St Faith’s Go Adventuring Again

Our lives are regulated by the calendar: the seasons, the church calendar of course, but also those recurrent events that emerge, to become integrated into the natural order of things.  So, if the Easter holidays arrived and we were not thinking of the annual St Faith’s trip to Swanage, we might feel a little out of sorts!

Thankfully, on the morning of 16th April, 35 people from St Faith’s and the other churches of the Parish were ready to go adventuring again. Bags were packed, petrol tanks filled, thermos flasks instilled with tea and coffee and lashings of ginger beer: a multiplicity of essential items thrown into the boots of cars - buckets, spades, flip flops and a cricket bat found hiding at the back of the shed, with both swimwear and thermals to accommodate all eventualities, for another exciting, fun packed weekend in Swanage.

It should not be a surprise that many of Enid Blyton’s Famous Five stories were set in Swanage Bay, which Enid discovered in 1931: Her influence seems to live on. In our case, by the evening the gang members, including Timmy (AKA Todd) the dog were all in place at the Swanage Youth Hostel with its breathtaking position above the Bay.

Some were first timers, for others this was a repeat visit, but Swanage always has more to offer: As the capital of the Isle of Purbeck and the eastern entry point to the Jurassic Coast it is generous in its provision of spectacular places to walk and play, but also as a place to relax, to stop for a moment and ponder….

On a hot Saturday morning, a large group set out for a cliff top walk, a picnic and plenty of fun, whilst another group enjoyed the delights of the Swanage Steam Railway to Corfe, followed by a walk around the Castle, described by the National Trust as “One of Britain's most majestic ruins and once a controlling gateway through the Purbeck Hills”.  For some, a new discovery was the local beer supplied by the Dorset Brewery which comes in some interesting varieties.

That afternoon some of us went down to the sea which presented the opportunity for ice creams and the more adventurous splashed around in the water.  A three hour game of Frisbee was instigated, after which the small group of survivors hobbled back up the hill at the end of the afternoon.  

As tradition dictates, the group gathered for a communal meal in the evening and a soupçon of cooks assembled to produce a welcome dish which included sausages, quiche and plenty of mashed potato.  The washing up was followed by a night walk along beach and promenade, with a repeat of last year’s “how many people can you get in a phone box” exercise: well and truly beating the record with 10 smallish people rather uncomfortably crammed into a tiny space.

Before bed, young and old alike assembled nervously downstairs in the shadowy oak panelled sitting room, for the traditional ghost story.   

On Sunday morning some folk went off to St Mary’s Parish Church where they were warmly welcomed, exploited the opportunity to get in some organ practice and left promising a return next year….perhaps with a choir in tow!

More walking, shopping and fun by the sea ensued and this was followed by fish and chips in readiness for the long journey home. 

A big thank you to Charmaine Sabey-Corkindale for organising another wonderful trip.  We hope you will join us next year!

Michael Woodward