What do you do when its been pouring with rain and your 13 year old niece is screaming I'm bored, what we gonna do!!
Having lived in West Cumbria for nearly 4 years now and having had this place on my go to list we decided to hit The Beacon Museum to see if it could fill our afternoon? Boy were we certainly impressed!!
The first thing that hits you is this view from the top floor. It's impressive with panoramic views towards the cliffs of St Bees. We also enjoyed a game of 'spot the building' in the town - a chance to learn about Whitehaven's prosperous history as a port and some of its stunning architecture. This height being a great vantage point for a more aerial view of the town. Did you know Whitehaven's prosperity was built around importing rum and other exotic goods from the Caribbean, Africa and Asia. We cannot speak about that without mentioning the slave trade which is also part of its history. Despite practising in this awful trade it was great to hear that individuals from West Cumbria also fought to have the trade abolished, with some freed black slaves settling and making a life here in West Cumbria.
Practising our sailing skills
In a world of tiktok, video gaming and staring at our screens the retro games on the top floor of the museum were a sight to amuse the younger ones. We played a few games on the life size Connect 4- who remembers that one!!! I then indulged my inner child by a quick ride of the Chopper bike on show!!!
What memories this bike conjured up!! Although my son was having none of it, not believing how much they're worth now - at least £1500+ - until he 'googled it'!!!
The museum has so many interactive exhibits to keep you busy from mining, sailing and maritime, the war and its impact on the area , Sellafield and West Cumbria's nuclear past, going right back to the Romans and how they shaped the area. The highlight of the Roman exhibit had to be sitting down to play a few Roman inspired games including draughts which I hadn't played in years!!! Even the youngsters enjoyed it despite laughing at the basic wooden board pieces - who knew they'd create such fun!!!
We finished our museum fun with a game of crazy golf on the nine hole circuit - each hole a homage to a West Cumbrian landmark!!! Don't think this game is easy as it takes some skill even though one of us got a hole in 1!!!! Although trying to keep track of our scores on the sheet provided was, dare I say it, much harder!!!!
With the weather clearing and the museum about to close we moved on to spend a bit of time around Whitehaven harbour. After a spot of crabbing off the harbour walls with some simple nets, line and chunks of smoky bacon - another great activity with the kids - we did a bit of boat spotting. Even spotting Whitehaven's very own Pirates of the Caribbean style ship moored up!!
No sign of Jack Sparrow!!!
Where do you end the day when its just after 4pm and the kids are wanting a snack!!! With the museum and some of the small local cafes now closed, a quick Google search threw up Angry Boba bubble tea cafe on King Street. Oh my how happy was the niece, who's boba tea mad!! A lovely little cafe with a huge selection of teas as well as Asian snacks, it was the perfect end to our rainy day in West Cumbria!!
A great end to a wet day in Whitehaven!
Comments