located on the south coast less than a hour from London by train or car, this town of just over 160, 000 people has been a popular tourist attraction for over 150 years. Now joined to nearby Hove, Brighton forms part of a much larger conurbation along the coast. It has a great seafront beach (stones, not sand), a pier with tacky entertainment and some wonderful places to visit (The Pavilion being the most famous).

The population is very mixed, from retirees to modern hippies, from estate agents to a roving number of unemployed who prefer to be out of work on the beach than stuck in other towns. It has many language schools and a major conference center and literally hundreds of hotels and places to stay to suit all credit ratings. Recently it has become popular with the internet generation with many small computer graphic companies setting up making games and animations and it also has a great fashion school. The wealth range makes for some interesting meetings at times but Brighton is a safe place to be.

If you drive there it is a terrible place for parking so most people travel by train and, as the center is pretty tight, walk inside the town once they are there.

For the GLBT visitor there is much on offer. Small bars and pubs, good clubs, friendly hotels and B&Bs – weekend visitors from London swell the population dramatically so book early to make sure you have a place to stay. There are many gay-run restaurants and cafés where you will get a great welcome and the retail entertainment covers all tastes, from skinhead fashion to full drag outfitters. A lot of new age spars have also arrived so you can always relax after a great night out in waves of aromatherapy and seaweed wraps.

The beach has different areas so pick your spot carefully. The weather varies but most visitors go from the end of April to the end of October and, if it rains, just head for the nearest bar and settle in for some serious flirting.