I've always been fascinated by the notion of Hastings ever since I read 1066 and All That. Although the battle did not take place here (rather in a place now called Battle), the name conjures up the history of the time. I have seen the Bayeux Tapestry in France and love the feeling of walking the area where these historical figures may once have walked. The castle (built in 1070), or what remains of it, was one of the first of a series along the coast that the Normans built after the conquest.
A second reason for visiting Hastings is that my spouse and I have been watching Foyle's War which takes place in Hastings during World War II. It was fun to wander some of the streets and try to imagine where parts of episodes may have been filmed.
We took the funicular up to the top of the hill. The castle grounds were closed until some time in April but the view was certainly open! Hastings now seems to be a fading seaside town. Along the shore are a number of amusement facilities from mini-golf to rides. The oldest part of the city has narrow winding streets.
Once a major fishing town, it is now much less so. It was fun to stroll around and see a slightly different part of England.
Wow, those pics are wonderful !
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing. It gives us immense pleasure reading your posts and viewing the pictures. All beautiful !
Rajiv
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Used to go to Hastings quite often, too when my husband's aunt still lived there. Poor pier, it's still closed, isn't it? We used to stay in neighbouring Eastbourne, which has the prettiest castle-like pier but, unfortunately, big parts of it burnt in a fire last year! So few of the coastal piers left any more.
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