The Beachy Head, Eastbourne

After some entertainment hunting around the rock pools with the kids down the road at Birling Gap the Beachy Head was a haven from the freezing weather. This large pub had a homely feel, if maybe a little corporate, and there are lots of different sections to hide away in and most have wonderful views of the coast out of the many windows. There are a couple of fireplaces that were giving off some much needed heat and there was some relaxing background music playing. I found the staff to be very friendly and the barmaid sorted out some ice cream for my nippers that wasn’t actually on the menu. Talking of the menu I thought that the mains were very tempting and pricey ranging from £8 to £17, but this is a tourist trap and the only pub for quite some distance. Two of the hand pumps on the bar were unused, but Greene King IPA, Doom Bar and Abbot were available alongside some standard and premium draught products. I thought that the Guinness was spot on and not that expensive coming in at £3.15 a pint. Obviously there is a large car park to accommodate the sightseers and some picnic tables can be found at the front of the pub, but there is far more seating on a slope at the rear of the pub. I found this Vintage Inns pub to be very pleasant and I would have no problem returning, but I will mention that my visit was on a very quiet Monday afternoon so the problems about service and management mentioned before may still be valid. I will still stop off here again for a pint the next time I go rock hopping with the kids.

Official pages of the Beachy Head, contains menus and cask ale details - www.vintageinn.co.uk

Official pages of the Beachy Head, contains menus and cask ale details - www.vintageinn.co.uk

Now a Vintage Inn and a particularly hopeless example for this dire M&B brand. 1pm on a routine dull Sunday lunchtime and they're completely out of their depth, quoting 45 minutes to reheat the factory produced meals, and that's once you've waited for what seems like for ever to get served at the bar. Even getting a cup of coffee was difficult, requiring someone to go out and clear up some tables and wash some cups up. The one saving grace was the Harvey's best, which was in reasonable condition. This place, and so many others like it, is extraordinary popular with the Daily Mail reading classes taking their in-laws out for lunch. Indeed for them it's the pinnacle of dining out. It only goes to show that there's no accounting for taste.

After a lengthy slog up the hill from Eastbourne to the cliffs of Beachy Head, it was something of a 'Holy Grail' moment to see a pub appear over the horizon. Of course, I should have twigged that this pub, far from the nearest settlement, is a tourist trap of the grimmest kind. Impressions of an initially agreable interior and decent enough ale selection (Harvey's, Spitfire, Landlord) are soon tempered by realising that the place doesn't appear to have been cleaned in ages and that your beer has been poured well short of a pint. An extensive and tempting food menu nearly led to us grabbing a bite to eat, but we were put off by overhearing a number of customers complaining about their meals. Complacency reigns supreme here. They know that there will always be a steady stream of tourists who can't resist a pint overlooking he sea, so they've stopped trying.