Brighton Paddle Round the Pier

It's not unusual to...well paddle something unusual at the Paddle Round the Pier Festival. Yes, I know, I did want to burst into Tom Jones.

From humble, surf inspired beginnings to a world famous beach culture event, Paddle Round the Pier is Europe's biggest FREE beach and watersports festival.

Hitting Brighton's shores in a couple of weeks (3rd & 4th July), Paddle Round the Pier takes place on the stunning Hove Lawns and features all the very best in water, street & urban sports, live music, kids entertainment and 'have a go' opportunities.

With all the usual suspects, from surfing, stand up paddle boarding, kayaking, skating, windsurfing and free running, to all new sports like Surf lifesaving, Streetball, mountain boarding and freestyle mountain biking‚ there's something for all sporty walks of life.

And what's more it's all for charity. So with so much fantastic free fun to be had, along with stacks of great prizes, chances to try things for yourself, new bands to enjoy and mind blowing demonstrations to see, why not get yourself down to Hove Lawns on 4th & 5th July?

Oh and don't forget to bring something unusual to paddle round...

Sarah
VisitBrighton

Relax at Due South

Working for VisitBrighton we spend a lot of time recommending places to visit to visitors & journalists but often we don't get a chance to actually enjoy going to them ourselves.

However yesterday I was able to rectify this by having lunch at Due South. As many of you will know this restaurant is down on the beachfront in between the two piers. We had a prime position, upstairs in the middle of the window, giving us a great view of the beach and all the weird & wonderful people walking by. I was also able to fill a little smug each time someone looked enviously up at us :)

Today when people so often grab a sandwich at the desk or go home and pop something in the microwave it was refreshing to take time out to enjoy a long, leisurely lunch. Most of the food is locally sourced with 80% of the produce coming from within a 35 mile radius of the restaurant. The menu is full of fresh ingredients put together in imaginative ways. Don't worry I won't list the whole menu however I must just include a mention of the rib-eye steak carpaccio with strawberry jelly, which sounds like an odd combination but it works!

The final touch that added to the experience were the staff who were very friendly and welcoming, they were attentive without being overly so. All in all we had a great time, so as it looks like we might actually get a summer this year forget barbecues & fast food instead I suggest you head Due South and enjoy some delicious food as you watch the world go by.

Charlotte

Brighton beach - from the sea!

Just a visual quickie today. I took a ride on Ross Boat trips the other week to grab some photos of Brighton seafront from the sea. A pleasure trip on Ross Boats is a great way to spend 40 minutes on a sunny day and you'll get a whole new viewpoint of Brighton to boot. Launching from Brighton Marina, you motor all along the coast to the West Pier, turn around and pottle back again.

You get a great perspective of the incredible array of architecure along the seafront of Brighton and Hove.

Be wary of taking beach photos, immediately after leaving the Marina, though. I took one and though, hmm, what a lot of people on that bit of beach, zoomed in in Photoshop and got a bit of a surprise. Yep, the nudist beach!

Anyway, here are some shots...

World Naked Bike Ride returns to Brighton

Just a quick post today to let you know that this Sunday the World Naked Bike ride will return to Brighton.

This is the fifth time the ride has been in Brighton and last year 700 riders took part in the ride which is a celebration of cycling but also a protest against car culture.

The event starts at the Level at noon and there will be live music by the Iron Boot Scrapers then the ride will get going at 1.30pm and end on the beach so you can enjoy a cooling dip in the sea.

But this isn't the only cycling event to happen in Brighton so make sure you check the blog next week to find out what will be happening during National Bike Week...

Charlotte

Preston Manor - Unravelling the Manor House

While everyone is familiar with the Royal Pavilion I think people often forget that this is not the only historical home within the city, as we also have the splendid Preston Manor which has been preserved as an Edwardian Manor House and shows what life was like both upstairs and downstairs.

The last time I went there must have been a couple of years ago when I did a ghost tour, however I am planning to go back again shortly as apparently it has been transformed by a new exhibition entitled Unravelling the Manor House. The exhibition includes the work of 12 contemporary fine art and craft artists and the Manor is both the inspiration and the exhibition space.

It certainly sounds intriguing and it gives us another good reason to visit, plus on our site you can download a voucher for half-price admission, hoorah!

Charlotte

Rottingdean in Brighton

With the Bank Holiday weekend in Brighton coming up - if you fancy getting away from the masses, one idea is to pop along the coast to Rottingdean.

Mentioned in the Domesday book, Rottingdean is a lovely, picturesque seaside village that became fashionable in the nineteenth century among artists, writers and politicians and still retains its artsy feel today. Rudyard Kipling once lived there and you can still visit his gardens today.

A short bus journey (jump in the number 12 at Churchill Square) out of Brighton, Rottingdean is an ideal place to spend a leisurely afternoon.

Here are our top tips for things to do in Rottingdean:

Things to do in Rottingdean

• Visit Kiplings Gardens - beautiful at this time of year and a tranquil place to relax
• Visit the Grange Museum - the building itself is of historical significance & houses an art gallery, as well as the museum
• Visit St Margaret's Church - built of flint and stone, this impressive church is a mixture of Saxon, Norman early English, Victorian and modern, design and construction
• Walk the undercliff walk to Saltdean
• Have afternoon tea at one of the tea shops
• Browse the shops & boutiques along Rottingdean's narrow streets
• Have a picnic on the beach
• Combine a trip to Rottingdean with a visit to nearby Brighton Marina

Here are a few photos we took this week to get you all keyed up for a bit of Rotters!

Sarah
VisitBrighton

Hove Champagne Festival

This weekend I was lucky enough to be invited to a wedding at a country house with a marquee in the garden and waiters ensuring that our Champagne glasses were topped up. I decided that this was definitely the way forward - spending summer days on the lawn, sipping champagne.

Luckily for me I won't have to wait too long before getting another chance to taste the high life as on the first weekend of June (4th & 5th) it will be the Hove Champagne Festival on Hove Lawns.

Apparently there will be over 50 varieties of champagne to buy either by the glass or sample size. There will also be plenty of restaurants taking part to ensure you have something to soak up the bubbles including Hotel du Vin, drakes, Riddle & Finns, Sevendials and Sam's of Brighton. My mouth is watering already!

A standard entry ticket is £12 and includes a commemorative champagne flute, festival programme, two tasting tickets, and a tutored tasting session, for which advanced booking is required.

But if you are celebrating a special occasion or just fancy a treat then why not get a ticket for the VIP enclosure? VIP tickets are £35 and include fast track entry, a champagne welcome drink in the VIP enclosure, canapés throughout the day, as well as your own commemorative festival programme, champagne flute, four tasting tickets and a guaranteed session in the tasting theatre. But please note tickets must be booked in advance.

To find out more and to book go to: www.hovechampagnefestival.com

Charlotte