In June 2022, the UK enjoyed a four-day long weekend to celebrate the late Queen Elizabeth’s 70th reign anniversary. London was going to host a range of events, and Britons from across the country would flock to the capital to take part in the celebrations.

As fantastic an occasion as it was, I wasn’t looking forward to the city being blocked for four days straight and decided to use it as an opportunity to go on a little holiday!

When it came to choosing the destination, my criteria was:

• somewhere I haven’t been to before (easy)
• somewhere with good commute from central London, under 2h train ride
• somewhere with pretty landscapes and natural beauty

Essentially, it came down to deciding between the coastal towns in southeastern England, with the exclusion of Brighton and Margate, which I had visited before.

In the end, I chose Hastings and I’m glad I did!

About Hastings

Hastings is a seaside town in the south of England, east of Brighton. It is best known as the location of the Battle of Hastings, which took place in 1066 and was one of the major events in British history.

Currently, Hastings is a fairly large town with a population of over 90k, though the tourist-worthy area is rather small, concentrated around the historic Old Town. Hastings was a popular holiday resort until the 70s/80s, when package holidays became popular. And you can clearly see that. Although it’s a charming town surrounded by lots of natural beauty, in terms of hospitality it does appear once-popular-now-neglected. With a bit of work and investment, it could surely become a great, modern town again!

Hastings Pier and Beach

Describing my trip to Hastings, I can’t not mention the beach – we’re on the seaside, after all. The beach in Hastings is a typical British beach with rounded pebbles and significant tide. During low tide, an area with silky sand is uncovered and you can take a comfortable stroll without tripping on the pebbles.

As every coastal town wanting to attract tourists, Hastings has a pier with restaurants, bars, cafes and little shops. There was also a scene with live music every afternoon of my stay – I expect that’s a seasonal, summer thing. Along the beach there’s a promenade with more food booths (fish and chips, anyone?) and souvenir shops. You’ll also find a small funfair with a fairly large rollercoaster and a few arcade places and casinos. There’s also a bottle alley – a passage under the main promenade, with a wall studded with pieces of glass from different coloured bottles.

Hastings Old Town

There’s a small Old Town in the eastern part of Hastings, just across the street from the promenade. It covers only a few roads, but it’s charming with lots of old houses (some dating back to the 15th century!). You’ll also find pubs, restaurants and cafes there, as well as shops with local sweets and second hand curiosities.

Nightlife in Hastings

One thing I would point out is if you’re used to Mediterranean seaside resorts, you’ll be surprised with the lack of nightlife in Hastings. I’m not one to live a rich nightlife, but I did struggle to find something to eat after 7pm! Fish and chips is one of the greatest things about the UK, but after eating it two nights in a row I was desperate to find a different type of takeaway, and it was a challenge. Ice cream booths, bakeries and cafes were generally closed after 5 or 6 pm. It felt like a ghost town.

The best coffee shop in Hastings

I have to mention the cafe I fell in love with. Hanushka Coffee, a charming cafe with cosy interiors (think thousands of books and lots of green plants), delicious coffee and delectable cakes. I think about them to this day, and when I have a chance to visit Hastings again, I’ll be sure to have a rest at Hanushka.

Hastings Museums

Towards the east end of Hastings beach you’ll find a couple of small museums. Definitely worth paying a visit – it won’t take much of your time, but you’ll have a chance to learn a thing or two about fishing in Hastings throughout history.

Hastings hills and funiculars

The landscape of Hastings is unique, with two hills towering over the Old Town, hugging it from west and east. The hills can be reached by climbing (quite a few) stairs or – if you fancy a ride in a bit of history – you can use the old funiculars. There’s one on each hill.

Tourist attractions in Hastings

The West Hill is where you’ll find the ruins of Hastings Castle, as well as former smugglers’ caves, now transformed into Smugglers’ Adventure tourist attraction. If you fancy visiting Hastings’ attractions, consider buying the multi-venue ticket, covering Hastings Castle, Smugglers’ Adventure and the Aquarium. An adult ticket was just over £20 in the summer of 2022. I will cover these three attractions in more detail in a separate post, but the combined ticket was well worth it,

Hiking in Hastings

The view from the hills is phenomenal, especially the East Hill. There are picturesque walking trails starting on the East Hill, part of the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The paths offer a proper hiking experience and you can almost feel like you’re in the mountains, yet have a perfect view of the sea!

The trails spread over quite a few kilometres and offer hiking opportunity for a few hours. If you’re lucky, you may see some sheep grazing in the fields, or even wild ponies!

Other things to see in Hastings

Although Hastings is a relatively large town, there doesn’t seem to be much to see further from the sea. I once ventured away from the touristy area, in search for a bigger supermarket open in the evening (desperate for food, tired with fish and chips). I found a lovely town park during that excursion, but – being brutally honest – the neighbourhood felt like an area I wouldn’t want to find myself in after dusk!

Last – but certainly not least! – I need to leave a warning to keep an eye out for seagulls if you ever enjoy a meal outdoors in Hastings. They are fearless and frightening, and won’t miss a chance of stealing a bite of your battered fish and a chip or two!

Overall, I really enjoyed my four-day stay in Hastings over the Jubilee weekend. It was just the perfect combination – the sea and the hills, charming Old Town, lovely cafe, and a bit of history in the form of the castle ruins, funiculars and fishing museums. I hope to visit Hastings again soon and would definitely recommend it for a weekend trip away from London.

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