Travel Notes - Hastings

"A forgotten town by the sea, tarnished with salty sea rust, a little unloved and unkempt but delve deeper and you will find a beating heart in the Old Town begging for your affection - cosy local pubs, the dreamiest of properties with candy coloured paint jobs, a gallery and a thriving indie cafe and retail scene offering great coffees, lovely lunches and old fashioned shop fronts from days gone by laden with curious antique oddities and interesting homewares"

Webbes Cafe at Jerwood Gallery

The Crown

The view of Old Town from East Hill Country Park

St Leonards on Sea

A.G Hendy & Co Homestore


|BLUE DOLPHIN FISH BAR|
For perfectly good chips by the sea

|WEBBES AT JERWOOD|
For a prime seafront location cafe with a terrace overlooking the beach, open to gallery visitors only

|THE CROWN|
For a cosy independant local nestled between East Hill Country Park and the beach. Daily papers, open fires and four legged friends welcome.


|A.G HENDY & CO HOME STORE|
For heart sinking disappointment and nose pressed against glass,
So gutted this store was closed on our visit-
but at least it gives us a good excuse to return!
Following an extensive renovation programme to restore this 3 storey, Georgian townhouse to its former glory, you can find hardware and homewares for sale, merchandised in order of room so it feels like wandering an actual house as well as a kitchen restaurant serving up home cooked food.

Owner, food writer and photographer Alastair Hendy spent 3 and a half years turning his dream of a store from a bygone era into a present day reality.

|ST CLEMENTS RESTAURANT|
For a cosy dinner date. A hidden gem in the backstreets of neighbouring Sussex seaside town St Leonards on Sea, everything on offer here is kept as local and as seasonal as possible with particular focus on fish

|FIRST IN LAST OUT|
For a drink in a really old boozer. According to the deeds of this property the building dates back to the 1500's. 
Stacks of character and old world charm, we stumbled in for after dinner drinks and found a full house and a local live band playing gipsy jazz.

A giant fire pit keeps the place toasty in Winter and food is served in the dining room.

|HANUSHKA COFFEE SHOP|
For a coffee and cake stop. You could be in your Aunts living room, or the library of a country house. 
Shelves packed full of old books adorn the walls and table lamps create a homely glow.

You can settle into a big red sofa with a newspaper, take a window perch or sit under the candy striped canvas at an outside table for a spot of people watching down higgledy piggledy George street

|THE LAINDONS|
A wonderful boutique b&b in Old Town, read my blog post on The Laindons here