A single-day train crawl along the Sussex coast. Five stops, six pubs, no decisions required.
The Route
| Time | Stop | Pub | You’ve got |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11:00 | Seaford | Steamworks | 53 min |
| 11:53 | 🚂 to Lewes | 27 min | |
| 12:20 | Lewes | Lansdown Arms | 54 min |
| 13:14 | 🚂 to Glynde | 5 min | |
| 13:19 | Glynde | Steamworks or Trevor Arms | 60 min |
| 14:19 | 🚂 to Berwick | 6 min | |
| 14:25 | Berwick | The Berwick Inn | 60 min |
| 15:25 | 🚂 to Polegate | 6 min | |
| 15:31 | Polegate | The Dinkum | 38 min |
| 16:09 | 🚂 to Eastbourne | 10 min | |
| 16:19 | Eastbourne | Work it out | the rest of the day |
The Pubs
Seaford — Steamworks. Literally in the station building. If you can’t find it you shouldn’t be on this trip.
Lewes — Lansdown Arms. Practically next door to the station. The group regroups here.
Glynde — Steamworks or Trevor Arms. Both at the station. An hour to work through whichever takes your fancy. Or both — you do you.
Berwick — The Berwick Inn. Opposite the station. Another hour. The pace is deliberate, not accidental.
Polegate — The Dinkum. Shortest stop on the route. Get in, get it down, get back on the train.
Eastbourne — Now What?
You’re in Eastbourne from 16:19. Options, in no particular order:
- Food. Somewhere. There are places. Figure it out.
- Axe throwing at Boom Battle Bar. Because what could possibly go wrong.
- Deckchairs on the beach. If the weather’s good and anyone still has functioning legs.
- Quick pint and reverse. One in Eastbourne then work back towards Lewes — Berwick and Glynde trains permitting.
- Quick pint and scurry back to Lewes. Forget Eastbourne entirely — one for the road then head straight back and find a Lewes pub that isn’t the Lansdown Arms.
Wildcards
- The Engineer at Newhaven Harbour
- Abyss Brewing pop-up at Newhaven Town
For anyone who wants to complicate what is otherwise a perfectly straightforward day.
The Trains
- Seaford Branch: Seaford → Newhaven → Lewes, roughly every 30 min on Saturdays
- East Coastway: Lewes → Glynde → Berwick → Polegate → Eastbourne. Most stations get 2–3 trains an hour, but Glynde and Berwick are hourly stoppers — hence the deliberate pacing