Holidaying at Home

Many of our visitors at the Museum are visiting from around the UK, plenty of families on holidays. With much of the news talking about quarantine and limited international travel, many folk are on 'staycation' - holidaying at home.

We are in the middle of the school summer holidays, and many people have had to alter their holiday plans this year. I have  spent time on the phone today trying to organise a refund for my cancelled flight. During this process, I reflected on holidays and trips that I would have been on during this period in previous years. From camping in Cornwall to cycling with the family in the Netherlands, to Guide camps near Belfast and in the Midlands, this year everything feels really different.

It is lovely to speak to visitors who have managed to grab a holiday. People camping, staying in caravans or spending a couple of nights in a local hotel. Although everything may be different, local attractions are welcoming folk through their doors. Two years ago I was in India on a Girlguiding trip, and my friends out there tell me that things are just as difficult for everyone. This pandemic has hit the tourism industry across the world really hard. At the moment, the international visitors are virtually non-existent at the Museum.

We look forward to welcoming our international visitors back at the Museum, and the Castle. But we are still pleased to welcome more local visitors, chat to families and catch-up with tourists. So whilst the world currently seems a slightly different place, we at the Museum and the Castle still offer a friendly smile to welcome visitors and ensure that those on their holidays or day trips have an enjoyable time.