From Winchester (September 28), we headed east to Brighton. Brighton is about 45 miles due south of London right on the coast. Brighton merged with the nearby city of Trove in 1997 and today the city of Trove and Brighton has a population of almost 280,000. The area is a very popular seaside destination and just a 45 minute train ride from London.The area is very tolerant of diverse cultures and is sometimes referred to as the unofficial gay capital of the UK. People have inhabited this area since the Bronze Age and into the Roman and Anglo-Saxon periods. The beach at Brighton is quite interesting in that it is made of small rounded flint stones about the size of golf balls. These stones originate in the chalk formation that underlays the area. This is the same chalk formation that makes up the White Cliffs of Dover and that goes further east underlying the Champagne region. The chalk layer is ideal for growing grapes, particularly grapes for sparkling wines. Interspersed in this chalk formation are layers of flint. Where the formation meets the sea, the soft chalk is quickly eroded exposing the flint. With time the flint is degraded and the resulting stones are polished by the wave action to yield a smooth, rounded, somewhat flat flint stone.

En route to Brighton, we visited Nutbourne Vineyards. Established in 1991 by the Gladwin family, the estate growns seven different grapes. The owner is a professional chef, with several restaurants in London, while his wife is an accomplished artist. A number of her works are on display at the winery and some are used for art for the bottle labels. We had an excellent vineyard tour followed by an incredible lunch prepared by the company's executive chef.We then traveled on to Brighton, checked into our hotel and enjoyed a walking tour of this charming seaside town.

Friday the 29th, we traveled to Artellium winery that produces both sparkling and still wines. We enjoyed a wonderful charcuterie lunch before returning to Brighton. The evening meal was at the Copper Clam and was literally a seafood feast, including lobster, crabs, mussels, cockles, shrimp, prawns and a delicious soup.

Saturday the 30th, we traveled to Ridgeview Winery which is an industry-leading winery promoting English wine including the export market. Again, we enjoyed a wonderful lunch consisting of 8 or 9 delicious dishes. After lunch, we returned to Brighton for an exclusive reservation of the Brighton i360 observation tower. From the tower we could see for miles around. One of the sights are the Seven Sisters formation where the chalk layer meets the sea east of Brighton.

Sunday the 1st, we leave Brighton traveling to Henners, an up and coming winery producing both sparkling and still wines. Following an informative vineyard tour, we tasted a selection of their wines followed by another amazing charcuterie lunch. After lunch, we continued to Bodaim where we boarded a steam train on the Kent and Essex Railway. The train is classified as a light railway meaning they use full size trains, but have steep grades and operate at low speed. The 50 minute journey only took us about 10 miles but it was an area designated at Outstanding Natural Beauty. And it was. On arrival at the terminus in Tentenden, we boarded our coach to transfer to Hever Castle.