Exploring Brighton: The Laines

A couple of weeks ago, we stopped off for a day trip in Brighton on our way back from a nearby music festival. We started the day off right, with an amazing breakfast at Bill's - click to read my review and see drool-worthy pancakes and veggie delights!

With full bellies we began to explore the town. It was my first trip to Brighton, but as a native Southamptoner, Josh had been a couple of times before for family days out. He had explored The Laines before and knew I'd love them, so we headed straight there. Brighton's Laines are a complete maze - tiny interlinked pedestrian streets crammed full of interesting vintage, junk and jewellery shops among others.  The Laines take you back to a time before cars, there's no way they could fit through the narrow streets and the summery bunting only adds to the feel of that era. 

After popping into numerous vintage and gift shops, buying a few gifts for upcoming birthdays, browsing the record collections and admiring jewellery from a distance through the glass - we found our way to the ChoccyWoccyDooDah shop [with the help of google maps]. Having watched the TV programme and seeing some of the crazy creations they make, I had to pop in and take a look in real life. Downstairs is full of displays of their cakes and smaller wrapped goodies you can buy to take home, like thick slabs of chocolate studded with fruit, nuts, sweets and other tasty treats. Upstairs, is the cafe! Unfortunately we had just eaten lunch so we were pretty full already, but we've heard you have to stop by for a hot chocolate - ChoccyWoccyDooDah style! 

When we eventually found our way out of the maze of Laines, we wondered around the more normal streets and stumbled across loads of street art. I love street art and graffiti - I'd rather see the bright colourful art than drab, grey building backs any day! Our street art tour gradually led us towards the bright lights and noisy gulls of Brighton beach and pier... more to follow on that in the next post!

Have you been to Brighton? What do you recommend visiting on a day out there?