A weekend by the sea

We've just come home from a wonderful weekend away on the Sussex coast. We stayed with my sister-in-law in Brighton, but here we are in Hastings for the day. I have never visited before, and it's a great town. Lots of interesting shops, laid back cafes and a long sea front. It combines traditional seaside attractions with a slightly more Bohemian vibe...

We strolled around in the sunshine, ate fish and chips on the sea front, climbed up to the ruined castle and poked around in some dusty junk shops.

Hastings is not as busy as Brighton. We were in Brighton town centre when the annual marathon was on this Sunday. Thousands of people crowded down to the sea front to cheer on the runners. It was really moving to see so many people taking part, running for a huge variety of charities. It was almost impossible to take photos, as there were so many people about. Eventually, I gave up and we turned our attention to more pressing matters: lunch from an amazing smoked fish stall.