Brighton ~ McC Ab Test

(October 3 to 6) Our last stay before flying home was in Brighton, which we visited 13 years ago in 2004 with Lisa and James. This time we stayed in an Airbnb apartment beside Brighton Marina, which has undergone major development over the last ten years and is now surrounded by apartments, shops and eateries. Our apartment had a great view westwards along the beach towards the Brighton town centre and the famous Brighton Pier.

We revisited the Royal Pavilion, the little narrow streets of The Lanes area, and walked along the pier and down the waterfront.

On Brighton Pier, 2004.

Brighton Pier 2017.

Lisa's purple bunny, won in 2004.

In 2017 Pikachu has taken the place of purple bunnies.

Our Airbnb experience was not so good in Brighton, as our host Alex did not respond to messages, did not turn up to give us the key, and told us there was parking included which turned out not to be the case. Despite that the apartment was quite well equipped and had a spectacular view over the sea, and there were lots of places for coffee and dinner nearby. In the end it turned out ok.

Sunset over Brighton, from our windows.

Cafe Rouge had the best coffee! Our apartment in the distance.

A large wind farm is being constructed offshore from Brighton.

Brighton Marina.

Our apartments on the left. Plenty of walking space around the marina.

Brighton's newest attraction is the "British Airways i360" which is a huge tower with a moving viewing pod. It rises 160 metres, compared to say 120 metres for the Wellington Cable Car, and takes about 10 minutes to ascend giving a ride of about 25 minutes in total. It is the tallest moving viewing platform in Britain, and provides a view from the top a bit like that from a low-flying plane. It can hold up to 200 people, but today there were only about 15 of us so it was not crowded. It moves almost silently, suspended on eight cables which are pulled by motors below ground. The i360 was designed by the same architects who designed the London Eye.