I have a confession. I’ve spent much of my adult life avoiding Bexhill on Sea. I don’t really know why other than memories of teenage jokes about God’s waiting room back in the 1980s when I was in Eastbourne. But, on a recent (and somewhat accidental) visit, I rather fell in love with this seaside town.
It was a gorgeous autumn day when I first revisited, and the colonnade and the De La Warr Pavilion gleamed against a blue sea as gentle folk strolled along the promenade. As I explored, and I started to realise that there is more to Bexhill than its famous modernist pavilion and long sweep of seafront. Give it a weekend, and you’ll find motoring history, dinosaur footprints, an 18th-century shipwreck, an old town that predates the seaside resort by centuries and some glorious coastal walking. And when you’re ready to venture a little further, Battle, Norman’s Bay and the landscape of 1066 are almost on the doorstep.
A weekend of history and sea
Friday: Arrive and settle in. Arrive on Friday afternoon and check into your accommodation. For somewhere right in the heart of town, try Driftwood Bexhill, or choose one of the town’s hotels, guest houses and seaside stays. Don’t try to do too much tonight. Have dinner, take a first stroll along the promenade and get your bearings. There will be plenty of exploring tomorrow.
Saturday morning: Shipwrecks, dinosaurs and motoring history
Start Saturday beside the sea. Bexhill’s promenade is made for a morning wander, but there is a surprising amount of history hidden behind those sea views.
Look out for the motor heritage trail and display boards, and the small exhibition cunningly disguised as the Bistro Restaurant and Sackville Apartments just back from the Serpollet car sculpture on the seafront. Both will give you a good understanding of the town’s motoring heyday and if you end up in the town’s museum at the other end of town, you can see a reproduction of the winning Serpollet as well as all sorts of other curiosities!
Suffice it to say, the town hosted some of Britain’s earliest motor races in 1902 and has earned its reputation as the sports birthplace.
Then continue east towards Galley Hill. It’s worth the climb for the views alone, which stretch along the coast left and right from Eastbourne to St Leonards.
But before you go, check the tides. At low tide, the rocks and beach around this part of the coast reveal something much older than Bexhill itself: fossilised dinosaur footprints. Finding them takes a little research and good timing, but it makes an extraordinary addition to a morning beside the sea.
Alternatively, head a little further towards Bulverhythe, between Bexhill and Hastings, where the wreck of the Amsterdam lies buried in the sand. The Dutch East India Company ship was wrecked here in 1749 and is only exposed under particular tidal and beach conditions, so this is another adventure that requires careful planning. If neither tide nor shipwreck is playing ball, don’t worry. The walk, museum and views from Galley Hill make a fine Bexhill morning in their own right.
Saturday afternoon: Discover old Bexhill
After lunch, leave the seafront behind and head uphill to discover a completely different side of Bexhill. Long before the elegant resort developed along the coast, there was an older settlement here, and this is the Bexhill to explore during the afternoon. It is quite a contrast to the Bexhill of beach huts, promenades and Art Deco architecture below and a reminder that there is far more to this town than first meets the eye. Wander through the Old Town, seek out St Peter’s Church and the remains of Bexhill Manor and take your time exploring some of town’s much older history. Some of the planting in the Manor gardens is positively exotic and there are lots of nooks and crannies.
Then head back down towards the sea for dinner.
Saturday evening: A night at the De La Warr
Save one of Bexhill’s best-known landmarks for the evening. The De La Warr Pavilion has been part of the town since 1935 and today has a busy programme of live music, comedy, exhibitions, talks and events. Check the programme before you visit and book something that takes your fancy. There is something rather fabulous about spending the day hunting for dinosaurs and shipwrecks and the evening watching live music or a show inside one of the most distinctive buildings on the Sussex coast.
Sunday: Head beyond Bexhill
After breakfast, it’s time to stretch your legs and explore a little further afield. For keen walkers, make Sunday a proper adventure and follow the walking route from Bexhill towards Battle, linking into the historic 1066 landscape. Allow plenty of time, wear decent footwear and reward yourself with lunch when you arrive. It’s about 10.5 km and starts opposite Manor Gardens in the Old Town (down Hastings Road) although the start is badly signed.
If that sounds rather more energetic than you had in mind for a Sunday morning, drive to Battle instead. Explore the historic town, wander around the streets beneath the abbey and have lunch at somewhere like The Bull before returning towards the coast.
There is another option if you would rather stay beside the sea. Head west towards Cooden and Norman’s Bay and walk along this quieter stretch of Sussex coastline in search of its Martello towers, built as part of Britain’s coastal defences against the threat of Napoleonic invasion. Afterwards, stop for lunch around Cooden Beach before making your way back towards Bexhill.
One last look at the sea
Whichever Sunday adventure you choose, come back to Bexhill before you leave. There is no need to squeeze in another attraction. Instead, finish where the weekend began: beside the sea. Stop at the De La Warr Pavilion for afternoon tea or coffee, or find one of the fish-and-chip cafés down by the beach and sit for a while looking out across the Channel.
Then take one last wander along the promenade before heading home, hopefully having discovered that Bexhill is rather more surprising than you thought.
