The traditional car boot sale was something I got dragged to a lot as a child. After a half hour…read morewandering around, I was always left bored whilst my parents chatted away to fellow entrepreneurs of tabletop sales. As an adult I understand the appeal now and love the Brighton car boot. I have only made it down to the marina location once (it's a bit far out for a post Saturday night venture), but it's good to see that it is still as busy as when it was situated at the station car park. I would recommend getting their as early as possible if you want to pick up the best bargains, but you will certainly find enough on display to keep you busy no matter what time you arrive. being Brighton, you also get a lot of craft stalls with local budding individuals selling their wares and I have bought a number of nice pieces of jewelry over the years. As mentioned, there are also opportunistic food vendors dotted about, so you can grab a bite whilst you wander about. In the days of EBay and electronic shopping, it's great to still see a more traditional way of selling stuff going on. If you fancy yourself as a barterer, then don't be scared to try your luck, especially later in the day when sales are wrapping up. Certainly a great spot to pick up a bargain, or something bizarre.

A Brighton institution, the weekly car boot has been going for nearly thirty years. It used to be…read moreheld in the more picturesque car park at Brighton Train Station but was recently decamped to the top floor of the multi-storey car park at Brighton Marina. Open from 7am-2pm every Sunday, it's an absolute must for bargain hunters, browsers and vintage freaks. There's dozens of stalls and tables selling everything from modern and retro clothes to old books, records, CDs, lamps, chairs, tables, desks, bikes and bric a brac. Some of it is pure tat but look closely and you'll see some real gems too. I've bought all kinds of weird and wonderful things from here from 70s fruit bowls and glasses to a French style table and chairs. The latter cost £40 including free delivery from the stall holder so was a big scoop! In summer, it's heaving so get there early. In winter, take a brolly and be prepared for occasional showers between browsing!

My friend from west Kirby was in Brighton for the weekend - She's going to be in France over…read moreChristmas, so this was our holiday visit and what's more festive than a Christmas market? Nothing, I say! The weekend Mermaid Market down at the Brighton Marina has been temporarily replaced with a Traditional Christmas Market. Seventy stalls are set up in Marina Square, selling everything Christmassy: decorations, gift ideas, Christmas snacks and drinks. My friend and I nearly lost each other a few times in the crowd of friendly shoppers, but managed to work our way through and find a few unique gifts. I enjoyed the hand-made ceramic items and wood carvings, as well as the delicious smelling candles. Mmmmm. I recommend spending an afternoon down at the Marina before Christmas arrives - reasonable prices, large selection and a delightfully festive atmosphere.

Check out the Brighton Christmas Gift Fair Spectacular 2013…read more Visitors can immerse themselves over 150 indoor and out door Christmas Stalls at the Brighton Racecourse, freshfield road, Brighton on Saturday 9th November 2013. From 10am - 5pm. Purchase amazing shopping gifts, ceramics, art, traditional toys, vintage, handmade crafts, stylish jewellery, Christmas decorations, wreaths, jewellery, glassware, interior designs, stocking fillers, festive food & drinks in the food halls. Plus the opportunity for visitors to take part and make something special in various craft workshops running throughout the day. Something for the whole family including a Santa Grotto, Face painting, Live music, huge free Prize draws, free goodie bags and lots more! FREE Parking, cash machine, cafe, baby changing facilities. Visit http://www.brightonchristmasfair.co.uk for more information.

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 Lanes are a myriad twisting complex of traffic free pedestrian streets, packed with independent…read moreshops, corporate chain shops, pubs, restaurants, art galleries, eateries, coffee shops, overpriced jewelry shops...fun to wander and indulge if you have funds to do so. There are fun some quirky vendors in the mix to make this enjoyable for the average tourists. Treat yourself, a little retail therapy is always fun.

Hadn't been here in at least 10 years…read more Shops were much better and more plentiful. Some commercial shops thrown in here and there. You could easily spend a few hours here.

So people may think I'm crazy but I booked a trip to Paris and Finland this June and made sure to…read morefly into London so I could visit pooh corner. I am a Huge EEYORE fan and last time I came to London I didn't have a chance to go and I promised myself I would come to the birthplace of my favorite character. I didn't realize how far out from the city it was but boy was it beautiful! The ride there and it's surroundings. The staff at pooh corner cafe was very sweet and helpful. My train from london to paris was a few short hours away.... So yes.....I literally flew into london for a few hours just to go to pooh corner and pooh bridge! The love for Eeyore and my best friends love for Pooh made this trip easy and fun! Best way to find it is if you visit pooh corner cage they will give you a map and tell you exactly how to get there. Once you see the sign you keep walking for a few minutes and you will find the iconic bridge. It's is BEAUTIFUL....so peaceful I could stay and relax there for a bit. Yes you are in the "100 acre woods" which is technically Ashdown forrest. It's the bridge that you see in the winnie the pooh cartoons ...the bridge that is said to be the one A.A. milne and his son a.k.a. Christopher Robin would play at. For a die hard fan this is a must do!! Happy yelping mis amigos!!

This is the ultimate gem for any Winnie the Pooh fan. - to come to Ashdown Forest and play…read morePoohsticks on Poohsticks Bridge Built in 1907 and originally called Posingford Bridge, it is considered to be the bridge on which Milne and his son first played the game. Its continued popularity led to a campaign to rebuild in the 1970s. The bridge was subsequently reopened by Christopher Robin Milne and officially renamed as Poohsticks Bridge However, continued tourist traffic necessitated a further rebuild in 1999 and Disney, who now own the rights to Winnie the Pooh and other donors funded the reconstruction to the bridge which stands there today. The walk from the nearest car park is however not the easiest with a fair slope and distance. However, for true fans, it is worth it. Visitors aiming to play Poohsticks on the bridge are requested to bring their own sticks to avoid damage to nearby trees There are now even a World Poohsticks Championships held annually in Dorchester but for true fans, Poohsticks Bridge is the only place to drop your stick into the water and rush over to the other side to see whose stick emerges first For those of you who would like to practise, here are the official rules for Poohsticks: http://www.poohsoc.org.uk/sticks/rules.html

A must for anyone interested in old fairgrounds and amusement arcades, Brighton's Penny Arcade…read moreMuseum is a small arcade housed in one of the arches on the sea-front. A few minutes walk from Brighton Pier, it's also a great place to take kids for half an hour's fun. There's funny mirrors that make you look taller, shorter and fatter and over 50 vintage penny slot machines. Since most of the machines were manufactured between 1895-1950 some of them seem to break down occasionally but most of them are in good working order. There's strength machines that test your endurance, fortune tellers that predict your future and love life and quirky machines like What The Butler Saw. For £1 you get 7 old pennies to play whatever machines you like. The arcade is open every day from 12am-6pm Easter til September and fine weekends in the winter. If you're planning to make a special trip, it's worth phoning to check.

This is a great break from beachlife and a true homage to the path that laid the way for xboxes and…read moreplaystations. Set in the King's Road arches and slap between the piers, you will find the museum. Inside are a wide range of truely oldschool arcades and eccentricities from the late Victorian era to the mid Twentieth Century. I especially find the 'What the Butler Saw' machines funny. I also like that they give you large old pennies to play, rather than have converted the machines to take contemporary currency. I'm sure a number of these end up leaving the arcade as souveniers, so I suppose they have them made to order or something! You are unlikely to find all the machines working at any one time, but there will certainly be at least £2-£3's worth of pennies to play with. The only thing I missed not being present was an old style automated organ or some 'traditional' snacks to buy. Certainly a fun way to spend a few quid doing something a little different.

Any shop that has a picture of the Queen made out of jelly beans as its window display has got to…read morebe good. And Fizziwigs not only has that, but also lollies the size of my head in its window. These things lured me in, but I wasn't disappointed with what I found inside. Rows of gleaming old-school sweet jars full of colourful, sugary goodness, sticks of stripy rock and swirly lollies that my seven year old self would've adored. Come to think of it, my thirty year old self adores them too. This is a Victorian style fairytale sweetshop modernised, definitely the place to come for traditional sweets.

As sweet shops go, Fizziwiggs goes the old-fashioned route: instead of offering unique, handmade…read moreitems, every particular sweet you may like is on offer in droves. This is not a problem: I'm a fan of the old-fashioned sweet shop myself, it just seems a little dull next to all of the handmade chocolates and cakes the Lanes has to offer. Still, if you like your jellybabies and your white mice, this is the place for you! Fizziwiggs has gone out of its way to emulate the oldie-timey sweet shop, and the decor is exactly what you'd hope and expect for: lots and lots of glass jars, showing off their contents to all potential customers. However, instead of the classic wood and ladders on wheels, Fizziwiggs is decked with bright colours, creating an excellent, playful childlike environment: exactly what you want for enticing you to buy sweets. Speaking of sweets... There is literally everything here you might want. I'm not going to list them all, suffice it to say if you want it, they probably have it. This is, however, the biggest sticking point for Fizziwiggs... it isn't very original. Brighton, and the Lanes in particular, are full of lovely little shops selling unique, home-made sweets, from cupcakes to chocolates. A simple sweet-shop just isn't enough. Maybe I'm a little spoiled with all this choice, but I would rarely go here over the cupcake place around the corner, or the chocolatiers in the Arcade. It just isn't special enough, and for Brighton, that may as well be a death knell. If you're looking for basic sweets, including some old favourites, you couldn't do worse than Fizziwiggs: it offers exactly what's on the tin. However, with no original products of their own, Fizziwiggs is perilously close to be just another corner shop that specialises in sweets. It needs some sort of oomph to help it stand out from it's more original neighbours, and currently, I can't see any.

Snoopers Paradise is a must-visit for anyone coming to Brighton. Cluttered and bizarre, the shop…read morehas absolutely no apparent order, with bits and bobs scattered and hidden throughout stretching rooms full to the brim of treasures and, well, crap! There's literally something here for everyone - old furniture, jewellery, boxes of tatty old photographs, vintage clothing. Whatever it is you're looking for, Snooper's Paradise is likely to have it in some form or another. It's also likely to stock everything you're not looking for, which is why I especially love taking a stroll around here. First of all, let me state clearly - if you are not a browser, don't even come inside here. You will hate it. If you get stressed out by sales or TK Maxx, then back away slowly from Snooper's Paradise. It is, sadly, not for you. However if, like me, you love a good hoke around - you'll love this place! Many an afternoon can be spent wandering, trying on ridiculous hats, flicking through old books, pining after beautiful bits of furniture that you can't afford and that wouldn't fit in your flat anyway. It's that sort of place - you can get lost in there for hours, caught up in the wonder of it all! In terms of prices, this is obviously a very mixed bag. Some things are expensive, some things are a penny. Such is the way with big shops like this! That being said, there's always a bargain to be found in here somewhere! The staff are helpful and friendly! It always amazes me how they can find and price things in there without getting utterly frazzled by the sheer volume and randomness of the stock. Get down there and have a good rummage - you'll either love it or you'll hate it!

Snoopers Paradise seems to bring out the inner bargain hunter in everyone that steps through the…read moredoor. You walk in empty handed and somehow end up leaving half an hour later with a tin robot, a 1960s chair, an antique mirror or a pair of models legs! Situated halfway down Brighton's fantastic Kensington Gardens, its a sprawling, antique market that has dozens of different stalls offering everything from the brilliant to the bizarre. There are some cool furniture and homeware stalls, handy book and record stalls and a few inspired clothes stall selling great vintage clothes. There's also a lot of very odd bric a brac that I imagine will still be there in 2020!

It's a monday night, you've got the monday blues and you want to escape the house. But what do you…read moredo? You don't want to get drunk because your too skint and a tuesday hangover is not what it's all about and the cinema is just not engaging enough. Irish Folk night at the Foundry, therefore, is just what you need. Buy yourself a nice pint of Guinness, sink back in your chair whilst basking in the warmth and cosyness of the Foundry and let your ears be taken away to a distant, forgotten land of leprechauns and travelling musicians. The performers are a little Troupe of Irish Folk enthusiasts from around Brighton who buy some Guinness (which you may have now realised is a requirement) and informally sit around in the lounge bar, humbly playing little ditties, silently. almost melancholically going from one song to the other. If you happen to play Irish Folk music, I was told by the bar lady that you can join in, and bring your own instrument. This is a really cool, relaxed and informal night, perfect for a monday, and is totally free (except of course the Guinness).

Ok this guy is a bit of a local legend. You can talk to anyone who has spent much time down on Hove…read morelawns over a summer and I can almost guaranty they will have seen him but no one seems to know who he is or where in god's name he comes from. He spends literally hours on the wide asphalt bits between the lawns on the promenade wearing only hot pants and dancing round on roller boots, Quads to be specific, to the sound of his monstrously distorted home made boom box. I suppose in many ways this ruins the whole pleasant atmosphere of Hove Lawns but we should never forget it's all these little eccentrics that give a place like Brighton its' colour. Learn to love the freaks and the whole world can be a beautiful place. But if anyone can fill me in with any more details I would seriously appreciate it.