The Witchbrook racle
Illustrated Periodical

You’ve heard it here first, summer’s officially here! Tourists are stepping off the ferry with three cameras, no sunscreen, and the full confidence that they don’t need a map. And Witchbrook students are hosting their families, who came for ‘just a peek’, but now want a full, magical itinerary.

I see the same repeating campus tours: courtyard, dining hall, awkward wave at Professor Bardot… then panic when they realise that’s all they planned. Where do you take guests when you’re out of ideas and still need to impress?

Just follow the sounds of waves and watch the pavement. When fish start appearing in the stonework, you’ve found it: Mossport’s boardwalk. Shops are packed with fun novelty souvenirs. I’ve submitted three pitches for a glow-in-the-dark crab magnet. (No word yet, but I believe in the cause!) There’s also fresh fish and chips... but keep your eyes on your food, unless you’re willing to share with a seagull!

At the far end of the boardwalk, perched on a weathered pier, is Mossport’s art shop, The Briny Brush. Once a fishing shack, it’s airy, sunlit, and stocked with supplies for making a masterpiece. Sal, the owner, is a retired fisherman who talks in full sea shanty and believes every blank surface deserves a nautical pun. And if you’re lucky, you’ll spot my covenmate Cormac, one of the best artists I know, hunched at a canvas.

‘It’s not a novelty shop,’ he muttered when I asked about glitter pens. * ‘It’s a real gallery. A space for meaningful work, not caricatures of your uncle riding a dolphin.’*

That… was the full quote, but I like to think he meant it in a positive way. Trust me, the shop is worth the trip!

Listen, tourist season’s here, but witches need a break too. Summer’s a season for students who need fresh air, for visiting parents who want to know the world their witch is living in, and for anyone who’s forgotten that there’s more to life than potion stains and library sessions.

So grab an ice cream, find some spaces in the sun and ‘seas’ the day! You’ve earned it.