Eastbourne, UK

Eastbourne is a quiet coastal town in southern England, most famous for its Victorian style beach front and pier. We have been to Eastbourne a few times to visit friends who live there, and although it's not as vibrant and popular as Brighton, it's still a relaxing place to visit. It seems to have a reputation for being more appealing to the older, retired generation, however it is still possible for the likes of us younger travellers to have a good time there.

Eastbourne is about an hour and a half train ride from London, departing from both London Bridge and Victoria mainline stations with Southern Railway. We usually drive, the route being quite scenic, however it does to tend to get quite congested at certain points along the way, making us ponder every time why we didn't take the train! There are a vast array of hotels and B&Bs in the town, most of them lining the seafront, and on one occassion we booked a room at the Langham Hotel through Lastminute. It was good value for money, being only £40 for a double room.

Eastbourne's beach is of the pebble variety, however what is nice about the seafront is that it hasn't been overdeveloped with arcade games and fun fair rides, like many other seaside resorts in the UK. The pier area therefore remains relatively free from garish amusements, and is elegant in its simplicity. Such attractions as the Carpet Gardens, a large floral display along the road near the pier, makes the vicinity visually pleasing. The seafront also has a bandstand, built in the 1930s, which is still host to concerts during the summer months.

Eastbourne's town centre has the usual high street shops along with other independent stores, and the main shopping mall is the Arndale Centre, situated by the main bus terminus. In terms of nightlife, there are a few pubs and clubs to choose from, however I think that many of the locals tend to travel to Brighton or London for some more serious clubbing venues. We ventured into Kings Nightclub when we were there and ended up having a good time (despite the overzealous cleaning staff who kept stealing our half finished drinks - just because the drinks are standing there while we're dancing, doesn't mean we're finished with them!).

To the west of the town lie areas of majestic natural beauty, namely Beachy Head and the South Downs Way, a long distance footpath. The former are majestic white cliffs that provide amazing views over the sea, it really is quite a sight to behold. We took a walk along the paths of Beachy Head, enjoying the sunshine and the view. The South Down Way is a stretch of land encompassing villages and beautiful scenery between Eastbourne and Winchester and is therefore popular with walkers, cyclists and horse-riders.

We enjoy going to Eastbourne on the odd occasion, not only to see our friends, but also to visit a seaside town that provides elements of relaxation and fun. Obviously not as high in the tourist popularity ratings as Brighton, it's still worth a visit if you're heading in that direction.