'Hot'desking for the day: Eastbourne, Sussex

June 22 2010 , Written by thediversetraveller Published on #coast, #Eastbourne, #England, #Hotdesk, #Ola Fagbohun, #Pier, #Promenade, #Recommendations & Rants (tips, links and reviews), #seaside, #Staycation, #Travel Beyond the UK

What do you do when the thought of another day working from home is no longer inviting? You hot desk it over to England's sunniest seaside resort - Eastbourne.

EnjoyEngland.com describes Eastbourne (its destination of the month) as ...

"The sunniest English resort and recently voted the UK’s most holiday-friendly destination* (* voted by customers of Virgin Money Travel Insurance), Eastbourne enjoys an idyllic location on the south coast. A gateway to the new South Downs National Park, Eastbourne is surrounded by stunning coast and countryside, and within the resort offers award winning beaches, a bustling marina and sparkling seafront with immaculate gardens."

Spur of the moment

Since Easter I have been consumed with spending as much of my 'staycation' beside the sea. Mainly because while I have laid on many of the world's beaches I have neglected the ones in the UK. So far I have been to Bournemouth, Hastings, Brighton and Hove, Whitstable, and on receiving the EnjoyEngland newsletter, I thought next stop Eastbourne. So on Monday morning, I booked my ticket for a day of hard work at the seaside.

Never felt younger

On arriving in Eastbourne, I felt betrayed as the sun hid behind large dark clouds, where was my promised sunshine? I strolled through the shopping area, that resembled many found in English cities, on the way to the Pier, originally built in the 1870’s is about 303 metres (1,000 ft), and promenade.

On reaching the promenade, I stopped as I took in the view and felt the calm of the sea wash over me. But the most interesting sight was the number of elderly couples walking each other along the promenade. I sat on one of the many benches and watched these couples, many hand in hand, made me wonder who I would be strolling the promenade of later life with. However, this was not the day for deep thoughts, after ten minutes of watching 'Golden couples', the thought that I could be the youngest person here made me smile.

The view from my desk

Of course I was not the youngest person in Eastbourne, as I passed many small groups of school children playing on the beach or braving the cold of the sea. Along the promenade, five miles long, stands a 1930s art deco bandstand with rows of collapsible chairs.

The walk was calming, but it was time to stop as the sun was now making its presence felt, so I stopped halfway and took a seat. With the sun on my face, the sea in front and the smell of the flowers from the pathways at my back, I commended myself on a wise choice for my 'hot' desk.