Fangirling Adventures in Suffolk
Aoife Godsave recounts a fun-filled trip to the childhood places of her favourite musician.
When my fangirling years were in full swing, we visited the coastal Suffolk town of Aldeborough. We stayed in a terraced house with a church looming over us at the end of the street. This coastal town was of particular interest to me due to my love of the red haired, squishy faced Ed Sheeran. At the time of my visit, Ed’s chart topping ‘Divide’ album was playing full volume on radios up and down the country. Only a few miles from our holiday house was Framlingham Castle which inspired Ed’s number one hit song ‘Castle on the Hill’. We decided to take a day trip there and bask in the wonderful sunshine. We left early and bounded enthusiastically out the front door. When we arrived at the castle the sun was sitting prominently in the clear, blue sky. |
The clouds were scattered generously behind the castle like tufts of cotton wool. Once inside the castle, there was some shade from the sweltering sun thanks to the centuries-old stone walls that loomed above us.
My mum, grandad, brother and I decided we should attempt to scale one of the turrets. The cold, stone stairs seemed to travel for miles up and up into the sky. When we finally reached the top, we had a fantastic view of the rolling hills and beautiful, old houses that were scattered across the horizon like confetti. The birds hovered above whilst the trees down below swayed in the gentle breeze. When I teetered over the edge of the tower to get a better look I could see the stone walls that were weathering in their old age, but this only made them all the more fascinating. I wondered to myself whether Ed Sheeran had looked out at this view and thought about what the castle had seen through the ages.
Towards the end of the day, we began to feel the thunderous rumblings of our stomachs, so we decided it was time to head off and grab something to eat. Little did I know that Mum had already planned the food stop. A food stop that would be right up my street…
After what seemed like an eternity of rumbling stomachs in the car, we rolled to a stop. Mum turned over her shoulder to look back at me and said with a bubbling tone of excitement, “Close your eyes!” I did as she said and I got out of the car. She came prancing around the car and grabbed my arm to lead me down the street. I held onto her tightly whilst I attempted to navigate the skewed and uneven paving stones. I wondered what this surprise could possibly be.
When she finally allowed me to open my eyes, I could hardly contain my excitement! It was the fish and chip shop Ed used to go to when he was a teenager. I could not believe my luck!
We queued in the bustling shop and finally, when we got our fish, we made our way back down the narrow alley ways towards the beach. We walked a little way along hoping to find the spot where we had seen a video of Ed being interviewed. My obsessive self was going crazy with excitement. The thought of being able to sit where he sat nearly made my brain combust with pure exhilaration. When I finally settled down, I tucked into my chips which had the perfect blend between vinegar and salt.
The waves lapped gently at the shore whilst the sea breeze sauntered in. I curled up into my slightly too big coat and listened to the seagulls squawking overhead. The sea stretched out in front of me like a mirror, reflecting the burning auburn of the setting sun. When I looked up at the sky, it was as though a fire was spreading from one cloud to another turning them from white to a mellow pink from the sun’s scarlet rays.
As the activities for the day were coming to a close, I savoured the last of my glorious chips. A feeling of peace washed over me. We were all having so much fun and laughing at our ridiculous compulsion to follow in the footsteps of Ed. My grandad especially thought it was hilarious that we had done forensic research on Ed and then focused a whole holiday around him. We laughed at the silliness of it until our stomachs hurt and we could hardly breathe.
Aoife Godsave, Y12
My mum, grandad, brother and I decided we should attempt to scale one of the turrets. The cold, stone stairs seemed to travel for miles up and up into the sky. When we finally reached the top, we had a fantastic view of the rolling hills and beautiful, old houses that were scattered across the horizon like confetti. The birds hovered above whilst the trees down below swayed in the gentle breeze. When I teetered over the edge of the tower to get a better look I could see the stone walls that were weathering in their old age, but this only made them all the more fascinating. I wondered to myself whether Ed Sheeran had looked out at this view and thought about what the castle had seen through the ages.
Towards the end of the day, we began to feel the thunderous rumblings of our stomachs, so we decided it was time to head off and grab something to eat. Little did I know that Mum had already planned the food stop. A food stop that would be right up my street…
After what seemed like an eternity of rumbling stomachs in the car, we rolled to a stop. Mum turned over her shoulder to look back at me and said with a bubbling tone of excitement, “Close your eyes!” I did as she said and I got out of the car. She came prancing around the car and grabbed my arm to lead me down the street. I held onto her tightly whilst I attempted to navigate the skewed and uneven paving stones. I wondered what this surprise could possibly be.
When she finally allowed me to open my eyes, I could hardly contain my excitement! It was the fish and chip shop Ed used to go to when he was a teenager. I could not believe my luck!
We queued in the bustling shop and finally, when we got our fish, we made our way back down the narrow alley ways towards the beach. We walked a little way along hoping to find the spot where we had seen a video of Ed being interviewed. My obsessive self was going crazy with excitement. The thought of being able to sit where he sat nearly made my brain combust with pure exhilaration. When I finally settled down, I tucked into my chips which had the perfect blend between vinegar and salt.
The waves lapped gently at the shore whilst the sea breeze sauntered in. I curled up into my slightly too big coat and listened to the seagulls squawking overhead. The sea stretched out in front of me like a mirror, reflecting the burning auburn of the setting sun. When I looked up at the sky, it was as though a fire was spreading from one cloud to another turning them from white to a mellow pink from the sun’s scarlet rays.
As the activities for the day were coming to a close, I savoured the last of my glorious chips. A feeling of peace washed over me. We were all having so much fun and laughing at our ridiculous compulsion to follow in the footsteps of Ed. My grandad especially thought it was hilarious that we had done forensic research on Ed and then focused a whole holiday around him. We laughed at the silliness of it until our stomachs hurt and we could hardly breathe.
Aoife Godsave, Y12