Its Eastbourne, so it must be sunny!

In a vague attempt to get my dog to be as relaxed on the beach as he is in the countryside, we decided on a looong beach walk to the pier. I parked half way down Prince William Parade which runs off the Sovereign Leisure Centre roundabout. Its easy parking, easy boot access and most importantly, free!

Having walked across the grassy wastelands to the steps up to the promenade (separate pedestrian & cycle paths) which runs all the way into Eastbourne, we were greeted with our goal...

Eastbourne centre, forwards!

Love all the little boats, waiting patiently for their day out.

Past Buzz Active (formerly known as Spray Water Sports) - lots of water activities on offer for anyone more active than me!

And then on past lots of other little business; angling, cadets, lifeboats, even a yoga studio...

Until we rounded the corner to see how much closer we were to the pier! By this point, Bruce was very anxious to get down to the sands...

The promenade is always very popular (although never too busy) but we had the beach pretty much to ourselves. Bruce hasn't mastered swimming yet, but he does love to run across the wet sands, so if you ever see us, beware of spray!!

At this point, my flipflop broke! So we retreated to the footpath which was much easier to walk on, and then became distracted by the whiff of coffee...

Hang ten... or not!

The girls have been given thirty year old body boards by the grandparents (cleaning up their loft again!!) so we have to fit in a lot of practise. This basically means rushing to the beach as soon as the sun comes out and the tide is coming in

Tactics are discussed...

The general consensus at this stage is that its easier to use the boards as enormous floats, and just bob about, trying not to think about the water temperature!

The dog and I needed a wander so we checked out the mini boat area...

 and watched the fishermen doing their thing...

 and spotted the rest of the fleet out to sea!

 We walked quite a way, chatted to lots of dogs and sniffed the barbecue filled air!

 Natural windbreakers at work, this was the view by my towel!

Coffee with a view

Sometimes you just want to sit back, sip your coffee / green tea / double choc milkshake with everything and enjoy the view...

So, we hit Sovereign Marina to see the sights, enjoy the views, grab a drink and indulge in a little people watching! As we wander round, we have to chose our favourite boat, apartment and general view of the harbour!

I'm not fussy, I'll take which ever boat's sailing...

Sunny intervals

Today its grey, raining and bleurgh! But at the weekend it was gorgeous so we downed our gardening tools and headed for an hour on the beach. As time was of the essence, we went for Pevensey Bay, our nearest beach which is dog friendly - a big relief for Bruce who couldn't believe his luck when he saw the tide was out...

The sun baked the sand to perfect sandcastle consistency!

Bruce just can't decide which way to run first, and over the course of the hour, covered most of his options, whilst we ran behind.

Yes the water was incredibly cold, but so clear and with such happy little waves, how could you possibly resist?! 

Plenty of beach for everyone! 

The perfect spot to watch the beach life and enjoy your fish & chips / coffee / rest.

Mayday malarky

Its hard to live in Hastings and miss the Jack in the Green celebrations which go on all over the Mayday weekend. From Morris Dancing to Drumming with a lot of dressing up in the middle, its a fantastic weekend of events suitable for the whole family. 

Our dog isn't great in crowds, so we left him at home and drove over to the 'new town' where we parked for the day before walking along the seafront to the old town. My top tip for watching the procession is to go up the steps and stand along the left hand side of the road for a fabulous 'looking down' view...

The procession rests for a moment before it winds up the West Hill - they get a chance for a quick drink and you get a chance to march up the hill and grab a space at the park! Lots of stalls selling refreshments, clothes and leafy - flowery decorations plus a live band to entertain you.

Down by the beach is the motorbike gathering which stretches the length of Hastings, from the centre of town all the way down to Rock a Nore. The bikes are part of a traditional run from South London down to Hastings and there are lots of stands selling everything a motorcyclist could ever want! It feels like there are millions of bikes parked up, some polished within an inch of their chrome lives... (more info at www.bike1066.com) 

My other tip for the day, aside from parking far away, is to be patient when queuing up for food - its the only time I go to the beach and forgo my chips!

Day Trippers

To celebrate my birthday, we decided to slip off once the kids were at school for a 'school hours day trip' to Hastings. As the sun was desperately trying to shine through, we took the dog too! We opted to park in the new town and walk to the beach, as I refuse to pay the (in my opinion) extortionate parking fees in the old town. Luckily we still made it just in time for some sand... 

The sandbanks make for some interesting pools and lapping waves - perfect for catching out the dog as he chased the seagulls!

Protecting something precious from the constant tides.

Behind the fishing boats, is the East Cliff hills, disappearing into the mists.

Lifeboat station with Hastings surrounding it.

As we had the dog, we decided not to take the tram up, but instead take the steps. He pulled me most of the way up, but I did stop to admire the view!

On a longer day out, we have walked over to the Firehills - fantastic views and tearoom - but on this occasion, the school bell beckoned.