52 Weekends by the Sea - Hastings

After a year of having a book called 52 Weekends by the Sea, we finally managed to get away to one of the recommended destinations ... Hastings, in Sussex. Ok, so we have been to several other places mentioned in the book but not since I bought it with the intention of using it on a regular basis. Seems the kids' social lives are becoming more and more active, and the chances to escape more and more rare.

Hastings old town was beautiful, with quaint, tumbledown, half-timbered houses, shops, pubs and restaurants. Our appetites were increased by all the walking and the great aromas coming from the different restaurants we passed, and with all the options we managed to eat out at every mealtime for the short time we were there - the culinary highlight for me was probably the local fishcakes, although the following morning's breakfast was also pretty spectacular. The weather was perfect and at the climb to the top of the East Cliff we were rewarded with spectacular views over the old town and the sea. The only problem was that the time went far too quickly.

On both the journey to and from Hastings we managed to stop off at a National Trust property with just about time to grab a cup of coffee and a cake before quickly walking round the gardens before getting back in the car. Hastings is one of those places that for us involves a diagonal journey across England, which never seem to be straightforward. The cake was a just reward for an early start but I did feel a bit cheated that my wife's portion was at least twice the size of mine !!

So just 51 more weekend breaks to arrange then we'll have completed the book and can move on to something else ;-)