HASTINGS

 Along with Scarborough in Yorkshire, Hastings ranks as one of my favourite seaside towns. Ignoring the obvious attraction of the May Day biker event, it's a slightly shabby, yet very friendly place.

The harbour is the main reason that Hastings has come to fame. It is currently located at the base of the East Cliff however prior to the Great Storm of 1286 the harbour was located behind the White Rock where Hastings Town Centre is now. The harbour was originally an inlet with a shingle bank that protected the ships from the prevailing south westerly winds.

 

Hastings has always been a fishing port, and had a large fleet until the late 1300's when very high sea levels silted up the old harbour, at the same time the French raided the town and the Black Death also hit.

Nowadays the harbour still houses a fishing fleet, and fresh fish can be bought at the net huts behind the ships. The net huts are black tarred tall wooden buildings that, prior to nylon nets were used to dry the fleet's nets.

The Modern town can be seen from the seafront, then the West Hill with the Norman Castle, and as we head further East , the Stade and its modern amusements, the Hastings Old Town and finally the East Cliff .

The Old Town is full of quaint buildings, and the seafront has attractions for all the family.
It is overlooked by beautiful castle ruins, and there are wonderful places to walk and relax, such as Fairlight and Alexandra Park.
I've not got around to photographing it yet, but here is a taster:
This is the former Georgian Church of  St. Mary In The Castle, situated halfway along the seafront. It has been lovingly restored, and is set to become an important entertainment venue for the town.

You can just see a small piece of the castle ruins on top of the cliff. The first stronghold that William of Normandy built over here was a wooden fort above Hastings. This was later upgraded into the stone castle, the ruins of which grace West Hill today.

Almost half of the seafront is taken up with the enormous Pelham Place car park, which features a far larger than normal bike parking area, and this is where the May Day bike meet takes place. On the Sunday night, they close the car park to all vehicles, and at 06:00 the next morning, it is opened to motorcycles only. 

If the weather is fine, you can expect to see 30-40,000 motorcycles over the course of the day, and Pelham Place quickly fills up. Bikes spill out all over the town, and parking is allowed down the middle of the main road. There are stalls and bike displays all over the centre of town

A little tip for you................

It's a hot, sunny day, and you fancy an ice-cream. Like most seaside towns, the seafront area is awash with cafes and ice cream parlours. Where to go.....................

In the case of Hastings, there is no contest. To the right of the car park, is a pedestrian crossing. Cross over the busy road here, and you will find yourself outside Di Pola's. Easily the best ice-cream parlour in the area.  Mix and match from a selection of 12 different flavours of superb Italian gelato, which change each time one runs out, and you can watch Roberto making the next flavour through the doorway of his kitchen

Just at the end of Pelham Place, is this sculpture representing the prow of a Norman longship by Leigh Dyer, erected to mark the anniversary of the Battle of Hastings in 1066. It incorporates a time capsule of letters from local people, to be opened in 2066 on the 1,000th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings. Behind the sculpture, you can see a part of Hastings pier, 910ft long and built on a frame of cast iron. Designed by the great British pier designer Eugenius Birch (1818-1884) the pier was opened to the public on 5th August 1892 by Lord and Lady Brassey

However, Hastings existed long before 1066. The local museum has artefacts that confirm a Roman connection, and it was known to have been a Saxon port. By 984, the town had its' own mint.

And finally..................

'Park your seagull here'