Saturday 14 July 2018

Hastings diaries : Oh I do like to be beside the seaside !


You can't come to Hastings and not take advantage of the traditional seaside attractions, so on the first full day of our visit, we decided to wander down to the old town. We went via the West Hill and the kids were delighted to discover a playpark.


The star attraction was a zipwire, which Pierre must have gone on about a hundred times !


He wasn't the only one having fun though - the tyre swing was big enough to take the weight of the adults too !


Eventually, we wound our way down to the old town and, after changing up a couple of pounds each into 2p's, the kids were off, trying to win little prizes in the coin push machines. I was very tempted to have a go on the Zoltar Speaks fortune telling machine, but I remembered that scene in Big and had second thoughts !


Pierre loves watching claw machine videos on Youtube (I really can't see the fascination personally !) so he was desperate to have a go on the cranes.


He got really excited every time the claws grabbed something but it invariably fell off before returning to base.


"You won't win, they're all rigged", we all told him repeatedly. Then he won one ! He was over the moon, but was then convinced that he'd win an Incredibles toy and failed !


Grandad soon had him smiling again though, showing him some of the bigger sit-in toys.


We finished off with a prize-every-time Test Your Strength machine, which was hilarious because he didn't realise everyone was a winner so he was all excited when the lights went right up to the top ! The girls had moved outside and found a lollipop that was too big even for their sweet-toothed appetite !


This weekend is Hastings Pirate Day (after a successful world record breaking event a few years ago), so some of the shops had pirate-themed displays in the windows.


George Street is a great place for quirky independent shops, including this one, selling official Harry Potter wands.


Inside are all sorts of replica weapons and armour, including some that are modelled on those used in the Norman conquest.


It's lovely to have a nod back to 1066 and the Battle of Hastings, but I'm not sure who'd actually buy them !


We didn't buy a broadsword or a pirate pistol, but we did treat ourselves to some gorgeous soaps from this brightly coloured and fabulously fragranced display. Sophie also picked up some odds and ends in the junk/antique shops - I'm always amazed at the things that catch her eye !


Country Kids

19 comments:

  1. My home town! Sounds like you are having fun. If you are still here today then make sure you head back into the old town for pirate day, the kids will love it! No year yet has compared to the epic first pirate day where we beat the world record of the most amount of pirates in one place but it is fun every year

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    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    2. I posted my comment from my phone, I'm not sure why I'm 'unknown' lol, but it was me that commented

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    3. We missed out on Pirate Day (again) because it was the day we left - one day, we'll get there !

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  2. I haven't been to Hastings in years. It looks like you had a great time and Pierre is looking really grown up all of a sudden

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    1. It's funny, I don't notice him growing up but I was looking back at some old photos the other day and thought he looked really young !

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  3. I do love a good day at the seaside with all the traditional fun, the 2p machines are one of my favourites too. Glad you had a great day out together #countrykids

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    1. You can't go too far wrong with 2p machines - a £1 bag of coins each and everyone's happy !

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  4. My boys would have been fascinated by all those swards, Clio and I would have preferred the soaps! There looks like plenty to so in Hastings and an extra bonus having Grandparents to catch up with. Well done Pierre on his grab toy and on finding that great looking zip slide.

    thank you for sharing with me on #CountryKids

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    1. There was definitely no way I was getting talked into buying a sword !! lol ;-)

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  5. Ooh, I love having days out at Hastings! Well done to Pierre for winning the toy from the claw machine. It drives me absolutely mad when they drop the toy as it moves, especially when it's so close to being near the dropping point! The shop with the Harry Potter shop and swords looks great. #CountryKids

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    1. LOL And that does seem to happen an awful lot ! :)

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  6. My kids were born there so brings back memories!

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  7. Those weapons looks awesome to see! I am sure my son would have a blast seeing those in real life.

    What a lovely trip you had =)

    #countrykids

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  8. Oh the weapons sound amazing - may just have to visit for those.
    Yay on the win - maybe watching the videos on YouTube shows some sort of technique

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    1. Possibly, but reading the labels on them, they are kind of rigged, so one in I don't know how many wins - makes sense, I guess !

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  9. Ha! Big scared you away from getting your Zoltar fortune. That made me life. Looks like a fun day for everyone. Congrats to Pierre for winning a prize in the claw machine. #countrykids

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  10. Haven't seen a Zoltar Speaks machine in years! They're great fun!

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