Hastings (England)

Hastings is a seaside town in East Sussex, in the South East of England.

View of Hastings from the East Hill

Understand

Hastings is most famous for the battle that took place there in 1066 between King Harold's English and William the Conqueror's Normans. The town lent its name to the battle, although the battle took place in nearby Battle (these were imaginative times....)

The town grew from its medieval origins into a Victorian seaside resort, and the majority of the towns architecture dates from this period. Today, along with St Leonards on Sea, Hastings forms a fairly large urban area on the south coast of around 100,000 inhabitants.

Nestled between the rugged beauty of the East and West Hills, the town's main attraction is the medieval Old Town, with its narrow passageways, antique shops, boutiques, cafe's and Europe's largest beach-launched fishing fleet. The town also boasts a hill-top castle, two funicular railways, the Georgian church of St Mary in the Castle, 18th-century net shops, and access to Hastings Country Park - a 660 acres (270 hectares) Nature Reserve with woodland glens, beaches and cliff-top views.

Away from the Old Town, Hastings largely retains the character of a Victorian seaside resort, with seafront squares, grand Victorian facades, elegant parks and a pier. However, the town suffered from the post-war decline in the seaside tourist industry in England and while there has been significant investment in regenerating the area, parts of the seafront have seen better days.

Narrow passageways in old Hastings

Get in

By car

Hastings is at the end of the A21, which links the town to the M25 and London. The A27 runs west along the coast to Eastbourne and Brighton, and the A259 runs east to Ashford and Folkestone.

By train

🌍 Hastings station is at one end of the Hastings Line, which runs through Tunbridge Wells and Sevenoaks on the way to London Charing Cross. There is also a direct service via Eastbourne to London Victoria, but this takes 2 hours and 7 minutes, compared with 1 hour 30 minutes for the fastest Charing Cross services. There are also services to Ashford and Brighton.

By plane

The nearest airport is London Gatwick (LGW ^IATA).

After arriving, take Southern Train at Gatwick Airport Rail Station to the direction of Ore Rail Station directly to Hastings Rail Station. It will take between 1hr 30min and 1hr 37min.

Get around

See

Hastings Country Park - Ecclesbourne Glen

• 🌍 Hastings Castle, Castle Hill Road, West Hill, TN34 3AR, ☎ [phone]. (updated Oct 2017)
• Pier. 
• 🌍 Hastings Country Park, 148 Martineau Ln, TN35 5DR, ☎ [phone]. 660 acres of woodland glens, and cliffs falling within the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.  
• 🌍 The Stade (in the old town). The home of Europe's largest beach-launched fishing fleet, and the historic net huts.  
• 🌍 Smugglers Adventure, St Clement’s Caves, TN34 3JJ, ☎ [phone]. 10AM-5:30PM. A set of caves (St Clements Caves) in the hills above the town. 
• 🌍 Blue Reef Aquarium (previously Underwater World), Rock-A-Nore Rd, TN34 3DW, ☎ [phone]. 10AM-5PM. An aquarium. 
• 🌍 St Mary in the Castle, 7 Pelham Crescent, TN34 3AF, ☎ [phone]. A grade II listed former Georgian church beneath the castle in the Regency Square - Pelham Crescent. The space is now used as a gallery, theatre and performance venue. (updated Oct 2017)
• 🌍 Jerwood Gallery, Rock-A-Nore Rd, TN34 3DW, ☎ [phone]. M closed, Tu-Sa 11AM-5PM. A contemporary (but controversial) art gallery on The Stade. (updated Oct 2017)
• Hastings from the cliffs - a view of Hastings up on the cliffs, travelled to on the cliff railways.

Do

Hill Street in Hastings Old Town

• 🌍 Alexandra Park. A 109 acres (44 hectares) Grade II listed Victorian park including lakes and landscaped gardens, perfect place for a walk. (updated Oct 2017)
• 🌍 Hastings Adventure Golf, Hastings Old Town Seafront, TN34 3AJ, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Play crazy golf on the seafront. (updated Oct 2017)
• Take the East and West Hill Lifts - two funiculars - up to the cliffs above the town.
• Walk around the Old Town, exploring its alleys and junk shops.

Buy

• Pearl & Queenie, 16 George St. Beautiful jewellery. A Victorian styled boutique which showcases the work of more than 30 top British designers, handmade in all manner of materials from gold, silver, leather, glass, acrylic and even wood. A treasure trove of jewels with many featured in the UK's top fashion magazines. A must-see shop if not only for the designs on show but for the interior which boasts bow-fronted cabinets and saucy antiquities. 
• Vintage clothes. This place is a bit of a hidden treasure. Lots of vintage clothes shops and brick-a-brack – some are run by people who also have stalls in Portobello Road (London) later on in the week. One of them has the flatmate of Peaches Geldof as an assistant at the weekends! Prices range from what you'd expect – £60 for a decent 1940s dress, to little treasures – £15 for a vintage Laura Ashley maxi-dress.

Eat

Fishermen's museum and net huts on the stade, Hastings

• 🌍 Hollypark Organics, Hollypark, North La, ☎ [phone]. Organic food shop. 
• 🌍 Trinity Wholefoods, 3, Trinity St, ☎ [phone]. Organic food shop. (updated May 2017)

Fish and chips

There are hundreds of fish and chip shops, such as the Blue Dolphin.

• 🌍 Blue Dolphin Fish Bar, 61B High St, Hastings TN34 3EJ, ☎ [phone]. 11:30AM-10PM. (updated Oct 2017)

Drink

Some very nice traditional pubs down in the old town.

North Lodge, Burton St Leonards

Highlands Gardens, St Leonards on Sea, Hastings

• 🌍 The Jenny Lind Inn, 69 High St, TN34 3EW, ☎ [phone]. Try the Jenny Lind when it's got local strong cider. (updated Oct 2017)
• 🌍 The John Logie Baird, 29-31 Havelock Rd, TN34 1BE, ☎ [phone]. A typical Wetherspoons pub. Named eponymously after the inventor of television. (updated Oct 2017)

Sleep

In the central town

Many of the hotels are on the seafront.

• 🌍 Best Western Royal Victoria Hotel, Marina, TN38 0BD, ☎ [phone]. 3-star hotel (updated Oct 2017)
• 🌍 Chatsworth Hotel, 7-11 Carlisle Parade, TN34 1JG, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. 2-star hotel. (updated Oct 2017)
• 🌍 Hastings House Boutique B&B, 9 Warrior Square, Saint Leonards-on-sea, TN37 6BA, ☎ [phone]. 3-star hotel. (updated Oct 2017)
• 🌍 The Highlands Inn, 1 Boscobel Rd, TN38 0LU, ☎ [phone]. 2-star hotel (updated Oct 2017)
• 🌍 Le Chateau Japonais, 2 Linton Rd, TN34 1TN, ☎ [phone]. This is a 5-room Bed and Breakfast. (updated Oct 2017)
• 🌍 The White Rock Hotel, 1-10 White Rock, TN34 1JU, ☎ [phone]. 3-star hotel. (updated Oct 2017)

North

• 🌍 Sedlescombe Golf Hotel, Kent Street, Sedlescombe, TN33 0SD (6.1km from Hastings), ☎ [phone]. 3-star hotel. (updated Oct 2017)
• 🌍 The Brickwall Hotel, The Green, Sedlescombe, TN33 0QA (8.9km from Hastings), ☎ [phone]. 3-star hotel. (updated Oct 2017)

North-west

• 🌍 Abbey Hotel, 84 High Street, Battle, TN33 0AQ, ☎ [phone]. 3-star grade II listed hotel with en-suite rooms and views of Battle Abbey. £95 - £100 per night. (updated Oct 2017)
• 🌍 The Powder Mills Country House Hotel, Powdermill Ln, Battle, TN33 0SP (8.6 km from Hastings), ☎ [phone], fax: [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. 18th-century listed country house 3-star hotel in 150 acres of parkland, woods and lakes. (updated Oct 2017)
• 🌍 The George Hotel, 23 High St, Battle, TN33 0EA (9 km from Hastings), ☎ [phone]. 3-star hotel. (updated Oct 2017)

Go next

• Visit the historical area surrounding Hastings, known as 1066 Country.
• Burton St Leonards - Elegant Regency town and park designed in 1828 by James Burton.

Routes through Hastings

London ← Royal Tunbridge Wells ← Battle ←	NW  SE	→ END
END ←	SW  NE	→ Tenterden → Ashford
Eastbourne ← Bexhill ←	W  E	→ Rye → Folkestone