Fair Winds and Following Seas Event!

Hey guys! Last weekend, for my Dad’s birthday, we all partook in an event called Fair Winds and Following Seas. It was created by Broken Orchestra, featuring Hull poet Vicky Foster and it was an immersive walk around Hull exploring well known and hidden streets of the city. There was a soundtrack accompanying it which had been composed and played by Broken Orchestra and there was also poetry which had been written and performed by Vicky Foster. It had originally been on during Freedom Festival 2019 and it was back by popular demand during the BBC May Contain Strong Language Festival. I thought that it was a super cool idea for an event and I really enjoyed it overall! So in today’s post, I will be sharing my experience of this event with you all!

We began our walk at Scale Lane bridge. Once we’d started up the Fair Winds and Following Seas app that we’d had to download onto our phones and plugged in our headphones, we were ready to go! The walk led us down the path towards the beautiful Drypool Bridge which honours John Venn with circle designs painted onto it. We actually got the opportunity to walk through the bridge and see all the machinery within it which was very exciting. It’s amazing how much machinery there is that controls the bridge and ensures it behaves as it is supposed to.

After that, we meandered down an isolated path that neighboured the river. There was lots of wonderful graffiti down there as well and it was nice to discover this path that I hadn’t been down before. This led to North Bridge, the blue bridge in the centre of Hull and then we were guided through Wincolmlee which is home to Scott Street bridge where the famous Hull Banksy artwork is situated. In turn, this linked up to a secluded street that was ironically named High Street.

Wilberforce House was our next stop on the journey as we paused to view the stunning garden that is housed there. As we walked on, we passed our starting point, Scale Lane Bridge and headed off in the opposite direction. Myton Bridge Underpass and the Tidal Barrier were both landmarks on our journey as we weaved through the old town of Hull. We passed Stage at the Dock and ultimately ended up at Victoria Pier. What a spectacular place to finish a spectacular event. The views from Victoria Pier out onto the River Hull are unparalleled and it’s one of my favourite spots in Hull because of how beautiful and peaceful it is.

I really enjoyed listening to the poetry and soundtrack for the event throughout. The music had a moody, almost melancholic tone to it and it was really relevant for the event. I would definitely say that both the poetry and the music enhanced the event and it definitely wouldn’t be the same without it.

Overall, I enjoyed the event a lot. It was really unique and cool and I felt that it was very well executed. The walk, music and poetry all laced together created something really beautiful and enjoyable and I’d love to experience it again!

Thank you for reading this post! Have you been to any events recently? Let me know in the comments! There’ll be another post out soon but until then bye for now!

Amelia Grace a.k.a Amelia in Hull