Why I think piers is good:

- Great for fishing from

- A good viewing point

- You can dive from them into the sea! (if its deep enough!)

- Some piers have arcades on them.

- Fab for sunbathing on (saves any sand issues)

- Boat trips often board from piers
- You can see through the cracks, to see any fishy's!!
- They're picturesque
- You can see out to see, without leaving land (in some respect)
- They help you get form A to B
- Some help you over muddy bogs, keeping those shoes, clean!

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Facts about the pier:

- A pier is a raised platform, which can be seen over the see, swamps, rivers and other such locations.
- A pier comes in a range of sizes
- Piers have a range of reasons for being built
- Piers can be categorized into different groupings according to the principal purpose. However there is considerable overlap between these categories. For example, pleasure piers often also allow for the docking of pleasure steamers and other similar craft, whilst working piers have often been converted to leisure use after being rendered obsolete by advanced developments in cargo-handling technology.
- Working piers - For the unloading and loading of cargo and passengers on and off ships.
- Pleasure piers - For holidayers entertainment, they hold amusements and theatres
- The earliest pleasure pier was built in England in the 19th century. The earliest structures were Ryde Pier, built in 1813/4, Leith Trinity Chain Pier, built in 1821, and Brighton Chain Pier, built in 1823.
-  The longest Pleasure pier in the world is at Southend-on-sea, Essex, and extends 2,158 metres (1.34 mi) into the Thames estuary. The longest pier on the West Coast of the United States is the Oceanside Pier.
- Early pleasure piers were of wooden construction, with iron structures being introduced with the construction in 1855 of Margate Jetty, in Margate, England. Margate was wrecked in storms in 1978 and was never repaired.
-  The oldest iron pleasure pier pier still remaining is in Southport, England, and dates from 1860 - however the world's oldest iron pier dates from 1834 and is in Gravesend, Kent. Gravesham council have recently purchased and refurbished this passenger pier.
- Fishing piers: Many piers are built for the purpose of providing boatless anglers access to fishing grounds that are otherwise inaccessible.
- The first recorded pier in England was Ryde Pier, opened in 1814 on the Isle of Wight
- The oldest cast iron pier in the world is Gravesend Town Pier, in Kent, which opened in 1834. However, it is not recognised by the National Piers Society as being a seaside pier.
- In their heyday, there were many pleasure piers across England and Wales. These were found in most fashionable seaside resorts during the Victorian era.
-  The most well known piers are perhaps the two at Brighton in East Sussex and the three at Blackpool in Lancashire.
- Other names for a pier are: Jetty, Dock and Broadwalk,

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Words relating to piers:

- Jetty
- Dock
- Cargo
- Ships
- Wood
- Amusements
- Boat trips
- Sea side
- Views
- Attraction
- Fishing
- View point
- Historic
- Victorian
- Structure

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Opinions about piers:

Opinions taken from 'Yahoo Answers'

"Do you've to pay entry ticket in brighton pier or it's free?"

"It is free, but everything else on there will cost money."

" What is on Brighton pier?"
" A load of tat. It is pleasant to walk along it to look at the sea and back towards the land.
There are amusements, bars and restaurants. "

"What's the best bait for pier fishing in saltwater?"

"Ask around and see what bait is running through the area i.e. Herring,Sardines,Pilchards etc. You can use that live or dead. Squid is a good bait. The most universal bait is Shrimp. I prefer live, but you can use frozen. When your fishing off the pier try just dropping a live shrimp straight down next to a piling. Many fish hide under the cover of the pier so it isn't necessary to cast your bait out all that far. Use a weight that will get your bait to the bottom just make sure to take note of the currents and winds and waves. When fishing off a pier I like to use more than one rod and at 2 or 3 different baits on each one.

"Squid and shrimp. You need to keep your eyes open when fishing on a pier. If you see someone catch a fish, you should walk over, admire the fish, then ask what type of bait did the fish bite on."

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Images of piers:

My own experiences of piers: