Due to lockdown and unfortunate corona happenings, some of our writers take a twist on some of their favourite fictional landscapes and create them into the ideal holiday destinations!
Camp Half-Blood
Do you want to visit the COOLEST and yet also potentially the most LIFE-THREATENING summer camp that you’ve ever seen? Well then, you’ve come to the right place.
Camp Half-Blood is a sweet summer getaway in the north of Long Island and has all the amenities you need to give you the best vacation experience ever. Fancy playing a good ol’ fashioned game of capture the flag, with the added bonus of campers aimed with deadly weapons who are ready to at least maim you to win? Picking strawberries whilst talking the latest gossip with the wood nymphs? Testing your strength at the climbing wall, with it’s added difficulty levels like real lava and mini earthquakes? Then this is definitely the place for you!
Come on down and see the best getaway that Long Island has to offer, complete with a wise, suspiciously anthropomorphic activities director (who will probably give you some cryptic advice, or at least an extensive archery lesson), and a camp director who’s always down for a good glass of wine if he ever gets past his dad to get one! What’s there not to like?
-Alice Fortt
Skyrim
‘”I guess you were trying to cross the border huh” may not be the traditional greeting for travellers venturing to Tamriel’s version of a ski resort; Skyrim, yet we like to give all our guests special treatment. Enjoy the finest first-class wagon into Helgen in our authentic tour of the ruins. Spend your hard-earned gold in the Whiterun plains district, or treat yourself to some lovely sweet rolls at the Bannered Mare tavern. Explore the frozen north with our day excursion to Winterhold, stopping off at the ancient ruins of Saarthal before terminating at the College.
If you prefer more alpine climates, venture south to the woodland region of The Rift. Enjoy the finest mead from the Black-Briar Brewery in Riften but watch out for those pickpockets! Finish off your stay in Solitude and explore the blue palace with the ancient history of wars long gone past. Visit Skyrim today!
-Jack Nash
West Egg
West Egg is the perfect location for those who have succeeded in their reach for the American Dream. The town is populated by the new rich and despite not being as fashionable as East Egg, you can expect to find individuals extravagantly spending all their money on beautiful Gothic mansions, cars and clothes. Key sights to see whilst in West Egg are Gatsby Mansion, as it is known for throwing weekly luxurious and extravagant parties where you can mask your loneliness behind this lavish estate.
Despite, alcohol being illegal you can still expect a few drinks thanks to Jay Gatsby (secret) bootlegging industry. Another key location is the green light that is across the courtesy bay separating East and West Egg, this is the symbol for hopes and dreams and is the perfect sight for those searching for greater meaning. The green light is known as the “breast of the new world” and is about discovery if this is in yourself, love or wealth. If you want to reinvent yourself and immerse yourself in money then come down to West Egg, where lies and deceit are part of the package.
-Morgan McMillan
Wonderland
Fancy going to a land of complete and utter nonsense? Where the Cheshire Cat appears as if from thin air? Want to run for your life from the Jabberwocky? Or maybe you fancy finding your inner peace with a particularly intelligent, shisha smoking caterpillar? If you like the sound of this then Wonderland is right up your street there’s plenty to explore, with the most mind-bending and utterly perplexing characters along the way!
Take part in the annual Caucus Race with the dodo bird and lobster, although this race is purely pointless it’s the perfect opportunity to relax and poke fun at other racers. Don’t forget to visit the Mad Hatter and his companion the March Hare, they throw a mad tea party (pardon the pun) and will undoubtedly serenade you with their ‘Unbirthday Song’.
But keep a lookout for the Queen of Hearts and make sure you don’t lose your head, she has a bad habit for lopping off heads left right and centre. Bring some jam tarts with you and you’re sure to be safe. Wonderland is jam-packed full of adventure and will be a holiday you never forget!
-Olivia Dellar
Middle-Earth
Tired of the city life? Want something a bit more mythical? Why not try a trip over to Middle-Earth?
Hobbiton is the place to get the best recommendations for food and the quiet life, with seven meals a day and a quality half-pint at the Green Dragon? Perfer a walking holiday? No problem! There are dozens of trails in the North – Arnorian ruins to explore and flex your archaeological skills. Just watch out for the barrow downs and the spirits that lie there, or cursed ghost armies at Dunharrow in the South!
More of a scholarly person? Then why not delve deep in the archives of Kings long past in Minas Tirith! Perhaps the secrets of cursed jewellery lie within! Or even a jaunt over to Rohan – see the stronghold of Helm’s Deep, site of the Hammerhand’s last stand, or go horseriding along the Westfold. If you fancy archery, please steer clear of the range when walking past the targets at Amon Hen!
You might even get the glimpse of an elf or two hiding in the woods, singing to the trees and waxing philosophically at the ferns by Fangorn, or maybe meet your own star-crossed lover in the depths of Lothlorien. Tales for the ages are born here, and lifelong friends made among the most unlikely of individuals.
– Louise Chase
