I spent the last two days in Lewes in East Sussex visting my dear friends Victoria and Dennis. Only an hour and a bits' train ride from London, Lewes is a beautiful little town dotted with great antique and independent shops, cute little alleyways, historic architecture, pastel-coloured houses, all surrounded by green rolling hills. Walking around exploring is always one of my favourite things and here are some of the highlights of my trip (in two posts as I took far too many pictures).

You can easily spend most of a day walking up and down the hills of Lewes and exploring all the great antique shops, there are lots! However, there are also plenty of independent shops that are well worth a visit. Here are some of my favourite spots.

Closet & Botts

Housed in an former pharmacy, Closet & Botts is run by friends Harriet and Chloe and offers a charming mix of flea market finds, clothing and homeware. An inspiring setting, the shop looks out on it's very own walled garden and is beautifully and thoughtfully curated.

Lewes is full of Victorian houses with very pretty gardens and the most beautiful spring flowers, the May air heavy with the scent of wisteria and lilacs.

As I was hopping in and out of shops trying to avoid the rain, I returned to the Flint Owl several times for breakfast, coffee and lunch. A real treat!

Flint Owl Bakery

A bakery and calming café complete with a beautiful garden, the Flint Owl offers delicious fresh bread, pastries, cakes, salads and of course tasty coffee too. Definitely my most favourite Lewes food spot, I was very tempted to try all of its impressive bread selection as well as gorgeous cakes.