As you all know, there’s a pandemic on. And there’s been a pandemic on. Which means I’ve been mostly stuck in London during my time here so far. It hasn’t been so bad, to be fair. London is London and there are still plenty of things to see and do even in the middle of a lockdown. Even still, I’ve always had an urge to travel and see new places so the pandemic and lockdowns have made me a bit restless to say the least. So, as soon as restrictions started to ease and we were no longer confined to our local area, I decided to take a long overdue day trip to Brighton.
Brighton is perfect for a day trip from London. It’s a quick hourlong train ride away and right by the seaside. There’s plenty to see and do if that floats your boat and, if not, the beach is perfect for just sitting, relaxing, and maybe people or seagull watching.
With that in mind, I set my sights on a sunny day outside of London. My journey started at London Bridge station, which has regular trains running to Brighton. Luckily, I lived just across the street from the station so the travel was stress free. Since this route doesn’t offer discounts for prebooking, I just walked up to the station and bought a ticket at the machine for the next train to Brighton. It was so easy and nice to not have to worry about catching a specific train. The tickets are open return as well which means that you can catch any train back to London Bridge without having to cut your visit too long or short.
After an uneventful train trip, I arrived at the station. The sun was shining and it was a perfect day to be spending outside by the shore. And when I say outside, I mean outside. Although restrictions had just started to be lifted, most indoor attractions weren’t open and shops and restaurants had very limited capacities. Still, it was exciting to be in a different city breathing in the salt air.
I started my day by trekking to the beach. The train station is high on a hill and it’s a relatively easy walk down to the shore. You can see the sea in the distance, beckoning you to go further and further downhill.
The first thing I did was find a suitable spot to plant myself, relax, and read a book. It was really, really nice to just sit in the sun and veg out for a bit with no responsibilities. As nice as it was, it was also kind of eerie. I went to Brighton on a gorgeous sunny day in May yet the beach and pier were nearly empty. It felt way too quiet. Don’t get me wrong, it was nice to relax without the accompaniment of shrieking children but it was still a bit unnerving.
After an hour or so of quiet time I got bored and restless and a bit hungry so I walked up and down the seafront in search of new scenery and lunch. Again, it was a nice walk though eerily quiet. I went to the pier and walked all the way to the end. I barely encountered a soul. The carnival rides were quiet, the amusement arcades were shut, and the restaurants were sparsely populated. Creepy.
By this time I was starving so I shifted my focus to finding the best fish and chips possible. I’m not sure how successful I was to be honest as I’m not sure how one quantifies “best” when it comes to fish and chips. I ended up choosing the chippy where all the employees were wearing sailor hats (kind of like Steve in Stranger Things when he worked at the ice cream shop). I had no complaints about the food. It tasted exactly as it should have, though I was a bit miffed that they charged per packet of ketchup.
Unfortunately, my meal was interrupted when I got ATTACKED by seagulls. They were swarming around me, pulling my hair, and trying to steal my chips. It was like a scene out of Hitchcock. Because I was by myself I had nobody to help me fend them off so I did my best to make a hasty retreat to finish my meal. I’ll be honest and admit that it really put me off from my lunch and I ended up not finishing it.
After that debacle, I decided it was time to say goodbye to the beach and make my way back to the station by way of a shopping area. Brighton has a ton of vintage stores so I was hoping to find something good. Unfortunately, pandemic restrictions have really taken the fun out of thrifting. Fitting rooms were closed which meant that I couldn’t try anything on and limited capacities meant that some stores had queues. While I did pop into a few stores, my heart really wasn’t in it and I left without buying anything. It just gives me an excuse to go back once restrictions are over to go do it properly.
By this point, I was exhausted, still mildly traumatised, and wanted to go home. So I left, with anticlimax. I made sure to pass by the Brighton Pavilion before I did to gawk at its weird architecture but I couldn’t go in, an unfortunate theme of the day. And with that, I hopped back on a train to London and back to real life.
All in all, my trip to Brighton was a welcome change of scenery despite the less than ideal pandemic circumstances. The seashore is brilliant and the shops and cafes I did walk by looked cute. I am looking forward to making another trip down there as the pandemic subsides so that I may have a more normal visit. Still, I can highly recommend a day trip to Brighton from London. It’s a wonderful day out and it’s a very easy trip to make!
