The best bit about living in a popular tourist destination like Brighton is you can pick and choose the right time to drop by.
Summer seaside fun is all well and good but there’s nothing better than a stroll along the prom on a calm winter’s morning.
The gently swelling sea meets the distant grey horizon and pleasure boats bob along on the beautiful briny.
So grab a camera and come with us on an out of season seaside stroll.
The esplanade is wide enough to accommodate everybody at this time of year – joggers, amblers and dog-walkers – without risking collision.
The weather on England’s south coast is never reliable and in winter it ranges from blusteringly bracing to gloriously bright and sunny.
But there are dozens of places to escape should a sea fret boil up or a cold front move in from the east.
Brighton Beach
Nobody comes to Brighton to build sandcastles as our beaches are 99.9% pebbles.
But what pebbles they are. Families with youngsters spend hours tramping up and down the stony dunes, filling buckets with odd shaped stones, fragile shells and shiny sea-glass.
The seafront’s seen a lot of investment in recent years with newly constructed board-walks, interesting art installations and nature-inspired structures.
The bandstand, just on the border with Hove, dates from 1884 and was fully restored to its former glory in 2009.
It’s now a popular venue for concerts and weddings.
Underneath there’s the bijoux Bandstand Café serving great coffee and light snacks.
Our salad and chunky chips combo was the perfect balance for a winter’s day.
The West Pier
If you have a photographer in your party you’re guaranteed to spend a long time here, waiting for that perfect shot.
Sunrise, sunset, rain or shine these magnificent brooding ruins, with rusty girders jutting out from the seas, have become as iconic as the cupolas of the Royal Pavilion.
The poor old West Pier, once a fashionable entertainment spot, closed in 1975 and since then, aided by storms, collisions and fire, it’s been a slowly shrinking ruin.
Now it’s a rusting backdrop to the area’s newest attraction.
Brighton’s i360
This big grey pole divides opinion.
Some say the i360 is a waste of money, others simply love it.
It does give great views over the city and sea in fine weather, and provides an interesting juxtaposition of old and new.
The Fishing Museum
The complete opposite of the high-tech i360.
Kept alive by voluntary donations, this tiny museum is dedicated to the memory of those who made their livelihood from the seas.
Memorabilia and memoirs from fishermen, pleasure-boat captains, swimmers and sub-aqua pioneers are lovingly displayed.
Learn about the resort’s fashionable days when Martha Gunn, Queen of the Dippers, helped ladies of refinement experience the health-giving properties of sea bathing.
By all accounts, she was a formidable character – strong of arm and loud of voice – yet patronised by the genteel Prince Regent and his courtiers.
Brighton Palace Pier
Unlike the dear old West Pier, the Palace Pier has withstood the test of time, constantly evolving to meet the demands of holidaymakers throughout the years.
Nowadays, it’s an odd mix of Victorian architecture, modern slot machines and funfair-rides, but it’s still the perfect place for a stroll in winter, with free deckchairs if you get weary.
Fun for foodies
Even in winter, the local foodie scene is thriving, with everything from champagne and oysters to afternoon tea at one of the luxurious seafront hotels.
You’ll find plenty of places providing the traditional seaside fare of ice-cream, doughnuts and fish and chips.
More authentically, Jack and Linda Mills run a tiny smoke-house on the beach, near the Fishing Museum, for hot smoked mackerel, kippers and crab.
Random seafront stuff to do in winter
Eyeball a seagull: They seem less aggressive at this time of year, with the scarcity of chip wrappers and doughnuts to snatch out of your hands.
Rain never stops play: Brighton seafront has volleyball courts and table tennis all year round.
Dive into the Sealife Centre: For fishy fun, facts and fiction.
Go graff-spotting: Brighton’s street artists have left their mark along the promenade.
Meditate mindfully: There’s nothing like wave-watching or boat spotting on a calm day to give you inner peace. Just grab a coffee and watch the world go by.
Where next?
• Legends of Languedoc
• Paddle Boat on the Norfolk Broads
• Purezza, Hove