There's really not much to see here apart from some interesting ruins and a few information plaques…read morewhich is why it's free to get in. If you're the arty type you can take some lovely photos though. Sometimes they have open-air concerts/plays in the grounds which makes a nice experience. It's a good place to go for a quiet picnic because it's usually fairly empty.

This is perhaps the most disappointing 'sight' in Canterbury! The castle (or what is left of it)…read morehas a couple of information boards and one tower that you can walk up. Although its locked at night its obviously used as a toilet and it isn't very pleasant. One of those things to look at from a distance.

Running along the eastern part of Brighton's sea-front, Volk's railway is the oldest public…read moreelectric railway in the world, still in operation. The railway was the brainchild of Magnus Volk, the son of a German watchmaker, who was born in Brighton in 1851. Early in life he acquired a fascination for electricity and made his house the first to be lit by electric light in Brighton. Meanwhile, Werner von Siemens had demonstrated the practicability of electric traction in 1879, and in 1881 a tramway in Berlin was the first to adopt this new technology. Volk wanted to bring the technology to the UK, and planned his railway line to this end, which was opened on 4 August 1883. It originally had a gauge of 2 ft, later enlarged to 2' 9, and ran for a quarter of a mile on a shingle embankment, although after sea damage, the railway was elevated on wooden trestle. The original two-rail electric system was also converted to a single, off-centre rail, which is still in use today. The line was extended to Black Rock station (close to the present-day Marina development) in 1901. The railway was taken over by Brighton Corporation after Volk's death in 1937, but was severely damaged by defences put in place during World War II. Happily, it was restored to use in 1948, and still runs the one and half miles (2km) along the sea-front, although no longer on the wooden trestle. It starts from the Aquarium terminus building near the Palace Pier: the station building is an old tram shelter from 1900. There is one intermediate station, appropriately named 'Half Way Station'. This is adjacent to the Peter Pan children's playground. The terminus is a few minutes' walk from the Marina development. Services run every 15 minutes, using attractive Victorian-style open cars to the original design (a few have glazed compartments in case of bad weather). The line follows the upper shore-line closely, with a number of level crossings at which the trains 'hoot'. Parts of the adjacent shingle are covered in colourful sedum flowers in early summer, but the slow, clackety-clack of the trains makes for a unique experience whatever the time of year. Fares are a very reasonable £1.50 single and £2.50 return for adults, 70p single and £1.20 return for children. Needless to say, the line is very popular with tourists, and children especially. Update This year (2008) is the 125th Anniversary of the railway. The celebrations will take place on Sunday 3 August - further details will appear on the website nearer the time. On August 9 the railway will be open from 10-22h and the train will be illuminated with lights to mark 125 years of running. On the first Saturday of every month the railway is offering a £1 return fare to local residents, up to September 6. You need to show a utility or Council Tax bill (as proof of residence) to get the discount.

This is a quite funny oddity, and it always surprises me that is still operating along the windy…read moreand cold sea front, especially given that it has been running for 127 years! I've been on it once, and found that besides me and my friend, everybody was either below the age of 5, or above the age of 65. That really is a clue to who and what this is for; it is a nice novelty that gives people a chance to look at the local sights and take part in a bit of history. For the money, this is probably a worthwhile thing to do, even if it does go phenominally slowly.

Banksy is one of those Brightonian artists (according to some, although his heritage is as unsure…read moreas his identity) whose stamp on our fair city has gone largely unnoticed compared to his national (and international) fame. However, this one piece of his urban vandilism has not only been kept, and not painted over, it has also been immortalised with a perspex cover. This piece of public art, now available for consumption (and probably completely anti- the artist's vision) makes for another fantastic Brighton tourist hot-spot, and is often hard to see for all of the tourists with cameras. I don't really think this is the place to critique the piece in terms of its artistic merit (not the biggest fan of Banksy's pseudo-anarchic street artwork), but I do think this makes a great addition to Brighton's general arty vibe. With so many galleries, fringe theatres, music venues and the like, it's good to have some publically vieweable artwork as well, and the wall with Banksy's Kissing Coppers also features a couple of similar pieces, including a George Best stencil and a large portrait of... someone (never worked that one out), making the Prince Albert (which these are all on the side of) an artistic mecca for urban artists: never a bad thing. Whether you like him or not, Banksy his left a pretty indelible stamp (ironic, considering how much of his work is painted over) on the British graffiti scene, and it's nice to know there'll be a piece of his kept for posterity in what may turn out to be his home town. Go and have a look, if you haven't already got a picture of you next to it.

Banksy is always going to be one of those characters that will be celebrated and loathed in equal…read moremeasure by the art world. Even though I could draw upon my History of Art BA to discuss this matter further, I think that the Kissing coppers is something that people will make their own minds up on. What does deserve mention is kudos to the council for recognising that this is something that should be preserved for the population to make a choice on. The perspex protection was a great idea. It is also well positioned on the side of the Albert pub for a quick detour from the station to have a look at if you are visiting the city for the day (just go under the bridge at the station and take your first right). I guess I will leave judgement up to you on the merits of the stencil, hence the sit on the fence 3 star review.

The UK has a whole host of brilliant film festivals from Bird's Eye View in London to Viva! in…read moreManchester. One of my favourites is Brighton's annual Cine City. Held every November, Cine City aims to develop film culture in the South East and offer audiences access to films they might not get to see on the big screen otherwise. As well as previews and premieres of new and magical films from Europe, South America, Japan, Thailand, Korea, Brazil, America and the Middle East, there are directors talks, Q&A sessions with producers and cast members and exclusive shorts. Last year's festival included screenings of John Hillcoat's The Road, Jim Jarmusch's The Limits of Control and Jacques Audierd's A Prophet alongside lesser known gems like Yorgos Lanthimos's Dogtooth and Gerardo Naranjo's I'm Gonna Explode. In short, Cine City = Essential viewing.

Cine-city is the South Coast's foremost film festival, and is put on as a collaboration between…read moreBrighton University, the Duke of York cinema and film agency, Cinecity. The festival is based in cinemas and arts spaces throughout the Brighton and Hove area and runs for a few weeks in November and December. Every year I tell myself I will make more of an effort to go to screenings, and every year I'm lucky if I manage one or two! Everything I've seen as a part of Cine-city has been really interesting and I would highly recommend checking at least one film out if you can! The festival is an impressive mix of previews, premieres and golden oldies that you will rarely get a chance to see on the big screen. Cine-city selects the finest of the year's international cinema and offers up a tantalising programme of new, old, indie and even mainstream films. The majority of the films are little-known to the average person and it can be a great opportunity to discover a wonderfully obscure movie or an emerging filmmaker. The festival is also a great change to catch one-off events such as director Q&As or moving image art exhibitions. Whether you're a film-buff or not, this is a great festival, well worth investigating!

Hot Pipe, England's answer to Hawaii's Jaws, a wave of such tremendous proportions that... locals…read moreare scared to surf it (or can't be bothered). Okay seriously, one of the city's few places to surf and favoured by die hards, you can park nearby on the road running to Shoreham Power Station and bob up and down waiting for Poseidon to produce a swell. When it's big elsewhere this spot picks up some wave. Warm up afterwards with a coffee at Carat's Cafe.

Lessons To Be Learned…read more The dust has settled and calm has been restored to Croydon. A combination of an increased police presence and local community groups has returned our streets to its residents. Some of the still boarded up businesses and empty window displays tell the tale of the mob's fury. That wilful destruction we saw on our tv screens, of the decades of blood, sweat and tears that had built so many businesses and homes from the ground up. In the past week, I have listened to numerous political commentators and MPs all focusing on the identifying the causes of these 'riots''. The truth is, we already have our answers. 30 years ago after the Brixton riots, Lord Scarman declared the reasons for the riots as being "complex political, social and economic factors". What followed was a flood of governement funding directed at town regeneration, addressing diversity issues, policing, training schemes for young people and the expansion of a benefits system, which is now so vast and often abused, that it is widely acknowledged as being no longer fit for purpose. Despite all of those initiatives, Scarman's words remain as true today as they did back then. While you can continue to throw money at problems and hope they go away, and then as we are about to experience it, cut that funding, there is one constant that remains throughout - society. If society would rather indulge in the ruthless instant pursuit of material things, instead of investing in itself and its core values, then you will end up with the society you deserve - a broken one. Where selfish people without morals, boundaries, education and ultimately employment, choose to express their unhappiness with their lives by destroying the very communities they live in. That is what happened this week.

Although there are no objects in here this place is full of history and there is plenty of…read moreinformation to explain the past of this old hospital in Canterbury. I went here on a college trip and it was really interesting and felt strange walking around knowing that it once was a hospital! It's hard to imagine what it would have looked like and felt like but it was so cool to just be somewhere so old and historical!