I cannot remember when I last visited Hastings, but it was certainly a long time ago. Our Friday evening journey from Derby to Hastings took about three and a half hours on three different trains. Our Guest House accommodation, The Senlac, was actually quite good - albeit the street did seem a little bit rough on first impressions - the room was fairly large, very clean and looked freshly refurbished. Our friends, Tim and Georgie, had arrived before us and sourced somewhere to have dinner and a good choice it was too. ****************erie served up a wide menu and certainly had something for everyone although with a name like that I expected Greek food if honest. It was nice to catch up over a beer and a bottle of wine - the first bottle of wine was sent back though as it drew our cheeks in, the second was far more palatable. On the Saturday morning the sun was shining so following a good breakfast at a local (not so) greasy spoon café we set off to explore Hastings. There are actually two distinct areas to Hastings and they are very different. The area close to the railway station, where our accommodation was located, is the more modern Victorian seaside resort and shopping area. The old town area that is sandwiched between the east and west cliff is the more quaint, historic, original fisherman's village area complete with narrow streets and fishing net huts located on The Stade (seafront) area. Both the east and west cliffs have funicular lifts that save you the climb and once at the top you get splendid views over the coast and both areas of the town. The east cliff area is more unspoilt and has plenty of walking paths available although an ice cream van was rather obviously placed and did nothing to blend in with the surrounding area or enhance the view. Back at sea level we visited the Shipwreck Museum and the Fisherman's Museum - both free of charge - and also had a quick trip on the Hastings Miniature Railway before tucking into some freshly cooked fish and chips at an eat in chip shop/restaurant. It just had to be done! On the west cliff we visited the Smugglers Adventure, which took about an hour to explore the interactive displays and presentation boards located in the labyrinth of underground tunnels carved into the hillside. We also visited Hastings Castle, or at least what is left of it given most of it has crumbled and collapsed into the sea over the past few hundred years or so. The castle also had an overview video about the Battle of Hastings that actually took place about ten miles inland at the town that is now called Battle in 1066 that led to the construction of the castle itself. Our Saturday evening started with alfresco drinks at the White Rock Hotel on the seafront overlooking the pier. The pier was hosting an electronic music festival but alas we had not packed our glow sticks so had to settle for dinner at the Bella Vista Italian restaurant in St Leonards which was about a mile or so from Hastings. The restaurant was really busy and that might have been because it was #2 on TripAdvisor for places to eat in the Hastings area. The food, for three of us at least, and service was very good and it was a shame that Georgie had to send her risotto back. The restaurant did not charge for the replacement/alternative main dish she chose which was good but it was still a shame overall. The Sicilian Nero d'Avola wine was certainly quaffable and the free limoncello was a nice touch at the end of the evening. If we were back in the area this place would be worth a visit. Having checked out of the guest house on the Sunday morning we headed back to London via Ashford and had lunch at King Cross before we caught the train to Derby and Tim and Georgie went via Cambridge to Norwich. The British seaside can be a little bit hit and miss, certainly the weather was glorious and that helped a great deal and despite some rather rough bits Hastings, overall, was actually quite pleasant. If it was wet, cold and miserable then thing may have been rather different - although that probably applies everywhere!