Unusual Sights In The British Seaside – Brighton, Southend-on-sea

Living in London, I’ve had numerous chances to go on day trips to various seaside resorts. There are several coastal towns that I can get to in under 90 minutes, and I try to make the most of it. I don’t always post about those trips. In all honesty, having been to Brighton over a dozen times, I don’t discover anything new there anymore. However, this January, I went on two day trips to the seaside, and experienced two memorable events. And I just had to share them here. Keep reading to find out what I saw!

Peculiar sights on Brighton beach

First, let me take you to Brighton, which I visited on January 16th. I expected to have a relaxing stroll on the beach, like I had on so many previous occasions. But when I got to the beach, I saw a peculiar sight.

An onion, in the middle of the beach. Strange!

An onion found on Brighton beach, England — Unusual Sights In The British Seaside – Brighton – Onions On The Beach

I looked around and saw a few more. Did someone lose a bag of onions?

But then I looked further away and my jaw dropped. There were hundreds, if not thousands of onions. The line of onions went as far as I could see.

Stunned, I continued walking along the beach and also spotted various other vegetables. Full heads of cabbage, sweet potatoes… even some oranges and red onions. You could make a full dinner out of the stuff thrown out of the sea. Naturally, I Googled it and found out that apparently, some containers had fallen off a ship some days before during a storm. How sad! It essentially polluted the sea with tonnes of vegetables. On a plus side, though, I imagine it could have been worse? It could have been small plastic items that would make a lot more harm when ingested by marine creatures. Either way, I’d never seen anything like that, and it’s a sight I won’t forget.

There was even a sack full of onions!

A handful of onions thrown out of the sea in Brighton, England — Unusual Sights In The British Seaside – Brighton – Onions On The Beach

Hundreds of vegetables thrown out of the sea onto Brighton beach — Unusual Sights In The British Seaside – Brighton – Onions On The Beach

A sack full of onions thrown out of the sea onto the beach in Brighton, England — Unusual Sights In The British Seaside – Brighton – Onions On The Beach

If you’re looking for things to do in Brighton, I previously wrote a post about it. Brighton is a fantastic city, even without the unusual sights on the beach! There are plenty of tourist attractions to keep you busy for a day or two.

Wildlife encounter in Southend-on-sea

Two weeks later, on the last day of January, I went on a day trip to Southend-on-sea. It’s a town located in the Thames Estuary, with the longest pleasure pier in the world – over 1.3 miles long. Remember these facts – I’ll refer to them later.

When I moved to London, over 6 years ago, I heard that apparently, there are over 3500 wild seals living in the Thames Estuary, venturing as far as Richmond in west London. It sounded extraordinary to me. I always considered seals ‘exotic’. I’ve seen them in zoos, but never in the wild. What would seals be doing in Europe, let alone central London?!

Still, knowing that fact, I always hoped to see a wild seal. Every time I walked along the Thames in central London, I looked at the water, searching for seals. Every time I went on a day trip to the seaside, I searched for seals. 6 years. And nothing.

I never forgot about it, though. But for some reason, it never occurred to me to search for seals in Southend-on-sea. Which, to be honest, is making me feel a bit dumb! Seals are known to live in the Thames Estuary. Where is Southend-on-Sea? Thames Estuary! And where would seals hang out if not far away from the shore? Perhaps a mile away from the coastline…?

I was at the very end of the Southend Pier when I noticed a few people looking down over the railing. And I couldn’t believe my eyes.

A little head, sticking out of the water. Looking at the small audience, unfazed.

A close up of a grey seal in the water of River Thames in Southend-on-sea — Unusual Sights In The British Seaside – Southend-on-sea – Seal

And just like that, when I least expected it, after over 6 years of hoping, I saw a wild seal in the Thames. Just look at that cute face! The photos aren’t great quality, I had to zoom in quite a bit – the pier stands tall above the water. But you can still see how cute this seal was. The cutie changed location a couple of times before disappearing. I only got to look at it for maybe a couple of minutes, but I’m sure I will treasure it forever.

This unexpected event made my day, but I still enjoyed simply strolling around Southend. I wrote a post about my previous day trip to Southend-on-sea, if you’re interested in things to do there. It’s a good destination for a day trip from London.

Final thoughts

So those were the two unexpected memories I made during my January seaside trips, when I least expected to see something out of the ordinary. Who would have thought! It’s only the start of 2026, and I’ve already made some unforgettable memories. What else is coming this year? I hope there are more positive memorable events this year, and that I haven’t used up my luck for this year in just a few weeks!

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