Last year I decided I to do all the tours in the Cheeky Walks guide. In the end, I managed 9 out of 21, failing do do any of the ones outside Brighton. It was good fun and this year I’m going to actually finish the book. Not least because it is now four years old, and some of the directions are going to fall out of date.
(29/2/16 – Edit – as Tim points out in the comments, the new edition of the book is now out, with everything updated. I will be sticking with my old edition, as I am determined to finish this book)
Last weekend it was the turn of the penultimate Brighton entry, “Sex and the City”. This walk was less epic or curious than some of the others and, going from Brighton Station to Kemptown, was also less scenic. But that’s not to say it wasn’t interesting – I learned that Aubrey Beardsley was a Brighton resident, and that the houses near St Nicholas church were once a home for penitent prostitutes:
There were also some funny asides in the commentary, and certain locations led to interesting anecdotes. A few of the features had gone, such as an alleyway to a sex shop in Ship Street and the moving of the bodycasting shop.
We ended with a drink at the Barley Mow pub, chosen as the ending point because of its ‘sperm table’. It was a good day.
We have nine more walks to go, most of which are far outside Brighton.
Hi James, quick plug: we published a revised edition of Cheeky Walks in January 2016 which updates the walking routes to take account of changes like the ones you ran into above.
Excellent – I’ve put a link to the new edition in the text above for anyone who stumbles onto this page. Thank you!