By Lyn Funnell
I stepped off the coach on Deal Seafront, and into a different decade.
It could have been the 1950s or 60s. The whole coastal area was completely untouched by modern additions like shops or amusement arcades. There was no music blaring out anywhere. And no rubbish or graffiti.
Deal was a notorious smuggling town. One road back from the seafront, in Middle Street, the old houses have names like Smuggler and Pirate, and you can see their cellars where the contraband would have been rushed from cellar to cellar.
Henry Vlll built Deal Castle in the 16th Century. It was designed to beat off an invasion rather than a siege. The Castle is open all year.
Deal Pier was one of the last Victorian piers to be built, but it was damaged and demolished after a Dutch ship ran into it in 1940. It was rebuilt in 1957 and you can walk along it to the end where there is a cafe.
The Timeball Tower is on the seafront, but it was closed. It is open from Easter-September.
Every day at 1pm a huge iron ball on the roof dropped so that everyone could check the time.
Ships would correct their chronometers.
We went to find the Town Hall, which is a Grade ll listed building. It was built in 1803 and was a Gaol with four cells. Today it’s the home of Deal Town Council.
The sea was calm and to the left we could see Goodwin Sand. An unknown number of boats and ships have run aground and sunk on the sands. Sometimes wrecks can be seen when the sands move. But I was disappointed as I didn’t see any.
It was lunch time so we went to a fish & chip restaurant on the seafront which was recommended to us.
There’s a huge variety of cafes and restaurants in Deal but we decided to try Sea View. 
I can’t stand pre-chipped and frozen chips but to my delight Andy the waiter told me that they make their own chips and batter, and they cook them twice. They’re first fried until they come to the surface, then they’re taken out and re-fried when needed.
And I was really happy with my meal. I had haddock and my friend Wendy had the plaice.
Both dishes were £12.95, which was reasonable for such a tasty meal with huge portions.
The chips were crisp on the outside and soft inside. And the batter was thin and crispy.
My one criticism? A small side salad was served with every meal.
I asked if I could change it for some peas and I was told they could remove the salad but would charge me for the peas.
I can’t stand a cold soggy salad with my hot food, and looking around me, nor can most people as a lot of it was left on plates.
They really should give the choice of salad or a few garden peas! I hate waste.
After the meal, we walked along the seafront to digest our food.
Past the pier are fishing boats pulled up onto the pebbles. They obviously sell fresh fish straight off the boats, which I love. But there was nobody around.
We strolled back to the coach. We’d been lucky with the weather but it started to rain just as we reached our coach.
Deal is a lovely town to visit. I’d recommend a couple of days there, staying overnight in a hotel or a B&B. And it’s a useful place to stay if you’re catching an early ferry to France.
But now I’ve been there, I won’t go back again specially for a visit. I’ve seen it now and it’s a long way from Sussex, where I live.
We went to Deal with Lynns Coaches, who are based in Eastbourne.
Lynns Travel Limited
70 Seaside Road
Eastbourne
East Sussex
BN21 3PE
01323 438704
