Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Category: Brighton

  • Turkey Trip 2026 : Day 1 (Brighton to Hove)

    Turkey Trip 2026 : Day 1 (Brighton to Hove)

    The morning of our first day started with my walking from the bargain priced Travelodge Brighton Seafront to Jonathan’s more decadent hotel.

    A free breakfast courtesy of Jonathan’s accommodation arrangement. Jonathan was going to Gatwick via Flixbus on a bargain priced service which goes from the centre of Brighton. The journey was absolutely perfect in many ways other than they cancelled it, part of the reason that I didn’t book it in the first place.

    Jonathan decided to get the train, although his options were somewhat reduced at that point. I had got a £4 rail ticket as part of the national rail sale, but that went from Brighton station to Hove station before connecting to another service. This station opened in 1840 and is mostly still there, but it’s hard to see the original building because of later extensions.

    Mine was the 10:13 service and I was pleased that it was operating as usual as a number of services had been cancelled due to over-running engineering works. Jonathan had already departed on the first service he could, better to be safe than sorry when getting to an airport.

    They announce the platforms around ten minutes before the train departs with this one departing from platform two. There are eight platforms at the station and some very careful gate line staff who were carefully checking all the tickets, something which took a few minutes as the barriers were rejecting a fair number of tickets, including mine.

    My Southern Railways train sweeping in. I had cut this whole arrangement quite tight (well, tight for me), arriving just a couple of hours before my flight departed, due to wanting to get the £4 fare.

    I got settled in for the four minute rail journey. There were power outlets and I must have charged my device by around 2% during the extensive journey. The train was relatively clean and organised, with plenty of free seats.

    And safely into Hove railway station, where I had a connecting train to Gatwick Airport which departed just three minutes after my train from Brighton got in. A few others were doing the same connection and it feels too tight to me for those who aren’t easily able to navigate the subway between the platforms.

    Anyway, that was the first part of the journey done….

  • Turkey Trip 2026 : Day 0 (Travelodge Brighton)

    Turkey Trip 2026 : Day 0 (Travelodge Brighton)

    After a quick visit to the Rook Taproom, I popped to Brighton Travelodge Seafront to check-in and I was already pre-pleased with the arrangement as the room cost £22 per night which surprised and delighted me. There was a friendly welcome at reception and the receptionist mentioned that the bar was 24 hours, which is certainly handy.

    For the money, I was very impressed with the value as the room was clean, tidy and well presented. The hotel looked a bit knocked about in places, but it’s obviously heavily used. There was a heater in the room and the window actually opened, so the whole range of options as far as I’m concerned.

    I had a look at the online reviews and they’re not particularly good, but they’re not a disaster.

    “DO NOT GO HERE -Needs redecorating and NOT value for money paid over the top for a scummy room and toilet .Not enough coffee and milk for two people complained to reception . I don’t normally give feed back but do not use Third party websites as you will be over charged and not willing to help.Travel Lodge think before you sell your booking slots…”

    There’s a heap of tea and coffee at reception, as much as you could ever want. Definitely don’t buy a Travelodge room via a third party site though….

    “I booked a night on the quieter floor but the music from the Pub across the street was unbearable, even with the window closed.”

    I can imagine a lot of people don’t like the noise, but it’s probably best not to book a hotel in the centre of Brighton….

    “Worst hotel ever! Stains all over the floor, bedding and walls. Kept awake all night by club across the road and the hotels response is well it’s not our hotel is it!”

    It’s an honest answer to be fair…

    “Yes this hotel is not too expensive and in a great location.
    However room was infested with bed bugs causing over 40 bites on the body and then when moved room woke up with more. Was told they can’t offer refunds or compensation as the bites weren’t evidence enough so pest control have to confirm it. Rang 28 times and no one has answered to give a follow up and check If they have even rang pest control to avoid happening to other people.”

    I like the reviewer’s precision of 40 bites and 28 calls.

    “We paid over £200 for a 1-night stay. They don’t tell you that the hotel is right next to a nightclub that is open until 3am”

    I think I would have considered paying £200 for a room as a bit sub-optimal, so they have my sympathy. Anyway, I digress.

    And leaving the hotel the following morning. There was a lot of external noise during the night of crashing glasses and shouting people, but I like that kind of constant disruption and I slept through pretty much all of it. Overall, I was very pleased with the whole arrangement and if a room is under £25, then definitely go for it….

  • Turkey Trip 2026 : Day 0 (Rook Taproom in Brighton)

    Turkey Trip 2026 : Day 0 (Rook Taproom in Brighton)

    As I was in Brighton for the evening, I thought I’d tick off a couple of craft beer bars that I hadn’t visited before. This is the Rook Taproom, formerly the Prince Arthur pub which was reopened in 2023.

    The beer list, all rather extensive and there were numerous options that I would have liked to try, but I limited myself to two half pints.

    The bar looked modern and on-trend with the service being friendly and engaging. It had a nice inviting feel atmosphere and was relatively busy when I was there, with a main bar and a separate room at the rear.

    Some of the extensive cans list.

    The Even Rooks Need Beer from Moon Brewery, a smooth, hazy, hoppy and quirky beer with a decent mouthfeel.

    The Respectable Mystery from Howling Hops, a slight taste of marmalade and hops, certainly not unpleasant.

    It’d be unlikely that a customer couldn’t find something that they liked as there are 22 craft beer taps and over 150 cans, which should surprise and delight a fair number of people. The online reviews are very positive and they’ve actually yet to pick a review of fewer than four stars, so that’s some impressive work.

    I imagine that this can get quite busy at times, but it’s certainly worth a visit. The prices were middle of the road, the service was friendly and the surroundings were comfortable. It’s only a short walk from the central area of Brighton and it was clean internally, so definitely recommended.

  • Brighton – Brewdog

    Brighton – Brewdog

    I continue on my tour of the Brewdogs of the United Kingdom and I’m making steady progress, so thought that since I was in the area it’d be wrong not to pop into the Brighton location. I was disappointed to miss the Newcastle location last week, but they were temporarily closed for Covid-19 reasons.

    I booked a table, although I’m not entirely sure that they ever found the booking. It’s quite a large location and it seemed to be booked for most of the evening, so I assume it’s making them some money given how busy Brighton is at the moment. Everything seemed clean and tidy and I spotted some tempting beers in the fridges.

    I saw the staff member looking at giving me a small table by the door, which seemed ridiculous given that the entire bar was empty, but then without my saying anything a colleague mentioned that two larger tables were available. I was pleased by this and they had power available as well for my devices. So, all was well.

    I ordered a third of the Cannon Blast, which was unexciting, although it had a clean citrus flavour that wasn’t unpleasant. It was the first drink I’ve ever had from a Brewdog bar that was under-measured. I mention this not as a complaint that I received slightly too little liquid, but that it’s only fair since Brewdog have given me several free drinks by mispours over recent weeks.

    I was eyeing up the very well rated Tuesday (2020) from Cycle Brewing Company from St. Petersburg in Florida as one of my later drinks here. But, the service just felt wrong, it’s that Pret philosophy that their shops should seem inviting. I’m sure there were external factors, but the service seemed disengaged, cold and the staff didn’t seem very engaging about beer. To be fair, I could have started an engagement given it would be hard not to like the barrel aged imperial stout that I was considering, but then I decided that I’d just leave and head back to the campsite that was so far away. I don’t normally need to be upsold to as I’ve busily already ordered it, but I needed a bit of convincing to stay here and it wasn’t forthcoming.

    This was probably one of my most pointless Brewdog visits, lasting ten minutes of my two hour booking and I never even started charging my devices. On the bright side, it cleared a table for them as they seemed to have very limited availability. They received £1.79 for my one third of a pint and I left dreaming of the service of other Brewdogs. But, I’ll keep my eye out for that Tuesday (2020) beer in other Brewdogs, that’s too good to miss.