Cherie's Place

Rough Guides – Brighton, Sussex & The South Downs

Description from the Rough Guide website:

Inspirational and informative pocket guide, shining a spotlight on the best of holidaying at home in the UK through clearly laid-out walking and driving itineraries.

Explore the best of Brighton, Sussex & the South Downs with this unique Rough Guide Staycation to Brighton, Sussex & the South Downs, packed full of insider information and stunning images. From making sure you don’t miss out on must-see attractions like Brighton Pier, Chichester’s Novium Museum and grandiose Petworth House to discovering hidden gems, including spotting Sussex wildlife at Arundel Wetland Centre, walking the rambling South Downs Way and mooching down Brighton’s The Lanes, the easy-to-follow, ready-made walking and driving routes will save you time, help you plan, and enhance your staycation in Brighton, Sussex & the South Downs.

Review:

The walking routes within Brighton and the car tours in the wider area inspired me to purchase the book to help us enjoy the best of what Brighton has on offer. Each tour gave us the information we needed to explore Brighton to the full; sharing information of interest that we would othewise have missed. We didn’t have enough time to explore the wider area more fully but the book has inspired us to go back and explore the area more including places we have visited before.

The bottom line is that this book helped us get the most out of our holiday in Brighton and Arundel so I would reccommend it to others who are interested in exploring the area.

The book includes a FREE eBook version for those who prefer guides in a digital format.

Tags: Arundel, Book Review, Books, Brighton, Rough Guides, Sussex, Vacation

10 Comments CherryPie on Jun 27th 2023

Filed under Anecdotes, Arundel & Brighton 2023, Holidays

Arundel & Brighton – Day Ten

Our last breakfast in the Grand, as was the first, was enjoyed in the quiet space of the Cyan restaurant rather than the main breakfast room.

It was then time for Mr C to pick up our car and bring it to the front of the hotel whilst I waited in the room for the concierge to assist with our luggage. When the concierge arrived, we had a chuckle about Mr C’s case that had too many wheels and stopped it from holding the door open. He soon fixed that by turning it on its side.

We chatted whilst he loaded the trolley with our luggage. He said that it was a lovely room which I agreed. I mentioned the conference that was taking place in the adjacent rooms during the first few days of our stay. The concierge said that the rooms on either side of the stairway known as Napoleon and Eugenie suites were part of the presidential suite and that the hotel might turn those rooms into bedrooms.

Bags loaded onto the trolley, I suggested I meet him downstairs and he said he would be with me in a couple of minutes. It was more than a couple of minutes before I saw both him and our luggage arrive from the lift area. He was preceded by one of his colleagues who came over to me to apologize for the delay. It was busy and there had been a queue for the lift. It wasn’t a problem for me and I said so.

Meanwhile, Mr C had retrieved our car and was parked outside the front of the hotel despite having experienced a problem with the car parking ticket.

Car loaded up and ready to go, we set off towards Petworth which potentially involved getting stuck in the Bury Triangle again. On this occasion the car park wasn’t full and we were able to park and visit the National Trust property which is essentially an art gallery. There was also a cute elephant artwork trail throughout the grounds. We saw a few on our walks to and from the house but it was too hot and we had limited time to venture further into the estate grounds.

We had hoped to have lunch in the nearby ‘Pop up Toast’ again but unfortunately it was ‘popped down’ and closed. We eventually found a suitable garden centre, part of the Quires chain. I ordered a coronation chicken sandwich and apple juice. The latter arrived in a half pint glass, only vaguely tasting of apple rather than the fresh carton/bottle of apple juice that I was expecting.

We continued on our journey homeward stopping to pick up ingredients for our evening meal; Lemony Pork Piccata. There were delays on the motorway near Birmingham due to a car fire which we observed to be well and truly burnt out when we arrived at the scene.

This delay along with encountering rain on entering the Midlands after days of glorious sunshine down south meant that our ‘Fine Dining’ was enjoyed inside rather than on the patio.

Tags: Brighton, Chez Nous, Dining at Chez Nous, East Sussex, National Trust, Petworth, Petworth House, The Grand Hotel, Vacation

6 Comments CherryPie on Jun 25th 2023

Filed under Anecdotes, Arundel & Brighton 2023, Holidays

Arundel & Brighton – Day Nine

Before breakfast Mr C visited reception to see if his glasses had been handed in. They weren’t there so he headed to the bar to check if they were there, and was redirected to the concierge. Sure, enough the concierge was able to reunite Mr C with his missing specs.

After breakfast, we set off on another walk from the Rough Guide to Brighton, Sussex and the West Downs. This walk took us to East Brighton, away from the sea front, to see interesting architecture and Brighton Flea Market. We followed the walk the as far as the Marina and the nearby nudist beach before heading to the Volks Railway Station for our return journey.

Getting to the station proved to be a little difficult. Due to renovation works all the pathways down to the lower level where the station is situated were blocked off. Rather than walk a very long way round we decided to follow the example of a local jogger and scramble down a grassy bank.

The short journey on the Volks Railway was a fun, nostalgic ride. We had prime position on the front seat so we were easily able to enjoy the views. Back at the pier, we elected to walk along the beach stopping for another fish lunch. I ordered mini fish bits expecting battered goujons. What arrived was (glorified) fish fingers in bread crumbs not at all what I had in mind. And for some unknown reason Mr C had ordered me a portion of (unwanted) chips to go with them…

Next, we walked to the toy and model museum which was rather brief although the Pelham puppets, several of which I had owned as a child, brought back nostalgic memories. It was rather hot so we had a cooling drink at the railway station in Costa whilst Mr C completed (almost) the Metro crosswords. This gave our feet a chance to recover from all the pavement pounding.

We then walked through the lanes, enjoying the eclectic mix of shops and stalls, ending up in the Pavilion Gardens café where I had a slice of lemon drizzle cake. I made sure that the seagulls didn’t spot it with their beady eyes.

We returned to the hotel to freshen up before dinner and whilst getting changed I heard a lot of shouting and wailing which I initially thought was a child having a tantrum. It turned out to be a woman who was definitely unhappy about something. After a while the police turned up to talk to her.

We dined in English’s, which was one of the restaurants recommended to us by the lady who served us at the Volks Railway. She was right; it is a lovely place to eat. Even though it was a little windy the weather was warm enough to allow us to dine Al Fresco. I once again chose fish, this time ‘catch of the day’ which was seabass.

After dining we had one last walk along the sea front before enjoying a nightcap in the hotel. Our holiday was coming to an end and we were travelling home the following day.

Tags: Brighton, East Sussex, English's, Pavilion Garden Cafe, Toy and Model Museum, Vacation, Volks Electric Railway

2 Comments CherryPie on Jun 24th 2023

Filed under Anecdotes, Arundel & Brighton 2023, Holidays

Arundel & Brighton – Day Eight

The breakfast room was a lot busier than it had been on previous days which led to the service being a little slower than usual. We were seated in a quieter area of the room, away from the hustle and bustle of the buffet area.

Mr C had decided that we were going to head out of Brighton for the Day. We chose one of the driving routes from the Rough Guide to Brighton, Sussex and the West Downs. We didn’t intend to stop at all the points of interest just a few that took our fancy.

Before setting off, we drove to Hove so that we could visit a cook book shop that was mentioned in another new book I have; The Extra Mile. I was slightly overwhelmed by the number of books in the shop and the genre I particularly wanted to browse was a little cramped with someone else also in the space so I left empty handed.

We set off on our driving tour stopping at Lewes to visit the castle and museum. I would have liked to linger a little longer in Lewes but unfortunately, we had a timed carpark ticket. We purchased a made-to-order sandwich in a local bakery shop which we ate in the carpark at Middleham Priory. We had intended to stop on our way there but hadn’t spotted any suitable places to pull over.

The priory is in an idyllic setting and we were able to get in free with our Historic Houses membership. The priory was really interesting with lots of historical interest. The room guides were a little over enthusiastic at times, not leaving us space to explore for ourselves. We were however shown how the Jacobean mechanical spit roast worked which was very interesting. The gardens surrounding the priory were also a delight.

By the time we had finished at the priory it was getting a bit late to continue on the driving route so we decided to take the quick route back to Brighton but not without a slight detour to see the nearby Wilmington Man etched into the hillside.

Back at the hotel we chilled out in the room before dining in Caslingo Italian restaurant. Mr C had particularly wanted to include an Italian restaurant as one of our meal out choices. All the waiters were great and especially attentive after Mr C chose a Gavi as the wine of choice. We found out that one of the waiters was from Sicily and his family owned a restaurant there and their house overlooked the sea. It brought back memories of our Sicilian adventure in Taormina which was our last holiday abroad before travel restrictions. The meal was finished off with a tot of refreshing Limoncello.

We returned to the hotel where we got chatting to a couple of ladies, one of whom was a night club owner whose business had been affected by lockdown. This led to a political discussion about lockdown, climate change and electric cars, etc. It was an interesting conversation but I think I preferred the more uplifting memories of Sicily.

When we arrived back in our room Mr C realised that he had lost his glasses again…

Tags: Brighton, Caslingo Restaurant, CookBookBake, East Sussex, Lewes Castle, Middleham Priory, Vacation, Wilmington Man

2 Comments CherryPie on Jun 23rd 2023

Filed under Anecdotes, Arundel & Brighton 2023, Holidays

Arundel & Brighton – Day Seven

After breakfast we walked along the beach front in the direction of Hove taking in some of the points of interest in another walk from the Rough Guide to Brighton, Sussex and the West Downs. We walked as far as the iconic beach huts before it was time to retrace our steps to the Brighton i360.

We waited for the pod to arrive and were advised to join the front of the queue so that we would be able to get a seat if we wished. There was a party of young school children in the fluorescent yellow jackets that were also joining the tour. The talk was interesting; one of the facts we learned is that you cannot see France from Brighton as it is below the horizon. It goes without saying the views from the top were amazing.

We descended from the giddy hights and once again walked along seafront in the direction of the Sea Life centre which we planned to visit next. We stopped to have a shared portion of fish on the pier. The service was rather slow and the fish was nothing to shout about. As we were eating, we spotted someone being dive bombed and chased by seagulls that were trying to grab a wrapped sandwich he was carrying.

Afterwards we had a drink in the Café bar attached to the Volk’s Railway Station. We had a lovely chat with the lady who served us and she gave some interesting ideas for restaurants that we might try.

Whilst we enjoyed the Sea Life centre especially the jelly fish and the tunnel with the sharks swimming around us, we left slightly disappointed by the experience.

We strolled along the seafront taking a detour to Waterstones for cake and refreshment then returned to the hotel to chill out before dining in the Salt Room. This restaurant, which specialises in fish dishes, is in the Double Tree by Hilton which is the hotel next door to the Grand. We had a table on the terrace which was surrounded by flower tubs. It was a delightful setting and the food was delicious.

By the time we had finished eating it had dropped a little chilly so we returned to the warmth of our hotel bar for a nightcap.

Tags: Brighton, East Sussex, Hove, i360, Sea Life Centre, The Salt Room, Vacation

2 Comments CherryPie on Jun 22nd 2023

Filed under Anecdotes, Arundel & Brighton 2023, Holidays

Arundel & Brighton – Day Six

It was our Silver Wedding Anniversary so we opened our cards and prezzies then went downstairs for breakfast. Before heading out for the day we took photos of us posing on the balcony with the sea in the background. We had intended to get a professional photographer to take some photos of the occasion but none of photographers we approached replied to our messages.

I opened up my tripod to find that it was no longer fit for purpose. When I extended the legs, the clips broke off one by one. It was a good job I had my sturdy GorillaPod with me. It easily clung to one of the hotel chairs at just the right angle to get some nice photographs.

After the photo opportunity we walked to the Royal Pavilion where we were able to get discounted tickets due to our English Heritage membership. On the outside, the Pavilion is Indian in style whereas the inside has a Chinese influence. The inside is even more ostentatious and extravagant than the outside.

When we had finished our tour of the Pavilion it was time for lunch which we had in the Pavilion Gardens Café. I chose an egg and tomato sandwich which I prefer over the more usual egg mayonnaise. After I had finished a seagull attempted a duck and dive from behind me with his eye on a crust that remained on the plate. He was unsuccessful in his attempt.

Next, we visited the Brighton Museum and Art Gallery. It is currently housing an exhibition ‘Out of the Ordinary’ displaying the work of the photojournalist Roger Bamber who was from Brighton. The exhibition was well worth the entry fee alone, his photography is outstanding.

We returned to the hotel where Mr C ordered a bottle of Prosecco to enjoy in our room whilst we relaxed before dinner. We had eventually come up with a Plan B dining option; the nearby Coal Shed.

The food and service were excellent, although I felt a little overdressed for the surroundings. During our meal we had been trying to place the accent of the waiter who served us. I had him as being from Australia or perhaps New Zealand but it turned out that he is from South Africa.

Rather than seek out another potentially dodgy pub we returned to the hotel and enjoyed a post-dinner wine in the relative calm of the hotel bar.

Tags: Brighton, Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, East Sussex, Me by another, Memorial, Royal Pavilion, Royal Pavilion Garden, Self Portrait, Silver Wedding Anniversary, The Coal Shed, The Grand Hotel, The Royal Pavilion, There's Always One, Vacation

8 Comments CherryPie on Jun 21st 2023

Filed under Anecdotes, Arundel & Brighton 2023, Holidays

Arundel & Brighton – Day Five

We were greeted at the entrance to the breakfast room and taken to a breakfast table which was in the Cyan restaurant just outside the main breakfast room. It was a lovely quiet location with a sea view. The greeter showed us to our seat and explained how the fully self-service buffet worked. The hot and cold food choices were excellent.

After breakfast we set off on our chosen walking route from the Rough Guide to Brighton, Sussex and the West Downs. Our route took in the sea front, The Lanes, The Pavilion and the Railway Station and the Volks Railway Station. I was a bit surprised by Mr C’s reaction on seeing the Pavilion for the first time. He laughed!!! Not at all what I had expected.

During our walk we stopped for lunch at Brand 16 in the Lanes, Duke Street, a place that serves luxury toasties. We had enjoyed a refreshing drink there the previous afternoon on our initial walk around Brighton.

We returned to the hotel to chill out and recover from our 8-mile walk. Once again, we had hoped that we could dine in the hotel’s Restaurant Cyan but we were informed that it was closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. We elected to dine in the hotel’s grill bar which they kept pushing. The food was good quality but not exquisite. I chose the fish option but the sides and sauces didn’t quite work to perfection. The service was not as attentive as we would have expected from a hotel of the Grand’s calibre. Whilst we were dining, a fight broke out just outside the hotel entrance area which the duty concierge skilfully dealt with.

The fact that the hotel’s main restaurant, Cyan, was not open on Tuesdays meant that we wouldn’t be able to dine in the hotel for our anniversary meal the following day. This meant we needed a plan B.

I chose a more appropriate skirt for walking for walking along the windy lanes of Brighton in search of a pub that Mr C thought had potential for a good pint of beer. The previous evening my skirt was light and flyaway so I had to hold on to it to preserve my dignity. We arrived at the chosen pub to find that it was Karaoke night. Not at all what Mr C had in mind. He quickly located a potential alternative but soon after we arrived, he didn’t like the atmosphere and would happily have moved on again. I felt quite comfortable there and didn’t pick up on any negative vibes. We returned to the hotel where I took a nightcap up to the room to enjoy whilst writing the days adventures into my holiday notebook.

Tags: Brighton, East Sussex, Grill Bar, The Grand Hotel, There's Always One, Vacation

2 Comments CherryPie on Jun 20th 2023

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