Archive for the ‘Brighton Accessibility’ Category

Bursting onto our TV screens back in 2008 during the BBC’s Last Choir Standing, Brighton’s Gay Men’s Chorus has gone on to represent Brighton and the gay choral tradition in a number of ways.

Rod Edmunds

Here, on the eve of its Pride performance, Rod Edmunds, the chorus’ chairman, reveals all…

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Brighton’s Palace Pier beach has been awarded the top standard in the Marine Conservation Society Good Beach Guide!

Palace Pier beach gets top ranking!

We’ve always known it is a great place to swim and chill. So it’s little surprise that the MCS report was so flattering when it came to checking out our favourite hangout. So here are some of the quotes from the MCS report:

Water grade 2010: Highest UK standard for bathing quality (recommended for the last three years!).

Meets European water quality standards

Things to do: Swimming, surfing, seafront promenade walks, kite flying, many summer festivals.

Local Facilities: food, toilets, disabled toilets, shops, litter bins.

Wildlife & Walks: Coastal walks include the famous Seven Sisters path along the south coast.

Litter: Beaches cleaned daily.

“Highly popular shingle and sand beach serving one of Britain’s most famous seaside resorts. Local attractions include the refurbished pier, fun fairs, arcades and local shopping.”

The beach was also praised for having plentiful parking.

No excuse then, get those bags packed and get ready for a great beach bank holiday weekend!

Check out the discounts we have, or call the hotel to book.

Stay safe in the sun

We all love sitting with the family on Brighton beach. It’s safe, it’s clean and it’s so much fun. But take care, at times it gets a lot hotter than you might think and before you know it, it’s lobster time!

With the massive bank holiday approaching and loads of people visiting the city – some with families, others with stag and hen parties – it’s time for some expert sun protection advice.

Follow these simple guidelines and you’ll go home happy and rested, not battered and knackered!

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Brighton Royal Pavilion

You’d be surprised just how many people live in Brighton with their families and kids, and never visit the Pavilion. It took us five years to make the trip, and it was well worth it.

The Pavilion is one of the most iconic of Brighton landmarks; along with both piers, it is one of Brighton’s defining pieces of architecture.

If you’re worried it’s going to be a boring history lecture in a dusty old room, don’t be. I was enchanted on my first visit; it’s a fascinating place.

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Sunday, what a day! In fact, what a weekend!

Brighton Pier.

Glorious sunny weather, the lanes alive with Brighton’s finest, our beaches packed with families and party people, and thousands of new visitors; it couldn’t get much better!

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If you consider your dog a part of the family, then no doubt they are coming with you when you visit Brighton. Here’s the best places to take them (and the family!). Read the rest of this entry »

Well that’s kind of what people expect when reading about a holiday resort. And no doubt we get all three here, it’s just there is more to do in Brighton, things residents and visitors share: sun, sea and sport.

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Travelling with limited mobility is always concern. Based on personal experience wheeling my Nan around Brighton for 6 days, here’s what you need to know.

First of all, Southern Railways which provides rail service to Brighton and Hove, offers a weekday service for disabled passengers, where if you book in advance, train attendants will help you get on and off the train for no additional charge. Additionally, the rail companies are required by law to provide wheelchair accessibility and Nan and I once got our cab paid for from Kings Cross to Mill Hill because Mill Hill is not an accessible station!

If you have a wheelchair, you are allowed on buses in Brighton and Hove. You will not allowed on with a mobility scooter. Don’t ask me why…it makes you want to run over the bus driver’s feet!

If you see a shop you want to go into in the North Laines or The Lanes, you may be surprised to find there are often collapsible ramps on hand for this purpose, even if the shop doesn’t look accessible.

Brighton is very hilly, especially near Churchill Square and it can be difficult to navigate. The best thing to do is ask advice from passerby and/or possibly take a bus. You won’t have a problem finding disabled bathrooms however, Costa Coffee will usually have one and GBK on the North Lanes will accomodate handicapped shoppers who are desperate.

Unfortunately, it is difficult to see the Pavilion past the first floor if you have limited mobility.  There is no current concession for disabled persons, which is unfortunate. There is enough to see on the first floor to make a visit worthwhile, so don’t aviod the Pavilion on that account.

One place where you will not have trouble by the seafront. That area is all paved and very flat from Hove Lagoon to the Marina. Brighton Marina is also very flat as is the Undercliff walk. Also the Preston Park area is also fairly  flat as is a majority of Preston Park itself.

You will not have a tremendous amount of trouble in the Lanes either. The streets are narrow but do not tend to be cobble stoned. The curbs can be a bit high but it’ll  be a breeze by Dukes Lane which is paved.

Kemptown tends to be fairly flat and some of the clubs have ground floor action. You’ll have no problem at Charles Street Club, The Marine Tavern or the Queen’s Arms. The pier is also flat and easy to wheel over especially on certain lanes marked in green.

Brighton is not a difficult destination for your next trip if you have limited mobility. Just plan ahead and book in advance on Southern if you take the rail. And remember this “been there, wheeled over that guide” !