BBC Misery Bear visits Brighton

Just a quick little Friday treat for you. The BBC's Misery Bear decided to take a break to the seaside so of course he chose Brighton. Unfortunately he didn't have the best time but I'm trusting that this won't put any of you off...



Charlotte

Camping in Brighton

Spring Barn Farm, Brighton

We often get enquiries about campsites in Brighton, so here are some ideas for where to pitch your tent around Brighton & Hove and the surrounding areas.

Camping in Brighton and the surrounding areas

There’s an impressive 98 parks and gardens in the Brighton & Hove area as well as 14,000 acres of countryside, including the natural beauty of the South Downs National Park (just moments from the city). The South Downs is home to an abundance of plants, animals and wildlife, so we can’t think of a better place to pitch up for a weekend break!

Here are our top picks for places to stay in the area:

Sheepcote Valley Caravan Club Site, Brighton

Sheepcote Valley Caravan Club Site is situated just two miles east of Brighton. Nestled within a fold of the South Downs and just a short distance inland from the Marina, this caravan park offers easy access to the many attractions Brighton has to offer. Buses are regular, and for rail enthusiasts, the historic Volks Railway is not to be missed.

Blackberry Wood Campsite, Brighton

Blackberry Wood Campsite is located in the beautiful Sussex countryside at the foot of the South Downs National Park and is eight miles away from the Brighton seaside. Tent sites have their own private woodland glades with seating and BBQ facilities and there is also a ‘Holiday Bus’, an old London bus which has been converted into accommodation. The site features a retro caravan, a romantic Gypsy caravan and a number of static caravans available to hire.

Farmhouse Caravan and Camping, Henfield

This small family run farm site in a peaceful setting offer wide countryside views across the South Downs. Village shop, pub, children’s play area and restaurants are all located close by, and the site is an excellent base for walking, biking or touring West and East Sussex. The nearest beach is five miles away, Devils Dyke is just seven miles and Brighton is situated ten miles away from the site.

Spring Barn Farm, Lewes

The Spring Barn Farm campsite is at the foot of the South Downs on the outskirts of Lewes and seven miles from Brighton city centre. The site is on a public footpath and a short walk from access onto the South Downs Way. There is plenty to entertain the family with the site offering a number of attractions including farm animals to see and pet, an assault course, a giant maze, pedal go karts and children’s play area. Entry to the farm is half price for those who camp at the site.

Truleigh Hill Youth Hostel

Take advantage of the Truleigh Hill Youth Hostel's facilities & camp in their spacious grounds, then breakfast inside the hotel. You can even pick up a packed lunch for your day trip, and enjoy a beer or glass of wine over an evening meal. Shoreham-by-Sea is is a short drive from Brighton (approx 5 miles) and there are regular bus services (700 Coastliner) that will take you to Brighton within half an hour outside of rush hour.

The Barn Caravan Park

With its own climbing tower slide and a full-size football goal, Barn Caravan Park is a grassy site in Lancing, a short distance from Brighton. You can cook up a feast on the brick barbecues and cool off after a day in the sun under the open-air cold water shower..

And if you're into green living, don't forget to check out our Green Traveller Guide to Brighton or follow us on our LoveBrighton Eco Facebook page.

Happy pitching!

The Thai Festival Brighton

Brighton is known as a festival city as there seems to be something going on throughout the year and yet somehow we still manage to fit in a few new events as well!

On Sunday 25th July the Thai Festival will take place at the Hove Centre from 11am - 6pm. There will be a range of restaurant stalls creating dishes from 4 different regions of Thailand. Including classic dishes such as Pad Thai and Green Curry as well as newer recipes such as Moo Ping (fantastic name!) and Gaeng Masaman - I could tell you what these dishes are but why not pop along and found out for yourself...

It's not just about food though as there will also be craft stalls, Thai classical music, boxing and martial arts demonstrations and fruit and vegetable carving. Of course along side the food you will also be able to pick up a Singha beer or a glass of Monsoon Valley Thai Wine. Then round off the day with a Thai shoulder and foot massage.

If the festival has sparked your enthusiasm for all things Thai then don't forget we have a great Thai restaurant in Kemp Town called Sawadee and you can also learn to cook or speak Thai with Thai Style. It's all Thai-riffic!

Charlotte

Tony Hawks in Brighton

Think you know your alley oops from your varial kick flip? Or perhaps you're a dab hand at the mongo-foot?

Either way, you'll possibly be doing a tailslide all the way home when you discover the King of all things skateboard, legendary Tony Hawk, (NO not the one with the fridge - that's a different Tony Hawk!) is coming to Brighton.

Tony Hawk and the Birdhouse team will be heading to Brighton on 21^st July in a spectatcular finale to a European tour that takes in Berlin, Rome, Barcelona and yep, Brighton.

Taking place at the Old Paddling Pool, near the West Pier the event will open with a collection of the UK’s top vert skaters, including Quiksilver skater Sam Bosworth, winner of the X Games Ams (US).

Maximo Park and Christian Stevenson

They'll be some tunes too - on the mixing side, the British deck star, Christian Stevenson, whose passion for skateboarding is not a secret, will mix during the show.

A night of skate frenzy will be followed up with the headlining music act, Maxïmo Park. The Newcastle five-piece is amongst the UK’s most popular British Indie rock bands, with a Mercury nomination already under their belt.

Here's the line-up for the night:

Tony Hawks Programme - Wednesday 21st July

• 6pm Doors open - DJ Christian Stevenson


• 6:30 – 7:30pm European Skate Demo


• 7:30 – 8:30pm Tony Hawk & Friends Show


• 8:30 – 9:30pm Maximo Park concert

Tickets cost £15 and are available online at http://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/event/120044D6B99642C3.

Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult.

Right - I'm off to practice my noseslide. Although it's not the same as it was in the 80s - no-one says 'rad' anymore...

Sarah
VisitBrighton

Brighton Handbags

This morning I decided to have a quick look on Google's keyword tool to see what Brighton related search terms are popular at the moment. Of course the usual suspects all appeared: hotels brighton; brighton hotels; brighton centre; cheap brighton; brighton club; brighton holiday and brighton property.

However in amongst these familiar ones I was surprised to see 'brighton handbags' particularly as 74,000 people a month are using this search term! I decided to click on the link to see what came up and it seems that even though I had specified I was only interested in UK results this search term appeared as there is a website in America called Brighton which sells handbags.

But it did occur to me that some of the people searching for 'Brighton handbags' may have been looking for handbags in our Brighton and were getting disgruntled by only finding American sites. So in a rare moment of helpfulness I have decided to list 5 places to buy handbags in Brighton:

• Beyond Retro - This giant vintage treasure trove will help you step back in time with a classic bag from your favourite decade.
• Lavender Room - Treat yourself to a beautiful bag from this popular lifestyle boutique.
• Lovethatstuff - This is Brighton's largest fair trade shop so when you buy a bag here you are supporting a good cause and it will be truly unique.
  
• Florestine - Everything in this shop has been inspired by the sea so why not treat yourself to a bag to remind you of days spent on the beach?
  
• Last - While Last is known for being a specialist shoe shop they do also stock a range of designer accessories including bags by local designer Neoma.
  

Of course I must just add that these are not the only places to buy handbags in Brighton there are lots of shops to explore across the city - in the Lanes and North Laine; Churchill Square Shopping Centre; Hove and of course the outlet shops at Brighton Marina.

So there you go you don't have to go to America to get your Brighton handbags after all!

Charlotte

Brighton Pride 2010 - Pride & (No) Prejudice

Yep - the Pride season is upon us again. Hurrah we scream!

It all started for me when a colleague started prancing around the office yesterday in a state of excitement at his immenent flight to Madrid for the Pride Weekend. Jealous much?

Show your Pride in Brighton & Hove...

No need really cause Brighton has the biggest and best FREE Pride event in Europe every August - so there's enough to keep me happy right here I reckon. And I won't have to keep saying 'Una cerveza mas por favor'...

The ever so clever people at Pride have conjured up a Pride & (No) Prejudice theme this year (geddit?) and i just can't decide whether to go as the rogueish Mr Darcy or ahem Fanny Price. Fanny might just swing it.

There's a plethora of marvellous events as usual too, from the Pride Dog Show to fabulous club nights. Oh and I think there's a parade or something from 11.00am from Madeira Drive :)

Receive exclusive offers...

And cause we love Pride here at VisitBrighton we've teamed up with the Brighton Pride peeps to offer Pride Members a range of exclusive Pride ‘sneak-previews’ and offers, both over the summer Pride Weekend and throughout the rest of the year.

To take advantage of these offers simply sign up as a member on the Brighton Pride website. You get access to their special members area on the day, so you get to feel all special too. Especially if it rains, which it won't of course.

Key dates for your diary

• Pride Companion Dog Show Sunday 4th July
• 2010 Summer Festival Week 31st July – 8th Aug
• 2010 Pride Parade & Park Event Sat 7th August

You can also check out the Pride in Brighton website for more details and our Brighton accommodation section for lots of gay and lesbian friendly hotels & B&Bs for the Pride weekend.

Hope to see you there...

Sarah
VisitBrighton

Brighton Beach Poem

While we do get sent a lot of slightly odd e-mails today we received one that really made us smile. Students from Thomas's London Day Schools have written a poem about Brighton and most impressively the children are only aged 6 and 7!

So here is the poem and thank you to Miss Stewart and the students of class 2CS:

Brighton Beach

Bright, shimmering waves,
Rides making happy, cheerful music,
In the water I love to bathe,
Gigantic seagulls soaring and swooping through the air,
High crashing roller coasters at the fair,
To the stalls where we can have hot, salty fish and chips!
Oh the old pier is a beautiful sight...
No sticky sand, just pebbles, YES!


Charlotte