Hastings and St Leonards feature in hippest places in UK

The East Sussex towns feature in TravelSupermarket’s UK Hip Hang-out Neighbourhood Index, compiled and released by the holiday price comparison site.

The index ranks the hippest areas in the UK and Europe to explore. Taking first place on the UK list is Manchester’s Ancoats district, followed in second place by Leith in Edinburgh.

Top of the European index was Kreuzberg in Berlin, followed by Riga in Latvia.

Emma Coulthurst, from TravelSupermarket, said the aim of the index is to inspire city breakers with ideas for new places to discover.

She said: “The Index will hopefully put Hastings and St Leonards even more on the map and encourage new and return visitors to explore wider areas of East Sussex.

“We scoured the UK to find the most current, independent-feeling neighbourhoods. The destinations on the list are exciting areas, unspoiled by commercialism, where locals love to hang out. They offer an eclectic range of food and entertainment away from the tourist throngs.

“You’ll be pleased to know that we didn’t base the ranking on beard-to-face and pints of craft beer ratios! Instead, we looked at everything from independent coffee shops and vintage fashion outposts to traveller value and creative culture – the things that set a hip destination apart from the rest of the pack.

“Anywhere with ‘Peak Hipster’ status, such as London’s Shoreditch, didn’t make the cut – places like this are now infiltrated by chains and the masses. Instead, we wanted to find those areas where locals love to hang out due to the area’s independent creative spirit. And I absolutely promise you won’t have to grow a moustache to go to any of them!”

More information can be found by clicking here.

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