Brighton Breezy Shopping

Posted by Mike Gerrard Sep 22, 2006

I'm not going to tell you how many shopping days there are to Christmas, as that kind of thing only terrifies me. But I will say that if you're within reach of Brighton in Sussex you could combine a Christmas shopping trip with a visit to the seaside. Brighton is easily reached on the train from London's Victoria Station, and the journey takes just over an hour.

It's easy to forget when you see the Bohemian glitz of Brighton today that it was once a fishing village. The heart of that fishing village was the area known as The Lanes, a historic maze of twisty alleys and cobbled streets that's beautiful - if busy - at any time of the year. There are plenty of antique shops on Meeting House Lane, and there are lots of jewellery and designer clothes shops too, and pavement cafés, bars and restaurants to make sure you don't quite shop till you drop.

Not too far from the Lanes is North Laine, with over 300 shops - more designer and handmade clothes, jewellery, Mexican furniture, African drums. A real ethnic mix, even livelier at the weekend when there are street markets too. For a Christmas gift that's a bit different, check out the Artists' Quarter on the seafront, and buy an original artwork for someone special - like yourself!

If you've never been to Brighton you can get an idea of what it's like from the names of some of the shops. How about Choccywoccydoodah (where we almost bought our wedding cake!), Bar du Chocolat, Vegetarian Shoes and, my favorite for both its name and the fact that it sells food produced within 50 miles of Brighton, Sussex and the City.

For more details visit Visit Brighton