Shoreditch-on-Sea, the new Margate… call them what you will, the neighbouring towns of Hastings and St Leonards have been attracting a lot of positive attention in recent months, thanks to their vibrant foodie scene and good mix of shops and galleries, and proximity to the capital – under 90 minutes by train to London Bridge.
For a flavour of the area, get off the train at St Leonards Warrior Square and take a stroll down Kings Road, an increasingly vibrant street with pavement cafes, a growing weekend street market and shops selling vintage furniture and quirky gifts.
From here, head to the seafront and onto the promenade, turning left, you’ll get your first glimpse of the RIBA Stirling Prize-winning Hastings Pier. Passing Warrior Square Gardens, go under the promenade and take in Bottle Alley. This 480-metre lower deck walkway gets its name from the glass mosaics that adorn its walls.
Past the pier and Source Park – a swimming pool ingeniously repurposed as a skatepark and home to some interesting bars and restaurants – you’ll arrive in the Old Town, the heart of Hastings.
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As with most seaside towns, the best time to come is during the summer when you can enjoy an ice cream on the beach or a refreshing dip. While busy in July, August and September, Hastings never feels overcrowded.
Trains run all year. From St Pancras International (changing at Ashford), the journey takes 1 hour 29 mins, while from London Bridge or London Victoria direct, it’s 1 hour and 25 mins and 2 hours and 10 mins, respectively.
It’s worth bearing in mind that some museums, galleries, bars and restaurants don’t open early in the week if you’re coming for culture or culinary delights.
A couple of noteworthy diary dates: On the first weekend of May, the town’s doors are decked with foliage and ribbons for family-friendly Jack in the Green – a folk tradition to welcome spring. In July, the town is filled with Captain Jack Sparrow lookalikes for Pirate Day.
Some locals refer to newcomers – East Sussex in Figures estimates that some 3,000-plus people moved to the county in the year to mid-2023 – as DFLs (Down from Londons) – said mostly with affection, yet there’s little doubt that this collection of people has brought with them the resources to do up unloved properties and open a variety of new businesses making both Hastings and St Leonard’s more interesting in the process.
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The best things to do in Hastings and St Leonards
Visit Stella Dore Gallery on Norman Road
Specialising in street and urban contemporary artists, Stella Dore Gallery was founded by Steph Warren, previously of Banksy’s Pictures on Walls, and puts on exhibitions by the likes of Sara Pope, Dave Buonaguidi and others and also produces mural commissions and “artistic interventions”.
Browse MidMod and kitschy 1980s furniture at Sideshow Interiors
With shops on St Leonard’s seafront and George Street in the Old Town, the Sideshow guys have an eye for statement pieces for the home. Fancy a life-size peacock statue or a Charles Dudouyt 1930s Brutalist sideboard? Pay them a visit.
Play a round of crazy golf
It is surely just a matter of time before crazy golf takes over from bowls and darts as the hipsters’ “sport” of choice. Hastings Adventure Golf has two courses to try, one pirate-themed, the other more traditional. The World Crazy Golf Championships 2025 will take place here from 6-8 June.
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Visit Hastings Museum and Art Gallery
Punching well above its weight for a free, small-town museum, Hastings Museum and Art Gallery tells the town’s story from the Mesolithic age to today and has displays of ethnography, archaeology, costume and art as well as a calendar of temporary exhibitions. Don’t miss the beautiful Durbar Hall, originally part of an Indian palace, which was painstakingly moved and installed here in 1927.
Visit the Hastings Net Huts
Hastings’ famous wooden-framed, black weatherboard-clad net and tackle stores sit proudly overlooking the working fishing beach they once served. The buildings – some three storeys tall – were originally constructed in the 16th century and could be moved around on the shingle but are today very much firmly in place on Rock-a-Nore Road. Just along from these are the Hastings Fishermen’s Museum (where kids can clamber onto a real-life fishing boat) and Shipwreck Museum – both free to enter, they do exactly what it says on the tin.
Take the funicular up to the East Cliff
Opposite the net huts is the East Hill Cliff Railway Lift. The steepest funicular railway in the UK takes visitors up to the East Hill for views over the Old Town onto St Leonard’s and as far as Eastbourne on a clear day.
Explore the historic streets of the Old Town
Semi-pedestrianised George Street and the adjoining High Street are the social hubs of Old Town. The high street is lined with period properties, some dating back to 1700, a relative youngster compared to its neighbour on nearby All Saints Street, which has been standing since 1450. The High Street, All Saints Street and Tackleway are all architecturally interesting, and you can have fun exploring the twittens (alleyways) between them.
Where to eat in St Leonard’s and Hastings
There’s much debate about the differences between St Leonard’s and Hastings, with many saying the former has a more boho vibe than the latter, thanks to the influx of trendy metropolitan types (see earlier). Recent restaurant openings in St Leonard’s include Bayte, a modern European place with a focus on seasonal local produce, and The Royal, a gastropub with chef Andrew Taylor Gray, whose CV takes in Hix and The Canton Arms, in the kitchen creating “unfussy, seasonal food”.
On George Street, in the Old Town, Ladle offers hearty plates of pasta as well as cocktails and is doing so well that it recently expanded to a second property opposite. Run by a Michelin-trained chef and a cocktail expert, Ladle recently introduced a series of cookery classes. Further along George Street, Petit Fi is a lovely spot for brunch or lunch, such as a hearty soup of the day or the Sussex smokie (Hastings smoked haddock in white wine, cheese and thyme. Farmyard is the place to go if you love wine. Their list highlights natural, organic and interesting bottles, including a few labels from local vineyards such as cool-kid favourite, Tillingham.
Just opened at Hastings Contemporary is Coquina, which serves tea and cake all day and tasty Mediterranean/Levant leaning food throughout the day and into the evening. Everything here is served with an unbeatable view over the beach.
Where to drink in St Leonards and Hastings
A recent newcomer on George Street is Noah’s Goat, a wine bar and shop opened by long-term Hastings residents Nick and Nicky Holt, who previously ran The Stag Inn on All Saints Street. NG has an ever-evolving menu of wines by the glass or bottle as well as charcuterie boards and a selection of cheese. Also on George Street is The Old Pawn Shop, a bijou cocktail bar serving some of the best pours in town. If you like music with your drinks, local institution The Jenny Lind, on the high street, hosts regular folk and shanty concerts, while over in St Leonard’s, another pub, The Piper on Norman Road, offers an eclectic lineup of gigs.
Where to stay
Housed, as its name suggests, in a beautiful old rectory next to the historic All Saints Church, The Old Rectory is a home-from-home B&B with artfully designed rooms named after Old Town streets and a beautifully tended walled Victorian garden. Rooms £140-£210 with breakfast.
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