Overview

Eastbourne is a very traditional British seaside resort, with Pier, Bandstand, plenty of cafes, pubs and restaurants. It has fabulous disabled access include Changing Places toilets and a level sea front. This is a general review of the area and what to expect if you visit.

Transport & Parking

Eastbourne railway station is step free and in the middle of the town centre and about half a mile from the sea front. There are lots of local accessible buses that serve the area. Adjacent to the train station is a taxi rank.

Access

I stayed in the main town centre and the sea front and found the area was mainly flat, although there are ramps down to different levels of the sea front. The Sea Front There is a wide sea, level front promenade with plenty of seating and garden areas. There are also some stalls selling drinks, ice creams, etc. Along the opposite side of the sea front there are a number of hotels and guest houses, mainly decorated in white stucco, which gives it a rather grand appearance. There are very few shops or cafes directly onto the sea front. The beach is pebbly. The Pier, see my separate review, is step free and on it there are cafes, gift shops and amusements plus plenty of seating. The Bandstand, see my separate review, is also step free and there are regular concerts through out the summer season, from traditional brass bands to tribute acts. Fusciardi Ice Cream Parlour, see my separate review, is also on the sea front, there is outdoor seating or one step into the café. It's run by an Italian family and they serve delicious ice creams and sorbets. Town Centre The town centre is quite large and has many chain and independent shops and cafes. Next to the railway station is The Beacon shopping centre, see my separate review, which has a Changing Places toilet and when I went into Bon Marche they had an accessible changing room complete with emergency cord. In the town centre is a step free Tourist Information office with lots of leaflets and brochures of things to do in the area. Quite near to the railway station was an area called Little Chelsea which had some very nice, independent cafes and shops. I went to Roots, an urban farm shop come café, see my separate review. This is a nice area to explore if you are looking for something a bit quirky, in a good way.

Toilets

There were accessible and a Changing Places toilet in The Beacon shopping centre and also on the sea front, near the Bandstand and Pier.

Staff

NA

Anything else you wish to tell us?

Eastbourne is a great accessible option if you are looking for a classic, traditional British seaside resort. There were plenty of public accessible toilets which took a lot of the stress out of my holiday, as I knew there were facilities that met my needs. Eastbourne is a very attractive seaside resort but it also has a large town centre. I didn't see everything as I was not very well that weekend, so I'm sure there is plenty I missed. There are also theatres, museums and art galleries, which I didn't visit during my stay, but on their website appear to offer good accessible facilities. I visited on the late May Bank Holiday weekend, it was extremely hot and it was very busy. This is a popular resort so if you prefer to avoid the crowds you may want to go off season or mid week.

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