Before we left for Eastbourne, we’ve seen so many stunning photos on the Port Hotel’s Instagram page that we made sure we saw them for ourselves.
First stop – Eastbourne Downland. The most eastern part of Beachy Head where we could see parts of the Seven Sisters Cliffs. Spectacular view! Beachy Head at 162 metres tall is Britain’s highest chalk cliff. Way down there is the red and white striped Beachy Head Lighthouse standing in the English Channel. And in the horizon somewhere is France!
As we walked the South Downs, Mum held on tight to our leads. Too many dogs have chased a rabbit and flew right off the edge.
Further along is The Belle Tout Lighthouse which was the original lighthouse built in 1832 and came into operation in October 1834. But it was decommissioned in 1902 due to constant cliff top fogs and the threat of erosion. Instead the Beachy Head Lighthouse exists. Today it has been moved further back and is a Bed and Breakfast.
As we walked back down … this was our view –
We drove further along the coast to our next stop, Birling Gap – and as we approached the steps down to the beach we gasped! It was wow!
There were stairs leading down to the pebbly beach.
It’s a beautiful and tranquil enclosed pebble beach set below the dramatic backdrop of the Seven Sisters cliffs.
Along the way, in Cuckmere Haven, Mum was excited to see a widely meandering river with many oxbow lakes. I don’t think she has ever seen them before but it was a term that had stuck in her head from school text books.
Can you see it meandering in the distance?
As we arrived back to Eastbourne, we saw a very colourful building! STOP! Mum recognised it immediately – it’s the Towner Art Gallery! The colourful geometric artwork, Dance Diagonal is by Lothar Götz – finished in 2019. The Art Gallery presents exhibitions of national and international importance.
Let’s try another angle …
Do you get the picture?
Maybe it is better without me to distract from the whole picture.
One last iconic landmark – the Eastbourne Pier, one of the finest examples of a Victorian pier. It is fully open for business with a brand new walkway since the fire of 2014.
It has a variety of shops, a chippy, Waterfront cafe/bar, Victorian Tea Rooms, Coffee Republic and fantastic views of the English Channel. And a much sought after film and TV location.
And typical of seaside towns, we saw colourful beach huts.
While we were taking photos, Jessie stayed with our driver, Paul who took us to all these scenic places!
As we went back to the calm of our hotel room to relax and reflect on what we have seen today …
I think we can truly say – there’s no time to be bored in a world as beautiful as this.
May’s comment: In our ongoing search for dog-friendly seaside hotels, we stumbled upon the Port Hotel in Eastbourne.
I then had to google where Eastbourne is. It is a town and seaside resort in the non-metropolitan county of East Sussex on the south coast of England, 19 miles (31 km) east of Brighton.
Still learning and discovering new places. Lockdown staycations are giving us a geography lesson!
Think the next time when the weather is warmer, we’ll be back to take in more of the scenic coasts and walk towards the harbour.
