9 November 2017 – Trip to Leeds

Leeds is a busy city and there are lots to do there. We started with a meal in Yates which we all enjoyed (except for the cold peas).

A visit to the Art Gallery showed off a fantastic cafe. The spacious cafe with grand marble columns, stunning ornate tiles and a barrel-vaulted mosaic ceiling was magnificent, but unfortunately, we had just eaten. Most of the exhibits in Leeds Art Gallery were modern art and most of us prefer the traditional.

We went to view the Victorian Quarter with the shopping arcades and found a Crystal Shop. Needless to say, crystals were purchased.

The least grand of the arcades was named the “Grand Arcade” but we enjoyed homemade cakes (including fruit cake and Wensleydale cheese combination) and unusual teas in the Vintage Cafe which used 12″ album sleeves, complete with vinyl, as the menus.

There are lots of famous people from Leeds, but we bumped into Donald Trump and Nelson Mandela!

Leeds train station is one of the busiest and rush hour traffic means that many people will be standing up during the journey. Fortunately, most of us found seats which was a blessing as Sue reckoned we had walked 10,000 miles!

 

2 November 2017 – Trip to West Kirby

West Kirby is well worth another visit, but it would be better in the summer months when it is warmer. It’s not too difficult to get to, via Lime Street, Liverpool and is a small, pleasant seaside town.

We all enjoyed our lunch – a fish that was too big for the plate and some tasty chips (Sue had pie and peas).

We decided to walk out to Hilbre Island to see the seals, but only got half way before turning back. Although the tide was out the sand was wet and the pools a little too deep for our inappropriate footwear.

 

26 October 2017 – Trip to Liverpool

Wetherspoons  …..  Walker Art Gallery  …..  Costa for coffee.

And I wasn’t even there! I missed the trip in both senses of the word.

19 October 2017 – Trip to Daresbury

Daresbury is a small village in Cheshire which was the birthplace of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (pen name Lewis Carroll).

The village has a Lewis Carroll Visitor Centre and the parish church, All Saints, a Lewis Carroll window, including images from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

Due to the wet weather we spent most of our time in the Ring-O-Bells which served excellent food and drinks.

 

12 October 2017 –  Trip to Chester

We had a full day out in Chester – walking the walls, watching a falconry display, walking down to the river and back to the cathedral – we even found time for some shopping after a delicious meal at The Old Queen’s Head where we were given free pork scratchings.

It was a warm day – we were covered in ladybirds and we saw some squirrels in the cathedral gardens. One posed on a metal sculpture as if he was about to give a lecture!

We also looked round the Roman Amphitheatre. All in all we walked more than five miles.