Seaside town with fab music, food and culture – a quick flight from Scotland

BRIGHTON rocks! And it rolls.

It’s mad for the mods, banishes the blues and is good for the soul.

Don’t Worry Be Happy is the vibe and on a sunny weekend in May we did exactly that.

I had heard so much about this super seaside town – all of it good – so it’s a mystery it took me so long to get here.

But would it live up to the hype? You bet, and then some.

We spent a whirlwind 48 hours on the south coast and I’m already looking at dates to go back.

A 90 minute flight from Edinburgh to Gatwick then a quick hop on the Express train and we were there.

Our base for the weekend was Ibis City Centre at Brighton Station.

The location could hardly have been any better with all the tourist hotspots – the Lanes, Dome, famous pier and bars and restaurants – easily within walking distance.

We had a spacious double room with en-suite bathroom, queen-size bed, flat screen TV and free wifi.

On arrival we were treated to a welcome drink by the super-friendly staff – always a nice touch – then we were ready to explore.

First stop the famous Lanes which date all the way back to the 16th century.

Nestled between the North Lane and the seafront, these cobbled streets, narrow alleys and side streets are a joy to walk through – taking in independent stores, cool music, clothes and art shops and legendary jewellers along the way.

You could spend hours here people watching while enjoying the many beer gardens – we felt obliged to stop for a drink at The Cricketers Arms.

Dating back to 1545 it’s the oldest pub in the area – but there is so much to see and do we found ourselves constantly on the move.

Next stop was 18th century Brighton Pavilion, a stunning Indian-style palace built for King George IV. With the sun shining we opted against taking a tour and instead headed for the famous Brighton Pier.

Within minutes, I felt like a kid again enjoying a day out at ‘the shows’.

Taking a step back in time, we got tore into the candy floss, had a go at the coin pusher and enjoyed a shot on the dodgems. Great fun!

Lunch on the seafront at Osho was every bit as good. We ordered seafood platters washed down with a delicious bottle of Sauvignon Blanc while a singer with a guitar performed an acoustic set in the background. Bliss!

When it comes to music I couldn’t think of Brighton without picturing Jimmy and his fellow Mods in Quadrophenia.

Time was against us so unfortunately we weren’t able to do the walking tour that would have allowed me to follow in their footsteps and visit the locations used in the cult classic film – next time, for sure.

We did keep the party going though and headed to Spiegeltent – a pop-up festival within The Old Steine Gardens and during the Fringe which runs through May into early June.

Claiming to be “made with love by Brighton people for guests from around the world” they did not disappoint.

It had just gone 6pm and the big tent was rammed, with a DJ belting out classic tunes and every walk of life dancing the night away.

If only every Sunday could be like this.

We finished the night with a fantastic Thai dinner at Siam Siam just a few minutes walk from our Ibis base.

After a brilliant sleep we enjoyed a delicious buffet breakfast before checking out.

Our flight wasn’t until early evening so, taking advantage of the hotel looking after our bags, we headed to nearby Saltdean to check out the famous outdoor pool.

From there we took an hour enjoying the Undercliff Walk back to Brighton Marina.

Sadly it was then time to go home – but Don’t Worry, I’m happy to report we’ll be back before the end of the year.