Hello lovely patient readers. Today, I have big news: I’m excited to share that my Secret Brighton guidebook is finally on the shelves!

I’ve long loved JonGlez Publishing’s ‘secret guides’ series (I’ve used the London, New York, Secret NY Hidden Bars and Restaurants, Brooklyn and Naples guides on trips to date), so was thrilled to be asked to write Secret Brighton.

I started discovering little-known Brighton a few years ago. I’d lived in the city for over 10 years, finished a job on a travel magazine, and needed a change. A BIG change. I didn’t want to move cities, though, so hatched a plan. I would get to know Brighton all over again; rediscover it with fresh eyes, away from the main sights, and write about my discoveries on this blog (along with all the tons of other things it turned out I’d get distracted by on the way, like  this cool hotel in Italy, the New York shop made of felt,  my London wedding…)…

Until one day a year later, I received a comment on one of my blog posts from the publisher, asking if I’d be keen to write a secret guide to Brighton. I jumped at the chance and the rest is history!

It took me a year to research and write, and I began by thinking about what would be ‘secret’ enough to include. I wanted someone who had l lived here their whole life to be able to discover something they didn’t know about. I wanted visitors to feel like they’re getting an insider’s perspective. Most all all I wanted to celebrate all those places in a community people pass by without giving a second thought…

The result: a cool collection of 170 little-known, bizarre yet beguiling places in one beautiful gift-worthy book, spread across seven chapters each with a handy map.

Discover a subterranean cocktail bar in a smugglers’ tunnel, a hidden city orchard, glow-in-the-dark mini golf, the city’s only waterfall, to a miniature library in a fridge, a secret museum in a back-street chip shop, a hidden pet cemetery… There’s also a fabulous little section on cafes, bars and restaurants at the back, too.

What I love most is the enticing front cover, the beautiful photography throughout – each entry has its own full-page photo to get you in the mood – that it’s not so heavy you can’t easily carry it around, is the kind of book you could buy just to read and would make the perfect present – as do all the guides.

So there you have it, fellow explorers! If you want to go off the beaten track in this seaside city, Secret Brighton: An Unusual Guide,  written by me for JonGlez Publishing is out now. If you live in the US, it goes on sale in August.

10 Comments

  1. Wow, Ellie, congratulations! The guide (and the series) seems amazing. When I travel I'm always looking for something like this as most standard guides leave me absolutely uninspired. I hope you are savoring this moment, you've earned it! xo s.

  2. Congratulations Ellie! I cannot put it down, a real page turner. As a long term resident of Brighton I am embarrassed to say I did not know half of the places you have revealed so THANK YOU! You aced it xx

  3. Claire Anderson Reply

    Looks such an exciting book – well done for writing this!

Write A Comment

Pin It