The pandemic that occurred a few years ago kind of stopped us from travelling as much as we were used -or wanted - to. I felt it, deeply, as I slowly got stuck in a routine for the past few years. I didn't realise it then, but at some point, that hit me like a brick. When you live in London (or any big city), it's easy to get to that point, and if you're like me, you don't have a car so your main travelling moments are commuting to and from work. But I decided at some point last year that I wanted more than that, more than being stuck in the same flat and between the same four months. As if I was back to my old self, prior to the pandemic. Back to being that girl who just wants to travel the world, including the country she's been living in for the past decade.
This leads me to ask you this question: have you ever had that urge to just spend your money? This happened not too long ago, right after payday back in January. I was about to jump on a call with clients when I decided, on a whim, to just book a trip to Eastbourne. That was one of those random moments, and I never regretted it. You might read that a lot here, I act on my impulse and I think later - like when I booked my flight to Rome a few weeks ago, out of complete boredom. If you were to ask me: where do you feel at your happiest? Answers would vary but still be quite similar to near a body of water. I just love travelling to a random seaside town, furthermore, it's therapeutic, there are studies out there showing that looking at the ocean boosts your dopamine levels and changes your brain frequencies, putting it in a meditative state. In the past, I did Brighton, Hastings, or even Cambers Sands but I have never done Eastbourne. And I wanted, for the longest time, to go for a hike in Seven Sisters Country Park. It just felt right at the time, to book an Airbnb stay and my train ticket. So I left the next day, on a cold Saturday morning, with my suitcase and a couple of stuff. This was my first on-the-spur-of-the-moment decision of this year. Not my finest moment but I didn't regret it at all.
That feeling of happiness when getting closer to my destination, I can't even express how it truly felt. I was just smiling, because I was genuinely delighted to spend a weekend away from home. I could feel the excitement of just walking on the sea walk. If I have to be quite honest, I didn't really eat in a fancy place nor I did do some shopping, I just walked a lot on that day. Of course, this won't be a guide to Eastbourne, because the main purpose of this was to rest and to take a breath of fresh air (that I can't take in London). But even if it's not a guide, I can walk you through what I did and maybe inspire you for a future weekend trip in Eastbourne. You might not even know where it is.
Located on the south coast of England, Eastbourne is a seaside town. The population is around 100,000 and on the town's website, it's advertised as the UK's sunniest place. Was it sunny in late January? Yes. So I can't even call that a lie. Bear in mind it's quite a small town with a small city centre, so if you plan on going on a shopping spree, it might not be the right place. However, if like me, you want to enjoy the seafront and get some fresh air, it's totally worth it. Eastbourne is such a cute city, it's not the best I've ever visited but I'm happy I discovered it. I was nice enough to list 5 things to do if you decide to spend a weekend in Eastbourne, as well as a breakdown of the total cost for this weekend:
Airbnb: £55
Train: £39
Food: £25
Activities: £2 (for the bus)
Total: £121
Now let's dive in, here's 5 things I've done during that weekend that didn't cost me a dime (because this babe is often on a budget).
1 | WALK THE PROMENADE
The promenade goes on for about a mile, right after Eastbourne Pier to the Holywell Retreat Beach. If, like me, you love to walk, this is definitely something to do. Right after dropping my bag at the Airbnb I was staying at, the first thing I wanted to do was to walk near the beach. And so I did.
The promenade is absolutely lovely. There is one café, half-way called Bistrot Pierre. I didn't get to stop by but it seems like a nice place and probably so cool to enjoy an iced latte (even in winter, yes) while looking at the ocean. Maybe next time, but if you stopped by, how was it? Is it at least half as good as I imagine it?
There is one absolutely great thing, is that near the promenade, you have parks, and when you're getting closer to the pier, you can see the houses, and it looks absolutely lovely. Near the beach, you also have the huts, which are in a blue mint type of colour.
I remember walking by, thinking it looked so cool. These little huts are adorable. If one day I get lucky enough to live in such a small seaside town, you can bet I'm gonna get one of these and store a chair or two to enjoy the view as much as I can. I am leaving you with a couple of pictures of my walk on the promenade.
I want to be like these 2 lovely ladies, on a Saturday afternoon, enjoying the view with my friend, sitting in a chair and living my best life. This really is how much I love being near a body of water. Also, I have to mention how clean it was, there wasn't anything on the floor, which can be surprising sometimes when you know people.
2 | SPEND SOME TIME AT EASTBOURNE PIER
I love piers. It's a fact. People only talk about Brighton Pier, but the Eastbourne one is absolutely amazing and probably one of the nicest I've ever seen. If you walk to the end of it, you will just feel like you're in the middle of the ocean, and this is a priceless feeling in my opinion. You have a tea room, a few shops (including a crystal one) and from the end, you have a breathtaking view of the ocean, and you can see the cliffs from far away. If you look down, you'll see people fishing as well. And on the contrary to some other cities, the pier isn't an amusement park, which I appreciated even more. It wasn't crowded either, but for late January, the opposite would have surprised me.
By the time I walked to the end of the pier, the sun had started to slowly set and there were slight hues of orange in the sky, it looked gorgeous. But of course, I wanted to get closer to the cliffs to witness the sunset (and spoiler alert: I have no words - scroll down and you'll see what I'm talking about). There is something I love about piers, and I can't really express what it is exactly but it makes me happy. Fun fact, when you're leaving the pier, you can read Sheikh's Pier, just thought it was funny to mention it. And if you don't get it, read it again, until it makes sense!
3 | WALK TO HOLYWELL RETREAT BEACH
By the end of the promenade, when you're walking towards west, there is Holywell Retreat Beach. There is a tea chalet, where you can enjoy a drink, but by the time I got there it was closed. The location is great, by the beach and at the bottom of the cliffs.
The huts (or chalets) are nice as well, completely different than the ones on the promenade, these have proper doors with glasses, they look like tiny houses, they probably aren't really spacious but it's lovely. It isn't crowded and it's probably a gem. While people would tend to travel to Camber Sands or Brighton, in my opinion, Holywell Retreat Beach would probably be a better spot. It's nestled right by the chalk cliffs, you can view the entire seafront and even the pier from far away.
I also have to mention that there are free bathrooms you can use. they might not be the most inviting ones but it's good to know you don't have to pay for that and also, it's a little bit in the middle of nowhere when you think about it. It can be quite handy when you need it. Holywell Retreat Beach is a great spot and honestly, I absolutely love the chalets that are available for daytime use. I took a few pictures because these were probably the nicest chalets (or huts, I still don't know what the difference really is) I've ever seen beachfront.
4 | VISIT THE TOWN CENTER
Even if it's not big, you still have a few shops and places where to eat. My biggest regret from that weekend is probably the fact they have a Korean restaurant near the station and I didn't get to stop by to enjoy some food - because it looked delish! Maybe next time.
If I have to be quite honest, I wasn't blown away by the city centre, probably because I live near central London and it doesn't impress me either, especially after 10 years and when there are a lot of people. But Eastbourne city centre isn't that bad either, you even have an abandoned cinema, and forsaken places are such a mystery to me. There is something about it, it's almost as if time had just frozen. It's sad because it looked like a nice place, almost vintage if I can use that term. It's now for sale, for £2 million. Should I start a gofundme to put that cinema back in business? At this point, I don't even know if I'm joking or if I'm being serious.
On the weekend, there is also a market with a few stands, I didn't spend a lot of time so I won't be able to tell you more about it. I went briefly on Saturday, around noon, as I was starving and on that day, the only thing I wanted to eat was a Burger King - no judgment, please. I only stopped by one of the stands where they sold crystals and I had such a lovely chat with the owner.
5 | A HIKE TO BEACHY HEAD & LA BELLE TOUT LIGHTHOUSE
One of the reasons I decided to visit Eastbourne in the first place was to visit the Seven Sisters Country Park. It was on my list, and even if I'm someone who loves to walk, I had never done a hike before. I'm going to be so honest here but I think I died about a hundred times and I got the worst panic attack of my entire life. Did I give up? Oh no. And I still thank myself to this date for not giving up, before 15 minutes later, I was walking on the top of the cliffs and I was enjoying a spectacular view. I plan on writing a full article on this, to share my itinerary of that day, but I couldn't write an article on Eastbourne without mentioning it. It was probably one of the craziest things I've done recently, and part of it is also because I went hiking with my Converse shoes. Definitely not my most clever idea, don't be like me. Please research fully before going. Even now, when writing this, I'm thinking: I went hiking? Me? What the helly?
But for real, it was amazing. I did a lot of things, I even went to Niagara Falls (twice), but I was more impressed by this view. It also reminded me of the time I went to Scarborough Cliffs (in Toronto), it was very similar - minus the hike. I'll conclude this article with a couple of pictures of Beachy Head Lighthouse, Belle Tout Lighthouse and a couple of lovely views from the cliffs! And I hope you'll love it as much as I do!
The only £2 I spent were for the bus was to come back after the hike. I was knackered after walking over 4 miles in a few hours, and I didn't have the strength necessary to walk back to grab my stuff at the Airbnb, to go to the station to travel back to London.
I'm about to share a secret. The above view is the reason why I really wanted to walk to Beachy Head in the first place. Not only do I love being by the water but I love everything that is related to the sea and lighthouses are one of those things. Enjoy it and remember I nearly died for this picture! So what do you think? Was it worth it?
(Quick disclaimer — for full transparency, I wrote this article last year in February ♡)
