Hastings

After leaving Normans Bay we drove 10 miles east to the town of Hastings. It was another beautiful day and we drove the whole length of Hastings seafront, past the burnt pier, miles of hotels and apartments and arcades before finally reaching the old town in the east.

We loved Hastings! It was full of old quirky buildings, shops and restaurants. Although it was busy with families and day trippers near on the seafront, as soon as you stepped off the main streets it was very serene and quiet.

There were several little side streets packed with independent shops, galleries and restuarants with not a chain store in sight.

There are small railways that go up and down the cliffs on each side of the town, so you can go up and get some great views.

We had lunch in a fish restaurant, where the fish comes straight from the fishing boats literally 100m away. A bit of a treat but it was was worth it, the fish was delicious.

Unfortunately all the campsites on the coast round here seem to be big holiday park type things, so we have headed inland to get to some smaller sites.

We have been hearing lots of other European languages spoken around the campsites. At first I thought probably because we are so close the the Channel Tunnel? But now we are thinking it's more likely that they are here for the Olympics which we had completely forgotten about!

Here's a quick painting I did of the fish market in Hastings: