Pleasure piers

Made popular during the 1800s by health conscious Victorians, pleasure piers are now icons of our seaside coastline. Sadly the paddle steamers that once graced these grand structures only dock at a few, but many still delight with their rides and amusements or just a gentle stroll in the fresh sea air.

Southend-on-Sea pier has the honour of being the longest pleasure pier in the world at 1.3 miles, while Gravesend is top for the first pier constructed from iron, in 1834.

Chest beating aside, for me these walkways on stilts are great for viewing the coastline and if you're lucky, catching a glimpse of marine life darting through the surf. I do think though, my grandad would turn in his grave if he knew you had to pay to fish. 

This site has a comprehensive list of English pleasure piers: geograph.org.uk