a great sports bar where I got a divine lamb burger. It is making my mouth water just thinking about it now!
Afterwards, we went back to the bandstand in the evening to watch another jazz band before returning back to the hotel.
Beach Huts
Morning stroll on the beach
Friday 10th July – Day 5
An early start once again as we had to get our suitcases outside our room’s by 7am and had to be on the coach for 8:30am, ready for the long ride home. It took us about 9 hours in total to get home and we only got back to our house at 5:30pm.
I had a fantastic holiday and I can’t wait to return to Eastbourne and Brighton but there is nothing like your own bed.
Paradise Spice 