Brighton highlights

Last weekend I went to Brighton, mostly to support some friends running the half marathon but also to mooch about the sea front and eat fish & chips. Having been to Brighton not that long ago, I had a pretty good idea about where I wanted to go and what I wanted to do (namely wander around the laines, go to the beach and find some nice pubs - all of which, I can happily report, were achieved). Here are my highlights:

Our Airbnb - Aesthetically it ticked my stay-in-a-cute-terraced-house box and location-wise we couldn't have asked for a better spot, right in the middle of the North laines (a 20 second wander from 2 pubs, a cute cafe and vintage furniture market). To top it off the place had a little roof terrace, piano and the complete first season of Baywatch (which we may have watched... it's so terrible but in a great way).

Kensington Gardens - there's a lot a fantastic little lanes in Brighton but this particular street contains some gems: Snoopers Paradise, Ditto Fabrics and Family Store which is brand new and sells a selection of stuff from tees and socks to posters and patches. I made all my purchases on Kensington Gardens :)

Food - we were looking for somewhere to eat on Sunday and it was hella busy everywhere. (Advice for anyone going to Brighton on marathon day: book somewhere in advance!) We stumbled upon Silo and luckily they squeezed us in. The food was delicious and also kind of bizarro (the waitress had to explain most things on the menu) but don't be put off! Their big thing is sustainability and cutting down on waste: locally sourced ingredients, using as much of an animal as possible, brewing their own drinks, even the furniture is up-cycled. Also, the wait-staff were lovely. The second eatery I want to mention is PizzaFace. Go there or get a takeaway, their pizza is guuuud.

Pubs - there are some great pubs in Brighton, we spent time in four on this visit but my favourite was The Heart & Hand (just a hop, skip and jump from Silo actually). A proper old boozer complete with jukebox and resident cat :) plus, because the pub doesn't serve food, I think they let you order in takeaways...

The half marathon itself - a few of us settled in to cheer on our other friends at mile 7 and then 12 and a half. I've been on cheering duty for events with work and I love it. You get such a buzz when you see people smile or give a thumbs and you know your support is helping in a small way. My friends finished around the two hour mark (one even did it in 1 hr 50!) but we stayed on to cheer people until about midday. I'm so impressed with anyone who can run for that long and for so many good causes too. You can't really beat that kind of atmosphere, miles of people cheering and spurring the runners on, I can't wait to cheer at the London marathon in April. Fingers crossed the weather is as good as it was in Brighton!