I can’t believe I waited so long to visit Hastings. I’d always wanted to go and my in-laws jumped at the chance to spend five days in a sea-facing apartment while we explored and took long walks along the beach. More on that in another post but today I’m sharing one of my favourite days where we took the West Hill Funicular to take in the exquisite views of Hastings before exploring the gorgeous high street.
We were blessed with warm, sunny weather for most of our stay in Hastings and there was a lovely breeze on this particular Tuesday.
We climbed into the tiny Victorian carriage and all four adults were suitably in awe as the carriage was pulled up through the tunnel and up onto West Hill. Apparently it is unusual for funiculars to run through tunnels so this one is especially notable.
It had been approximately 20 minutes since our last cup of coffee so we decided it was high time for coffee and a scone in the West Hill Café. The service is so delightful here and we were able to sit at a table in the sunshine and look at the sea.
After our snack, we took a walk to appreciate the exquisite views of Hastings Old Town. Having done the sea-side apartment in the newer side of town, I think I’ll head to the Old Town if ever we visit again. It is so full of charm.
I took approximately fifty photos of the view. Narrowing it down was not an easy task.
I headed west to see if I could approach Hastings Castle but the path looked a bit rocky for my in-laws. I loved seeing the Pride flag flying high above the castle.
We had a return ticket (£4.20 adults, £2.60 concessions) and decided to return to the high street. I just love picturesque English high street and Hastings is especially lovely.
We headed straight into the sweet shop to buy some pick & mix. My mum-in-law was delighted to spot some seagull poo and sheep poo to take back for my nieces (both chocolate raisins, in case you couldn’t guess).
When we reached the top of the hill, we realised that it had been at least half an hour since our last refreshment and we stopped for a round of shandies.
We arrived at the Albion Hastings to sample their famous pie and a pint but were dismayed to see that the kitchen was closed. I can hear you asking why I’m including this decidedly average photo then. Well, we returned two days later, when the kitchen was open and we all agreed that it was the best pie we’d ever eaten in our lives. It was so good that I don’t have a single photo of our meals.
Three of us enjoyed the Harvey’s steak & ale pie in suet pastry, with mash and my father-in-law enjoyed the Shepherd’s Pie with cheddar mash. The Albion is now firmly on my list of places I’ll travel over 90 minutes to get to just to try their food again (The Lobster Shack in Whitstable and the East Coast Dining Room in Tankerton are the other two).
The West Hill Lift
43 George St,
Hastings
TN34 3EA
what a lovely place!
ReplyDeleteIt's a lovely little town!
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