Trips & Adventures – 26 April 2018

We caught the Cityzap Bus from Chorlton Street Bus Station at 10.05am. The new Cityzap route between Manchester and Leeds has top spec buses fitted with zap-nav so the driver can pick the quickest route and dodge any congestion. There is wi-fi provided and leather seats – each seat has a USB point so phones can be charged up en route.

After a quick peek at the outdoor market we made our way to Leeds Minster, or the Minster and Parish Church of Saint Peter-at-Leeds, a large Church of England foundation of major architectural and liturgical significance.

The next visit was the pub next door – the Lamb & Flag – highly recommended before we walked to the Corn Exchange and then the Henry Moore Institute and the Art Gallery.

Stuart and Tony had a sit down with a hot drink and a slice of millionaire shortbread (because we’re worth it) while the others looked round the art gallery, before joining us.

     

It was another great day out – we finally got back to Manchester about 6.00pm.

Trips & Adventures – 19 April 2018

We caught the train at Victoria to Smithy Bridge and walked to Hollingworth Lake where our first stop (as usual) was the cafe. Most of us opted for the Senior Citizen’s Special – fish, chips, bread and butter with a drink and followed by ice cream.

Hollingworth Lake is a 130-acre reservoir at Smithy Bridge, in Littleborough — part of the Metropolitan Borough of Rochdale, and we decided to walk off our lunch by walking round the lake, a distance of 4kms (or 2.5 miles in old money). Half way round we found the Pavilion, and as it was such a hot day we couldn’t resist having another ice cream!

The lake was originally built as the main water source for the Rochdale Canal, but developed as a tourist resort from the 1860s, and became known as the Weighver’s Seaport. Hotels were built around it, at least two had outdoor dancing stages with gas lighting. Tourism was helped by the arrival of the railway in 1839, which brought day-trippers and weekend visitors from Manchester, Bradford & Leeds.

The lake was used for training by Captain Matthew Webb, before he became the first man to swim the English Channel in 1875, and was used for the “World Professional Mile Championship”, a long-distance swimming event, in the 1880s. It is home to the Hollingworth Lake Rowing Club, which has been in continuous existence since 1872.

Trips & Adventures – 12 April 2018

Hello Tony,

I hope you enjoyed your little trip.  I hope you bought a kilt and that we can expect to see you in it at the group next week.  A nice pink sporran always looks gay.

Now then this is for you to put on the blog which you know I am unable to do because of issues with my password.

Yesterday (April 12th) I and one other person. (Klavierboy) went to Shibden Hall which is about two or three miles from the centre of Halifax.  The one in west Yorkshire not the one in Nova Scotia.  That would be silly.  The train was full of noisy, smelly, ill mannered kids.  They were off school and so were going to Eureka which is an indoor attraction in the centre of the Halifax I told you and where we were going.

Klavier and I (Walter von Stalzing) arrived in Halifax at about 11.20 which we decided was too early for lunch so after a couple of enquiries we found the bus station and made our way to Shibden.  You have no idea how exciting it was and what you missed.

(to be continued)

Walter von Stalzing alias Stuart.

A huge Out in the City contingent of 2 people braved cold, damp, misty and dreary weather to visit Shibden Hall in Halifax.

The building dates from 1420 and displays a mixture of styles but the interior is predominantly a rich dark wood. The house was used for some scenes in the recent TV programme “To walk Invisible” featuring the Bronte sisters and some costumes are on display.

At the back of the house a barn and workshops feature the work of a blacksmith, a wheelwright, a cooper and saddler. There is a reproduction of an apothecary and an old inn together with some impressive displays of old coaches including a hearse.

The hall will be closed for months from May for filming “Gentleman Jack” featuring the life of famous lesbian Ann Lister who left secret diaries of her life hidden in the house.

Those who had “lots of things to do” missed an excellent day out. The house is set in extensive grounds and another visit in better weather will be worthwhile.

Trips & Adventures – 5 April 2018

As it was a bright sunny day we walked from the train station at Chester to the “Old Queen’s Head” in the city centre, where we had our meal – and very nice it was too – fish and chips or chicken, ham and leek pie.

There were a few famous people in Chester and on the city walls above the clock we spotted Spock from Star Trek as well as Chewbacca from Star Wars.

We followed the city walls down to the river and then visited the original cathedral where we had coffee. St John the Baptist’s Church was a cathedral during the Middle Ages. It lies outside the city walls on a cliff above the north bank of the River Dee. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building and is considered to be the best example of 11th–12th century church architecture in Cheshire. I took a “selfie”: