I used to love cycling when I was younger but, when I moved to the Isle of Wight at 13, I sold my bike because it was too hilly!! Every year since I’ve been saying I want to buy a bike so I can ride along the seafront to take in the summer beautiful views. Then every year I don’t end up buying a bike because I doubt I’d use it often enough to make it worthwhile.
So when I was asked if I wanted to borrow a bike for an hour, thanks to BTN BikeShare, I jumped at the chance so I could cycle from Hove to Brighton Marina, taking in the scenery as I cycled along 🙂 Brighton has really lovely wide cycle paths so for someone who hasn’t cycled in about 20 years, it didn’t feel daunting at all 🙂
I picked a pretty windy day to go cycling, so getting to Hove was a bit of a struggle, but the journey back was luckily a lot better as I had the wind behind me 🙂 Here are some of my favourite Brighton and Hove landmarks along the seafront:
The Bandstand – I’ve lived in Brighton over 5 and a half years and I’ve never once come here to take an obligatory photo! It’s such an iconic landmark but I now feel like I’m a proper Brightonian! It was completely deserted when I arrived but as I got my camera out to take some snaps, a wild bride and groom appeared ♥ Oh and that random lady who just didn’t take the hint and get out of the way *sigh*
West Pier – I absolutely love the West Pier, it always looks so beautifully haunting. I especially love it when the waves are super choppy like they were when I cycled past 🙂
Brighton i360 – Like it or loathe it, it’s definitely a landmark that can’t be missed! I think I’ll have to take a trip up it one day to see what the fuss is about. Oh and say that key phrase “I wonder if I can see my house from here”.
Afloat (or The Doughnut) – Based near the Pier, this art installation has been photographed so often. It looks pretty awesome and it’s a fab meeting place for days out with friends on the beach 🙂
Palace Pier – I love coming down to the Pier and it’s the perfect place to stop and grab an ice cream when you need a quick pick-me-up 🙂 Oh and no seagulls were photoshopped in pursuit of the perfect photo, I promise 😀 😀
The Brighton Zip – This 300m zipwire has just replaced the Brighton Wheel (sob) but it looks so much fun! I kind of feel like I want to have a go on it when it’s open. Plus afterwards I can treat myself to fish and chips or an ice cream to steady my nerves 😀
Volk’s Railway – The world’s oldest electric railway runs from the Pier to the Marina. It’s such a cute tourist thing to do and you get beautiful views of the sea and the Pier.
Brighton Marina – The perfect place to end my journey as it’s full of restaurants and cafés to relax in 🙂 Oh and some pretty epic graffiti to photograph!!
The BTN BikeShare* initiative launched in September 2017. They have a dedicated app to help you locate one of 450 bikes dotted around the city in 50 different docking locations, hiring a bike in Brighton has never been easier 🙂 You can either hire a bike for as little as £1.80 an hour or hire one for an entire year, setting you back a mere £72!
The bike I tested was super light-weight, but felt really sturdy and really easy to ride. It even had a cute little basket on the front which holds up to 20lbs; perfect for popping a picnic in for a fun day out or a brolly and coat, in case of good old British weather 😀 There are eight gears and the seat can adjust to three different heights! I found it really easy to pedal and as there was no chain, my trousers didn’t get caught up 😀
The only thing I would say is that you can’t hire any safety equipment with it so, if you’re like me and don’t own a helmet, you may have to borrow one from someone or risk going without 🙁 I’d forgotten how much fun cycling can be and I’m definitely going to be hiring one again when they’re up and running! A massive thanks to the team for letting me test out the prototype 🙂
Where are your favourite spots to cycle to? Let me know in the comments below 🙂 x
*I was kindly asked by the company if I wanted to test out the bike but all views are my own. The sea views are for everyone.
14 Comments
This was a lovely post to read 🙂 I’ve never been to Brighton, or many places down south, but I would love to some day! That bike is so adorable; I’ve always wanted a bike with a basket. £1.80 a hour is a great price too! x
Sarah | Raiin Monkey
Thank you 🙂 You definitely should, it’s so pretty 🙂 I’ve always wanted a bike with a basket too 🙂 xx
I love Brighton so much – the West Pier is so beautiful. We got some lovely prints of it from a little local gallery last time we went.
It’s beautiful isn’t it? There are so many stunning pics of the West Pier! 🙂
I can’t wait to jump on these bikes in the future! They look like so much fun, great post lovely xx
I know and they’re so pretty too!! 🙂 xx
Ah how exciting!! I’m glad they’re coming to Brighton! All of the fun and they’re gorgeous. Definitely a great thing to have and Brighton is actually pretty good to cycle around. I love that you got a bride & groom in the background of your bandstand photo.
Me too, I can’t wait to hire one out!! Yeah, it was perfect timing!! Go me!
Ah you’ve made me really want to get a bike! That one is adorable! I love Brighton too hope you had a good time 🙂
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Aww I’m sorry lol! It’s super cute though, isn’t it? x
Oooh I am very excited about these coming to Brighton!
Me too!! I’m definitely going to hire one and cycle along to Hove, I want to go to the beach huts!!
Ahhhh I’m really excited for this! I saw them. In the Pride parade and was like “I want that.” I’m the same as you, where I don’t think I will use a bike enough to justify it. And also trying to find somewhere to store it is such a faff! I’m also too scared to ride a bike on the road since I grew up cycling on the other side. It would be nice to get some practice in. So I’m really looking forward to this!!!
I saw the parade pics, they looked awesome, didn’t they? I’ve never ridden on a road, so going along the seafront in the cycle path was a nice way to get back into it 🙂