Pier Viewpoint

The pier at Brighton stretches out into the Channel like a proper Victorian confection, and the viewpoint at its head is where you actually understand why people bothered building the thing in the first place. On a clear day, the vista sprawls east and west along the Sussex coast - all shingle beach, coloured beach huts, and that particular shade of grey-blue English sea that somehow looks both miserable and romantic at once.

You're looking at a working pier, mind you. There's the amusement arcade, the fish and chips queue, the seagulls waiting to mug you. The viewpoint itself costs nothing - you just walk out there with everyone else. On a sunny afternoon it's rammed with tourists, couples, families bribing their kids with candy floss. Early morning or an off-season weekday is infinitely better if you want to actually stand still and look.

Historically minded types will find the pier's Victorian ironwork interesting enough, though it's been knocked about over the decades and lacks the architectural grandeur of, say, Worthing or Hastings. The real draw is the unobstructed sight line - you can pick out the cliffs at Beachy Head if visibility cooperates.

For campers at Pegs and Pitches or Brighton Caravan and Motorhome Club just down the road, this is an easy stroll into town and back. Families with younger kids might manage twenty minutes before the novelty wears off and everyone demands food. Walkers and photographers should allow an hour, particularly if you're trying to time the light.