Things to do in Brighton and Hove

The South Downs Way is an 100-mile national trail running along the chalk escarpment of the South Downs from Winchester in Hampshire to Eastbourne in East Sussex, one of the finest long-distance walking and cycling routes in southern England. The trail traverses the entire length of the South Downs National Park along the ridge of the chalk downs, providing continuous open views across the Weald to the north and the English Channel to the south in a landscape of great beauty and historical depth. The chalk downland traversed by the route is one of the most characteristic and most threatened landscapes of lowland England, the distinctive combination of short-turf grassland maintained by centuries of sheep grazing, the ancient trackways and drove roads along the ridge, the dew ponds that provided water for livestock before piped supply, and the many Bronze Age barrows and earthworks visible along the high ground creating a landscape that preserves in its physical fabric the entire agricultural and social history of the English downland. The views from the South Downs Way are exceptional throughout its length but particularly fine on the western sections between Winchester and Petersfield, where the ridge provides panoramas across Hampshire and Surrey, and on the eastern section above the Seven Sisters and Beachy Head, where the full height of the chalk cliffs is visible at their most dramatic. The short chalk grassland of the downland supports the remaining colonies of Adonis blue, chalkhill blue and other butterfly species that have almost disappeared from the wider southern English countryside. The trail is equally popular with cyclists, the chalky surface of many sections providing reasonable cycling conditions in dry weather and the long-distance character of the route suitable for two or three-day cycling expeditions with accommodation in the villages below the downs.

Brighton Palace Pier is the most famous and most visited pleasure pier in Britain, a Victorian masterpiece of seaside engineering stretching more than half a kilometre into the English Channel from the Brighton seafront and supporting a full complement of amusements, fairground rides, fast food outlets and the traditional pleasures of the seaside pier that have been entertaining visitors since its opening in 1899. The pier is one of the defining images of Brighton and of British seaside culture more broadly, its elaborate oriental-influenced pavilions and towers at the pierhead, illuminated at night in a blaze of light reflected in the sea below, representing the Victorian ambition to create pleasure architecture of theatrical extravagance. The pier was built by the Brighton Marine Palace and Pier Company between 1891 and 1899 to replace the earlier Chain Pier that had stood nearby until its destruction in a storm in 1896. The design by Richard St George Moore drew on the Moorish and oriental decorative traditions that were fashionable in seaside entertainment architecture of the period, producing a building that combined structural engineering ambition with an exuberant visual character quite different from the functionalism of most industrial construction of the era. The ornate pavilions and towers at the pierhead, the fish scale roof tiles and the cast iron supporting structure constitute one of the most complete examples of Victorian pleasure architecture remaining in Britain. The current programme of attractions on the pier, while firmly in the tradition of popular seaside entertainment, has been developed and updated with modern fairground rides, a helter-skelter and various thrill attractions alongside the traditional slot machines and food stalls. The views from the end of the pier back toward the Brighton seafront, with the i360 observation tower rising above the art deco terraces of the seafront, are among the finest of any seaside town in England. Brighton's position as a major arts, culture and nightlife destination adds considerable depth to the pier as a day trip attraction, and the combination of beach, pier, Pavilion and the independent shops of the Lanes makes Brighton one of the most rewarding day trips from London.