Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
St Leonards and Hastings
St Leonards on Sea is a seaside town in East Sussex, adjacent to Hastings but with its own identity and some say a more relaxed and creative vibe than her more famous sister Hastings. The boundary between the two is generally accepted to be Hastings Pier.
Many visitors head straight for Hastings with the old town featuring lovely Tudor buildings and oodles of character, a vibrant music scene by night and quirky shops and a beach launched fishing fleet. Hastings certainly has a lot to offer and with the all the crowds heading there this means that St Leonards is less touristic, for the locals or visitors to enjoy, even the seagulls are less likely to mug you for your lunch!
Where to eat
For such a small town we have an abundance of great restaurants - check our website where to eat for more information. These are small independent restaurants and booking is recommended, many offer a fixed price two course lunch or early bird dinner on Thursdays and Fridays when the town starts to come to life for the weekend. Many restaurants are closed from Sunday evening to Wednesday lunch time (work life balance is important here on the coast) but this is a relatively quiet time of the week anyway so the restaurants that are open can usually cope with demand.
St Leonards Beach
There is a shingle beach with some sand as the tide goes out. St Leonards is a blue flag beach with easy access to shops, regularly cleaned toilets and easy access to some great cafes and restaurants (including Goat Ledge, Liban Coast, Columbo 16, half man half burger to name a few). There are wave breaking fences called ‘Groynes’ with each Groyne is allocated a number. The area around groyne 41 and 42 (just in front of the Azure building) is a popular place to swim as there is an absence of rocks when tide is out and there is a lifeguard in place.
The Knowle luxury guesthouse
The Knowle Bed and Breakfast is located in the quiet leafy streets behind St Leonards within a ten minute walk of St Leonards Warrior Square train station, the independent shops and restaurants of Kings road and Norman Road and of course the seafront. IT IS AN UPHILL WALK back from town or a short drive or taxi ride, taxis are best booked well in advance. There is free and ample onstreet parking outside and overlooking Markwick gardens it feels like you are in the country rather than town, far enough from the sea that the sea gulls tend not to bother us. Our rooms overlook the private Markwick Gardens or offer views over Hastings and St Leonards.
Hastings
The Knowle is located in St Leonards, although often marketed to visitors as the same town, we are a 40 minute walk along the sea front or a short drive to Hastings old town. We can recommend our circular walk towards Hastings via Alexanda park then back along the sea front, a great way to explore the St Leonards and Hastings and to have a mooch in the bric a brac and shops in the area.
A great base to explore Sussex
Hastings and St Leonards offer great value to the discerning visitor, picture perfect towns are busy but will cost a lot more for similar standard of accommodation, restaurants are busier and parking can be a struggle. Small independently owned businesses will go the extra mile to make sure you enjoy your time for service and their offering. This is borne out with the consistently great reviews for many of restaurants and guest houses in the area with many consistently scoring top marks from guests and customers alike.
Modern home is a nationwide estate agents, many looking to escape London browse their property listings looking for their dream home before finally taking the plunge. We like how they describe our town this introduction to some of St Leonards. It is well worth a read!