Hastings (England)

Hastings is a seaside town in East Sussex in southeast England. It's run down, but has budget accommodation and several sites of interest. Hastings is most famous for the battle that took place there in 1066 between King Harold's English and William the Conqueror's Normans. 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 Nature Reserve with woodland glens, beaches and cliff-top views.

Understand


The town lent its name to the 1066 battle, although the battle took place nearby Battle (these were imaginative times…). The Normans made Hastings one of the Cinque Ports responsible for England's maritime defence, but in the late Middle Ages, its harbour was swept away by the sea.

The town grew from its medieval origins into a Victorian seaside resort, and the majority of the town's 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.

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. In 2022 the population was 92,340.

More recently, it was the setting for the World War II-era detective TV show Foyle's War.

Visitor information

 * Visit Hastings website

By plane
From London Gatwick take the hourly direct train. From other airports travel into the London city centre for the train from Charing Cross.

By train


Trains from London Charing Cross run every 30 min and take 1 hr 40 min via London Waterloo, Sevenoaks, Tunbridge Wells, Robertsbridge and St Leonards. The last train leaves at 23:45.

Trains from London Victoria run hourly and take 2 hours via Clapham Junction, East Croydon, Gatwick Airport, Lewes, Eastbourne, Bexhill and St Leonards.

Trains from Ashford International run hourly and take 40 min via Rye and Winchelsea. Ashford has fast trains from London St Pancras, but Eurostar no longer stops there.

Trains from Brighton run hourly and take 75 min via Lewes, Eastbourne, Bexhill and St Leonards.

By bus
National Express and Megabus don't run to Hastings, and there is no direct service from London.

Stagecoach Bus 99 runs every 20 min from Eastbourne, taking 75 min. Bus 100 / 101 runs every 20 min from Rye, taking 45 min.

There isn't a bus station. Buses may stop at the railway station, at Priory Meadow one block south, or along the sea front.

By car
From London and M25 follow A21 south. From Dover and Folkestone follow A259 via Rye; this continues west to Eastbourne.

Get around
Buses 20, 22, 22a and 26 run along the seafront every 5-10 min between Hastings castle and St Leonards.

Bus 304 / 305 runs hourly via St Leonards and takes 30 min to Battle station and abbey. It continues to Robertsbridge and Hawkhurst.

24 / 7 taxis (+44 1424 247247) used to be reliable but went to the dogs in 2022.

Do



 * Funiculars: Take the East or West Hill Lift up the cliffs above the town.
 * Cinema: Odeon is on Queens Rd near the railway station. Electric Palace is an independent arthouse at 39a High St. The Regal in St Leonards remains closed.
 * Golf: Beaufort Park GC is north edge of town, visitor fee £28.
 * Old Town Carnival Week is probably next held 28 July - 6 Aug 2023, tbc.
 * Golf: Beaufort Park GC is north edge of town, visitor fee £28.
 * Old Town Carnival Week is probably next held 28 July - 6 Aug 2023, tbc.

Buy

 * 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.
 * 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



 * Goat Ledge is a beach hut on St Leonards promenade serving seafood and ice cream, open 8AM-9PM.
 * Goat Ledge is a beach hut on St Leonards promenade serving seafood and ice cream, open 8AM-9PM.
 * Goat Ledge is a beach hut on St Leonards promenade serving seafood and ice cream, open 8AM-9PM.
 * Goat Ledge is a beach hut on St Leonards promenade serving seafood and ice cream, open 8AM-9PM.

Drink

 * Albion is a grand trad pub at 33 George St facing the Ferris wheel. It's open Su-Th noon-11PM, F Sa noon-midnight.
 * Brewery: Brewing Brothers "The Imperial" is a microbrewery on Queens Rd. Their main outlet is The Courtyard on the central beachfront, open Su-Th noon-10PM, F Sa noon-midnight.
 * Brewery: Brewing Brothers "The Imperial" is a microbrewery on Queens Rd. Their main outlet is The Courtyard on the central beachfront, open Su-Th noon-10PM, F Sa noon-midnight.
 * Brewery: Brewing Brothers "The Imperial" is a microbrewery on Queens Rd. Their main outlet is The Courtyard on the central beachfront, open Su-Th noon-10PM, F Sa noon-midnight.
 * Brewery: Brewing Brothers "The Imperial" is a microbrewery on Queens Rd. Their main outlet is The Courtyard on the central beachfront, open Su-Th noon-10PM, F Sa noon-midnight.

Town centre

 * Many hotels are on the seafront.


 * Moore House at 57 High St earns great reviews.
 * The Bank Hotel and Bistro is at 28 Grand Parade 100 yards west of Zanzibar.
 * Moore House at 57 High St earns great reviews.
 * The Bank Hotel and Bistro is at 28 Grand Parade 100 yards west of Zanzibar.
 * The Bank Hotel and Bistro is at 28 Grand Parade 100 yards west of Zanzibar.
 * The Bank Hotel and Bistro is at 28 Grand Parade 100 yards west of Zanzibar.
 * The Bank Hotel and Bistro is at 28 Grand Parade 100 yards west of Zanzibar.

Connect
As of May 2022 Hastings, St Leonards and Bexhill have 4G from all UK carriers, and you might get 5G with Three.

Go next

 * Bexhill is the large resort east of Hastings.
 * Battle is where the battle of 1066 was actually fought.
 * Rye is the most attractive of the "Cinque Ports" that defended medieval England.
 * Robertsbridge is a pleasant village near must-see Bodiam Castle.