Big Wheel Sugar Rush, Hastings

After a restful day yesterday we decided to pop down to Hastings for a visit today as it looked like the weather was going to be nice. As forecast by the time we got there the sun was out and there was a lovely sea breeze. Our first task was to go and get a nice cold pint of beer at the very atmospheric Dolphin Inn. The staff were very welcoming and friendly so we will definitely be going back there again when we visit next time.
Refreshment delivered we went to see an exhibition at Hastings Contemporary which featured some wonderful Quentin Blake drawings, some monumental and some tiny. There were also works by L.S.Lowry, Barbara Hepworth, Paul Nash, Eric Ravellious and many more.It was very enjoyable and fascinating display.
Whenever you go to the seaside you also must go the pier (if there is one!) for a stroll. Hastings Pier won an architectural award a few years ago but the trust running it ran out of money and the council let Abid Gulzar buy it. This was a big mistake as he has ruined it almost completely by covering it in tacky rides and a massive "beer garden". It was so disappointing to see it like that. He's managed to make a pig's ear  out of a silk purse. It all looked so ill suited on the elegant structure.
Today's main image is of the big wheel on the seafront. Unfortunately, it and some of the other rides were not open for some reason but they still looked very dramatic against the blue of the sky. See the extras for other images that I took.
By the time we got home all that sea air had kicked in and we were knackered! It was an excellent day out.