Yesterday I took my 2 children and my nieces to visit my Nan and Grandad who still live in the city where I grew up – Peterborough in Cambridgeshire. We went to the cinema in the morning, then took a trip into the city centre for lunch and a visit to Peterborough Cathedral for their Monsters of the Sea exhibition that takes place until 1st September 2024.
The cathedral is a stunning piece of architecture, and whilst I am not a Christian person in the slightest, I can certainly appreciate the beauty of the building itself. It is a place steeped in so much history, including being the burial site of the infamous Katherine of Aragon, the first wife of King Henry VIII. My 11 year old daughter appreciated seeing this, she is a a big history buff and has of course studied the 6 wives at school. We are also looking forward to seeing Six the Musical soon (based on the six wives)- but I’ll save that for another post!
The ceiling in Peterborough CathedralUpwards view of Peterborough CathedralBeautiful stained glass windowThe tomb of Katherine of Aragon
Once you have bought your tickets , which I personally feel is a bit pricey for what you got, but well, cost of living and all that, you enter the cathedral to see some activity tables with jigsaws, colouring, and some other crafty bits. This is a nice touch as it gives the younger kids things to do on top of seeing the exhibition itself. You can then proceed to the display which consists of large, animatronic sea creatures, ranging from prehistoric right through to modern day. The models themselves were brilliant, the movement was done well and the background sounds were realistic and carried superbly well in the cavernous cathedral. The acoustically refined space created a more immersive experience which made it more enjoyable for adults and children alike.
The information boards detailing facts about each creature were likewise very enlightening, although I’m sure anyone with younger children like me will agree that the fact sheets hold no interest for them. Therefore if visiting as a family, be prepared to be rushed around without being able to take in most of the written details, resulting in an experience which lasts all of 40 minutes if that.
It cost us almost £50 entry for 3 adults and 4 children, plus an activity book for the 7 year old for £1 which was a nice touch. The book included a ‘tick the box for the models you’ve found’ activity, which while great and for some kids might mean they really look at the displays, actually for me meant that my neurodiverse son just wanted to run around and tick the boxes in the fastest time possible! Obviously this is no one’s fault and it kept him busy, but it would have been nice to be able to take a bit more time to read the facts as that’s the sort of things I enjoy doing (I’m a learner at heart). Perhaps some more activities that involve finding the answers within the text would be beneficial so that they adults can enjoy a relaxed pace looking around.
Overall it was an enjoyable experience, and it was nice to still enjoy the main focus points of the cathedral itself, as well as the unique event they offered. I feel that without the children rushing us it would be worth the money, but with them simply looking and running off to the next one it was definitely over too quickly. Perhaps in the future more thought could be given to slowing younger clientele down so that the adults can really enjoy it to its fullest.
The cathedral offers many different experiences through the year, so if you are looking for things to do in Peterborough then it is definitely worth a look on the website to see whats on.
Ocean’s take (11 years of age)
When we first walked in it looked bland and not promising as there were only small activities and it was a bit dark, but as we moved on I warmed up. The animation and noises of the models were INCREDIBLE, and they didn’t just have sea creatures they have tombs and graves like: Catherine of Aragon’s grave, which was really cool to see. They had a series of information in the different areas, there were also some fun things like photo head hole things and they were also really realistic. It was amazing and fun, I would recommend it as a small visit, maybe not a big thing but it will be a good idea as a small activity. The gift shop is filled with crosses and Christianity jewelry and books due to it being a christian Cathedral, it is quite pricey and is disappointingly not the best but overall we still had fun!
All four of us have a lot of places we want to explore, so I thought I’d make an official travel bucket list we can tick off when we accomplish our goals!
Ocean
South Africa: To go on Safari!
Hawaii: To scuba dive and see the sea creatures
Ireland: To listen and dance to their music
Iceland: To see the Northern lights
Egypt: To ride camels and see all of the amazing sizes of the pyramids
Paris: To see the Eiffel tower
Greece: To see all the wonderful sights
Disneyland: To have fun!
Australia: To see a Koala and to visit Australia Zoo.
Fynn
Komodo: To see the dragons!
Africa: To see warthogs
Indonesia: To see large water monitor lizards
Australia: To see snakes such as Sand Vipers.
To find tarantulas anywhere that they live
Immortal jellyfish
Various places in our home country of England, UK to find Adders, Grass snakes and smooth snakes.
Carly
Bostwana: To visit my friend at Kwando Safaris and see the beauty of the landscape and of course the incredible African wildlife.
Australia: All of it!
New Zealand: For the scenery famous from the Lord of the Rings franchise.
Scotland: For the wildness
Wales: For the longest zip line!
Rwanda: To see Gorillas in the wild and assist conservation efforts.
Sumatra: To see Orangutans in the wild and assist conservation efforts there also.
Turtle islands in the Phillipines/Malaysia: To see wild Sea Turtles!
Rome: For the history
New Orleans: To experience the magic
Glastonbury: Because I can’t believe I still haven’t been to this place surrounded by myth and legend!
Jason
Route 66: The old route on a motorbike
Australia: To dive the most incredible reefs in the world
Tour of Europe on a motorbike (There’s a theme starting here).
India: To see the majestic Taj Mahal
Do the Dakar rally
Of course this is not an extensive list, there are so many incredible places to visit this is just the tip of the iceberg as they say. I’m sure this list will be updated constantly as we manage to check things off, but the important thing for us is to simply enjoy the journey…together.
I am a big fan of manifesting. So of course when I create my vision boards of things I want to manifest there are always a fair few pictures of far flung, beautiful destinations on there for me to visualise. I know some of you out there are scoffing but guess what? The proof is in the pudding…
Last year I received an email informing me that I had won our honeymoon – an entire week on the beautiful Caribbean island of St Lucia! Only a few days before I had been flicking through my most recent copy of Weddings & Honeymoons magazine and came across the feature for luxury resort East Winds. Whether it was the stunning greenery in the pictures, or the fact that they grow and use their own herbs and medicinal plants on site, something called me to enter the free competition online to win our honeymoon at this stunning all inclusive resort.
Jason was pretty sceptical when I told him we’d won. To be honest, I wasn’t even fully convinced, even though the resort themselves contacted me and we booked our Honeymoon for the first week of August 2022. It wasn’t until we touched down at Hewanorra airport and found our private driver waiting to escort us 90 minutes up the island to the resort that it truly sunk in. Our driver was lovely and chatty, and he told us lots of interesting facts about the island as we drove through.
In the car on the way to East Winds
Honestly, as we pulled up to the gate of East Winds I genuinely had no idea what to expect – I’d never been to a luxury resort before! Driving down the driveway through lush green surroundings, my excitement grew exponentially as it dawned on me that we were actually here! We entered reception to check in where a beautifully cold glass of juice and a warm towel for washing was waiting for us. After refreshments the lovely lady escorted us to our room.
Accommodation
Now due to it being a freebie, I was expecting to be placed in one of the smaller, more basic rooms. How wrong I was! They had given us the Ocean Front Suite – the most stunning and luxurious room they have incorporating a super-king bed, lounge area with sofa, walk in shower, private patio that looks out over the beach and Caribbean sea, and an outside shower to wash off those sandy feet. Added to the chilled champagne on ice and locally made chocolates, I was overcome with joy at our home for the next week. Enjoy the video below to see our reactions to the accommodation!
Our arrival at East Winds Ocean front suite
Service
Overall the service at East Winds is the best I have ever experienced. Our luggage was taken to the room for us, and on the way down we were told all about the resort and what was on offer, including the official welcome meeting the following morning. At this meeting we casually expressed our interest in wildlife, and they arranged to have the gardener – An exceptionally clever man who can tell you absolutely anything you need to know about the Flora and Fauna of St Lucia – put up a hummingbird feeder right outside our room for us so that we could get a special close up view of them. Nothing was too much trouble for anybody, and we were made to feel like the most special people in the world for the entire time we were there, from all staff learning our names immediately and greeting us like old friends, to bartenders knowing which cocktails I had tried and liked so she could surprise me with a new concoction she thought I would enjoy.
The best example though of just how attentive the whole staff are though is this. On arrival at approximately 17:00 local time we were asked if either of us had any allergies – I replied in the affirmative that Jason is allergic to prawns. After unpacking and heading to the restaurant for dinner at around 19:00 we were greeted by multiple members of staff who immediately knew who we are, and that Jason was allergic to prawns. They demonstrated this by informing him that dinner meat was cooked on the same grill as prawns tonight and would he be OK or would he like something cooked separately? I genuinely thought some sort of magic was taking place – they had never seen us and we had never seen them – how on earth could they identify Jay as the man that had arrived 2 hours earlier and was highly allergic to prawns?! It was incredible, and after informing them that he would be fine eating from the grill we proceeded to taste the best food I’ve eaten in my life…
Food & Drinks
When this resort claims to be all inclusive it’s not kidding.. Literally everything is included, every cocktail, piece of food and drink you could wish for. Breakfast and lunch are buffet style but not your usual bulk cooked food. Oh no, a large selection of fresh fruit, vegetables, hand made yoghurt, and main dishes are served every day, with some days dedicated to a delicious BBQ or specific cuisine. Every morning begins with either a fresh smoothie or their own refreshing, detoxifying drink (recommended). Some days I had both because I just couldn’t decide… Pancakes and omelettes are cooked fresh with whichever fillings you would like that day, and cooked breakfasts is always available.
Although breakfast and lunch was superb, the evening meal was really something special. Four courses of pure deliciousness, gourmet menu style. No buffet in sight here, choose whatever your taste buds fancy from the evenings menu and pair it with the unlimited wine selection chosen specifically to complement that night’s meal. Not sure which wine to choose? Just ask one of the knowledgeable servers who will serve a taster of their recommendation for you to try. Now I love food as you can tell, but I’ve never been one for small portions of ‘posh’ food. This dining experience has completely changed my mind though. Every single thing I ate was exquisite, and although they seemed like small portions I was often so full by dessert that I struggled to fit it in! The chefs at East Winds clearly enjoy what they do and strive to create excellent, tasty food at all times – an ambition which I feel they clearly achieve.
The bar staff are equally as skilled, and they appeared to love nothing more than the challenge of creating a cocktail just for me based on my previous preferences (which they somehow manage to remember?!). The pool servers come round to the beaches and offer to bring you drinks while you relax, which of course I took advantage of many times. Hey what can I say, I was on my honeymoon!
Activities
At East Winds there are so many activities that are also included. Of course you may just want to lounge on the beach the entire time, but we are definitely not those people! The watersports hut was on the section of beach just in front of our suite where you can book in a catmaran sailing lesson, paddleboarding sessions and grab some snorkelling gear. This last one we did a few times, and snorkelled right off the beach. There were some beautiful fish in those shallow waters, and one person even managed to spot an octopus! It’s worth noting however that there are A LOT of sea urchins around this shore, so caution should be taken to avoid getting stung.
To go further afield, pay a visit to the Good Vibes hut where you can book island tours, boat cruises and trips out. Although some things are timetabled on certain days such as the coastal boat trip to the pitons, if you cannot make this for whatever reason the staff will happily arrange an alternative on a different day for you. We actually missed this boat trip, so they arranged a car driver to take us down to Soufriere instead, showing us all the sights and taking us anywhere we wished to go for a very reasonable price. We managed to squeeze in the lovely Tet Paul nature trail where we could view the Pitons, as well as the volcanic sulphur mud baths, a visit to a proper handmade chocolate factory shop and some tasty lunch with a fabulous view of the mountains – all in one day!
We also booked an adventurous day doing the Ultimate three package in the rainforest – Aerial Tram, Trail hike and ziplining course through Rainforest Adventure. For more details on our out of resort adventures, see my St Lucia post.
My favourite East Winds experience though has to be the sunset cruise! Free for honeymooners due to the romance of it, you are taken out on a beautiful yacht from the nearby harbour. As you travel up and down the coastline watching the sun set over the ocean, you are served drinks of your choice including champagne and the heavily alcoholic ‘Good Vibes Punch’. I admit I may have partaken in a few too many of these delicious drinks and was slightly wobbly afterwards! This trip is definitely on my must do list whilst visiting East Winds, the pictures speak for themselves.
Another thing to book on resort is definitely the garden tour. The head gardener is an extremely knowledgeable man who walks you through the grounds of East Winds, sharing his vast knowledge of the different trees and plants. He talks about what they are, any associations with them, whether they are edible or not, and any medicinal properties they may have. This experience is free of charge and I highly recommend it.
Conclusion
For an all inclusive, adults only experience in St Lucia, you can’t do better than East Winds resort. Although we were fortunate enough to win our holiday, even if we had paid full price I would have been incredibly impressed with the resort itself, the service provided and the food and drink options. I genuinely have nothing bad to say about this place, and I am already planning an anniversary trip back there to celebrate! We loved getting to know the friendly yet professional staff, and we count ourselves as very fortunate that we were able to experience this incredible place.
Solstice blessings all! I decided to begin our brand new blog on a day that symbolises joy, strength, abundance and energy.
This morning the kids and I woke at 04:30 (on a school day!) so that we could see the sun rise on what is a special day for us. Although from where we are we can’t see the east very well as there are a lot of trees and other things in the way, the sentiment was still there, and the kids loved the adventure of getting up early! They didn’t like it quite so much when I had to wake them up again at 7am to get ready for school but hey…
Early morning sunrise on Summer Solstice 2022!The best view I could get of the rising sun
As someone with Pagan beliefs, I follow the cycle of nature and celebrate the seasons according to what the sun cycles represent. The summer solstice technically falls between 20th – 23rd June every year depending on exact timings of sunrise, but many people just celebrate on the 21st June. This year the actual date was in fact the 21st, so this is the day that we rose early to greet the sun on the longest day of the year. We had just over 16 hours of sunlight in the UK this year, and though life means we couldn’t have as full a celebration as I would have liked, we had family over for a BBQ dinner (any food cooked over a fire to represent the burning sun is good on summer solstice), and gave our thanks to the energy of the sun.
Solstice at Stonehenge
For my 30th birthday I was fortunate enough to join in with the solstice celebrations at Stonehenge – an important monument for pagans which I will delve into deeper in another post. The stones are currently looked after by English Heritage and whilst you can visit the stones at any time, the two solstices are the only times you are actually allowed amongst them rather than viewing from a distance.
Myself and some friends went to the 4 day solstice festival at Stonehenge Campsite & Glamping in 2017, not long after my youngest had been born. Unfortunately I couldn’t take him with me this time, so I spent a lot of time sat outside my tent pumping milk! The festival itself has a really chilled out vibe, there are rituals to participate in if you so wish, or you can just kick back and listen to the bands playing a variety of music. It was here in fact that I fell in love with the music of Vojta – a one man band who plays Celtic style music on his violin, didgeridoo, flute and more, whilst layering the music and building it up so beautifully that I couldn’t help but dance freely.
The festival includes a bus over to the stones on the evening before solstice, where you can dance to the beat of the drums all night long, before taking your position to welcome the sun rising behind the Heel Stone and shining the first rays of the longest day into the centre of the circle.
Although some people believe that the solstice celebrations have lost their spirituality and it’s now one big party with no respect for the stones and what they represent, I have to admit I didn’t find that when I was there. Yes we stood on the stones, but the whole time I could just feel the energy radiating from them and I appreciated every minute of it. However it’s not an event I would take the children to until they are a lot older, perhaps next year I may try and find somewhere else to celebrate with them instead. The sunrise that year was slightly anticlimactic because it was so misty, and there was a bit of confusion as to when the sun had actually risen, but I am so glad I got to experience it and feel the energy of the sun and stones together alongside like-minded people.
When the sun has risen, you walk back to the bus (a pretty long trek when you’ve been awake all night!) and get taken back to the campsite where with any luck you’ll get some sleep. The year I went it was actually crazy hot and so I woke up after about 2 hours sleep absolutely cooking in my tent, then just spent the rest of the day relaxing as much as possible.
If it’s something you are interested in then I would definitely recommend going to the solstice celebrations at Stonehenge at least once, just be prepared for a large crowd and allow yourself to be swept along with the whole atmosphere in order to really enjoy it.
