The West Hill Lift

The West Hill Lift is a Victorian funicular railway that runs straight up the cliff face from Hastings seafront - a proper bit of engineering from 1891 that still works today. You step into a tiny cabin and it hauls you 300 feet up the hillside in about two minutes, which sounds like nothing until you're actually dangling over the rooftops watching the town shrink below you.

It's the sort of thing families do on autopilot during a seaside day out, and yes, kids find it thrilling. The whole experience takes maybe twenty minutes door-to-door, though you'll want to linger at the top for the view across the bay and back towards the pier. On a clear day you can see quite far along the coast. The lift itself is rather cramped - you're squeezed in with strangers, which adds to the slightly dizzying charm of it all.

Admission costs a few quid each way (though prices change), and it runs most of the year when the weather isn't absolutely foul. Go early morning or late afternoon to avoid the school holiday crush. If you're staying at Beaulieu Farm Campsite or Combe Haven Holiday Park nearby, it's an easy walk from your pitch. Combine it with a wander around the old town and fish and chips on the seafront - it's exactly what a seaside trip should be. Not revolutionary, but worth the ride.