From Weekend Visitor to Coastal Local: Why I Left London for Brighton

I fell in love with the vibrant, seaside city of Brighton, following multiple weekends away here, I made the move from London.

Having lived in London for almost 3 years, life was as expected of living in a big city. Life was fast-paced, with early starts and mapping out multiple train and tube journeys to get anywhere, whether it was for work in the West End or to meet a friend for dinner in Shoreditch.

London was the hedonistic place I had imagined, having moved there at 22. I quickly found my crew amongst the Ozzys and Kiwis. I was a fun-loving Irish girl who had just landed in London. Partying until the early mornings in Fabric, falling asleep on the tube on the way home, sofa surfing and just about getting by.

London is a transient City, so life changes quickly, seemingly coinciding with the city’s pace. It was only a matter of time before this lifestyle in a big city caught up with me. I was having a sort of quarter-life crisis, and something needed to change. Many of my social circle had moved back home or gone travelling, whilst I was pregnant with my first kid.

During one of my many adventurous days out, I took a day trip to Brighton. When I stepped out at the train station, it didn’t seem much different to London. Busy, noisy, a bit grotty and filled with crowds outside of pubs. Maybe it was just “London by the sea”.

I had made a loose plan for the day, not having any clue what to expect, other than wanting some fresh sea air and maybe some decent food. My first stop was the beach as I meandered downhill for some fresh air. I adored the seafront shops brimming with local crafts, cute seaside bars and cafes.

The first thing that struck me about Brighton was its clear identity. Nothing is too outlandish for Brighton. Many shop fronts in the Lanes are colourful, some with giant sculptures, and proudly displaying the LGBTQ+ flags.

I was enamoured by all of the independent shops and cafes dotted throughout the famous North Lanes, where all sorts of vintage, antiques and trinkets are sold.

During this first day trip, I did the usual attractions, I walked the pier with salty chips whilst batting off the seagulls, I took the i360 for panoramic views of the City below and the sea.

And being vegan, I had the best choice of vegan food, so much of my time was spent eating the array of vegan treats, from loaded, authentic falafel, vegan ice-cream, vegan burgers and much more.

On the train back to London, I realised something had shifted inside me. Having seen many of my family and friends move on from London, I felt Brighton could be my next step. However, being completely adverse to change, this took some time!

What really rooted my love for being by the sea was our multiple-day and weekend trips from London to Brighton with my firstborn. Having an energetic toddler and Jack Russel dog in a one-bedroom flat on maternity leave meant I was often itching to get out the door. Getting to Brighton from London is a direct train, so I would often do exactly that. Brighton is a super dog-friendly city too, more so than London.

I would wander down the famous, colourful Lanes whilst my toddler napped in the pram, grab a coffee in one of the many independent cafes, and one of his favourite places to go was the Royal Pavilion Gardens, where he would want to chase the pigeons, much to the bird feeders’ bemusement.

He would love simply sitting on the beach and playing with all of the different-shaped rocks. We would have picnics on the beach and return home for bedtime.

Sometimes other friends would join us from London, other times I was satisfied exploring just me and my baby. I would also enjoy the thriving arts scene. I enjoyed his nap times exploring places like the Helm Gallery and the Brighton Museum and Art Gallery. I soon realised that the are so many things to do in Brighton.

A big bonus for me is how walkable Brighton is. In London, the tube is a necessity. However, Brighton is a pleasure to walk along, especially along the wide promenade. This was especially a bonus when pushing small children around.

The music and arts scene here is flourishing. There are so many live gigs to choose from, comedy nights. We enjoyed coming to Brighton Fringe in May, which has many family-friendly activities and is one of our best family days out in Sussex.

Although we enjoyed our time in London, we were ready as a family for our next big move. We had outgrown our small London flat and had another baby on the way. We had discussed many options, even moving to Australia. We were repeatedly drawn back to the idea of living in Brighton.

The fresh sea air, its fierce independent nature, its thriving art and food scene, and it felt like the right place to continue raising our family. Brighton has a warm and welcoming social scene, and it is easy to make friends here.

Making the move from big city life to slightly smaller seaside city life just made sense. Being by the sea had a clear therapeutic benefit for me and my family. There is something so serene about being by the sea, and there is a much more relaxed way of life in Brighton.

What I hadn’t realised until I moved to Brighton is that it is surrounded by stunning countryside, with the rolling South Downs to the west and north, while the 1066 County to the east offers an area of outstanding natural beauty, vineyards and historic ruins. Having become accustomed with Brighton City, it’s vibrant arts and food scene and beach life, I became obsessed with exploring the surrounding Sussex County.

Just a short drive from Brighton is Devil’s Dyke, a stunning walk amongst the South Downs that is teeming with nature, flora and fauna. This is an excellent place for a family day out in Sussex, and we go there whatever the weather. One of my favourite times to go there is on the weekend in early summer, where we finish our hike watching the sunset over the valley with an ice-cream.

We also enjoy regular family day trips to the beautiful seaside town of Worthing, which is a much quieter version of Brighton. What we also uncovered is the many hidden gems dotted throughout the County of Sussex, that we never would have known of had we not moved from London to Brighton.

It is often a right of passage for many Londoners to move further south. The locals call them the “DFL’s” or also known “Down from London’s”. My Londoner phase is well and truly passed, having been settled on the sunny coast for five years with not an ounce of regret. Although we do enjoy the odd day trip up to the big smoke, we are always relieved when we get home to the coast.