Bailgate

Holidays

Pam Simpson has organised our Bailgate U3A holidays for some time. Over the years we have visited Scotland, Wales and many resorts in England, in the last few years exploring the south coast.

Our holidays are usually 5 days (4 nights) and involve a couple of days' excursions to places of interest and a free day when members have chosen to rest, explore using public transport or even meet up with family and friends living close by.

The latest holiday was in Eastbourne at the Imperial Hotel, close to the seafront. The staff were friendly and helpful, and the hotel was clean and comfortable and excellent value for money. What it lacked in luxury was amply made up for by the conviviality everyone enjoyed.

The visit to Brighton Pavilion was the highlight of the trip - a sumptuous feast for the eyes, and an insight into the life of the Prince Regent, later George IV, in the late 18th and early 19C. We also visited Hastings and Rye, and some of us had the dubious privilege of viewing the 2024 Turner Prize finalists' work in Eastbourne's Towner Art Gallery. The winning installation was somewhat underwhelming ( I wonder what earlier generations would have made of it!)

Here are some members' reflections on the trip:

The 2024 U3A holiday extravaganza to Eastbourne was a blast. In more ways than one. The hotel was very comfortable, the staff were a delight and the food good. The evening entertainment provided a fun end to each day with live music, dancing and, of course, bingo. We never won! The wind, however, never let up for the entire 5 days and made a point of arming itself with rain that stung like nails! It was named Storm Nelson. Apparently, we had it better than other parts of the UK. That, of course was no-one’s fault but the weather girls.

The first day’s excursion to Brighton introduced us to the wonder that is the Brighton Pavilion. Personally, I didn’t know what to expect, but that certainly wasn’t it. It is an over the top wonder of extravagance. People were in awe of the luxury and quality of every detail. A highly recommended visit.

The second day was a free day. We visited the Towner Gallery to look at Turner prize works of art. The consensus amongst those of us I spoke with was that 3 of the 4 featured artists simply wasted otherwise useful building materials.

Eastbourne itself is a lovely town blessed with a wonderful pier and many beautiful buildings.

The next day the group set forth again in the reassuringly safe hands of our driver, Charlie, for Rye - a charming, quaint little town - followed by coastal Hastings. Once again, a steady 30 mph wind did everything it could to limit but not blunt the group’s enjoyment. Hastings is one of the medieval Cinque Ports and boasts the largest fishing fleet in Europe that is launched from the beach. Nothing was being launched into a very angry sea that day!

All in all everyone had a wonderful break that provided a fun get together which was timed to help us see in the Spring. Friendships were reinforced and we all left feeling refreshed and happy.

"On our free day three of us went to Charleston Farmhouse, best known as the country home of the Bloomsbury Group - a cohort of artists and authors most notable of whom were Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant.

This fairly modest property was a complete surprise. Room by room the eccentricities and hedonistic tendencies of the various artists were revealed in all the artworks. No surface had been ignored so in addition to a multitude of framed paintings it seemed that everything else had been painted too. Cupboards, drawers, backs of doors, fireplace surrounds, bathroom fittings - nothing was left untouched. It was really quite overwhelming.

In addition we enjoyed the pretty walled garden, tasty refreshments in the cafe and an exhibition of David Hockney drawings.

It was a truly delightful day out".

"Pam has done it again, this is the 10th holiday she has organised plus 2 City breaks.
We have been on them all except the first and think this was the best hotel, perfectly positioned between the sea and Wetherspoons.
We had been to Brighton Pavilion and the Museum before but both are well worth another visit.
On our free day we didn’t appreciate the Turner Prize exhibition but were impressed with the Grand Hotel for coffee.
We braved a very windy walk to the end of the pier. Unfortunately the visit to Rye and Hastings was a wet and windy day but we studied history inside the bar of the Mermaid in Rye which was rebuilt in 1420. The plumbing has been updated but not much else.

The driver deserves a mention for his excellent driving and braking skills and getting us all home safely on a very busy Good Friday.

Where to next?"