Our Spectrum Adventures

Bamburgh Castle is seriously impressive and the setting is stunning!

Myself and Eve are away at the moment in Northumberland having some precious Mum and daughter time. I’m currently working two jobs so don’t get to spend as much time with her as I’d like. So this is lovely ☺️

We’ve Been to Bamburgh before and seen the impressive castle from the beach and the wee village. However we’ve never been in. Today was the day!!

It didn’t disappoint! It was superb in every way and the views were incredible!

Quick history lesson next (skip this paragraph if you’re not interested 😂)…

It has a vast history with the site being used as a fortress since 547 AD. In 1005 AD it became a strategic outpost serving as a stronghold and base and the keep was erected where you can still see it today. Between the 12th and 15th centuries it served as a palace for the monarchs. However in 1464 during the War of the Roses it was destroyed by cannon fire. It was then passed into private hands but soon became an uninhabitable ruin due to the costs involved with its upkeep. In 1757 a trust was eventually set up to help restore the castle and it went on to become a hospital and a school. In 1786 the castle was turned into a coastguard station, thought to be the first of its kind with the first ever life boat being launched in Bamburgh. Unfortunately the castle fell into financial difficulties and was put up for sale. It was bought by William Armstrong who invested a million pounds into its restoration. Bamburgh castle remains the Armstrongs private home and they state that they are committed to preserving the fortress.

Ok history lesson over 😂

After our packed lunch we headed to the beach with Eve’s rugby ball 🤦‍♀️😂. I don’t know who’s more tired. The VERY strong wind did not help! 🤣 but we both had fun and there was lots of giggling!

We then visited the Grace Darling museum (yes with Eve’s rugby ball in tow 😂). Grace was one of the Victorian era’s most celebrated heroines. On 7 September 1838, at the age of 23, she risked her life to rescue the stranded survivors of the wrecked steamship Forfarshire. Her and her father rowed over a mile against ferocious waves and powerful winds to rescue the survivors clinging to rocks. She received several awards for her bravery.

The wee church (St Aidan’s) and churchyard opposite the museum is where Grace is buried along with her parents and siblings. Within the church there is a dedicated stained glass window in her honour, which is beautiful.

Today has been epic in every way. Although we’re exhausted now.

Looking forward to seeing where we end up tomorrow

Hope you’ve all had a fab day

Sarah & Eve

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We have had the best weekend!!

Myself and Eve, as part of her Girlguiding group, headed down to London to see The Big Gig at Wembley Ovo on Saturday night. We’re currently sat on the train heading home, with an ETA of 7.30pm (it’s a long way)

For those not ‘in the know’ The Big Gig is a ‘massive concert just for Girlguiding. It’s packed with top pop performances and gives Guides, Rangers and leaders a fun, safe space to come together, celebrate Girlguiding and enjoy an unforgettable show’.

It really was packed full of top performers too! We saw JLS, Scouting for Girls and Ashton Merrygold to name a few!

Anyway i’m skipping ahead of myself a bit so I’ll reverse and fill you in properly…

Saturday morning 16 guides and 6 leaders/adults set off on the 7.30am train for a weekend of excitement in London!

We had tickets for the evening Big Gig show hosted by Angelica Bell! It was amazing! And I woke up Sunday morning with a sore throat from all the singing and cheering 😂

Sunday we headed off to the science museum, always a firm favourite. Then the afternoon we went to see Wicked at the Apollo Victoria! How lucky were we!! It was incredible!!

Today we finished our epic trip with a wee bit of sightseeing before the long train journey home.

It has been amazing! And I feel so lucky to be one of the adult helpers chosen to accompany our guides. Eve has had a blast although I think she’ll be shattered when we finally get home.

All of this would not have been possible without the awesome effort and organisation from her leaders. Plus all of the incredible fundraising the guides have done over the last year so that we were able to do this amazing trip!

Hope you’ve all had a fab weekend

Sarah & Eve

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