Trips & Adventures – 2 August 2018

Another fantastic day out although we picked a day when the weather was not at its best and we had a slight drizzle when we set off for a cruise down Lake Windermere … but more on that later.

The journey from Manchester (via Wigan and Oxenholme) took less than two hours, and was uneventful except we got chatting to a very nice woman who asked us each, in turn, if we were married or single. She seemed surprised that we were all bachelors gay!

Buzz 599 took us down to the lake at Bowness (with a running commentary on the history of the area and the sights to be seen) and we headed straight for Lake Windermere – we were all dying to have a cruise. Windermere in the Lake District – ten and a half miles long and 219 feet deep – is England’s largest lake. Its name comes from the Scandinavian for ‘lake of a man called Vinandr’. The boat took 35 minutes to get to Ambleside and we were starving by this time. A fish and chip shop had been recommended and we dined there on the classic fish, chips and mushy peas. The fish was delish but the peas were too salty.

We had read about the harmful effects of blue / green algae so we avoided getting our kits off and having a “skinny dip” in the lake and settled instead for a short walk and a sit down.

We took the cruise back admiring the castle nestled in the forest and islands where people picnic-ed or camped out (one was privately owned by a family).

The village of Bowness was very pretty and we soon found a Costa for much needed refreshments. Although the advertised bus timetable was very confusing, and we were considering ringing for a taxi, a number 599 arrived and took us back to the train station. We passed Dove Cottage, a house best known as the home of the poet William Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy from 1799 to 1808, where they spent over eight years of “plain living, but high thinking”. During this period, William wrote much of the poetry for which he is remembered today.

The return was even quicker than the outward journey and we arrived back at Manchester Piccadilly at 6.30pm having enjoyed a great trip out.

Albert from Out In The City tells his story.

There is now a new video page on the website at https://outinthecity.org/videos/ showing Albert’s story and also a short documentary about 5 transwomen who met at voice coaching at the NHS Charing Cross hospital.  One of the transwomen, Barbara didn’t begin her journey until she was 55. Thanks to tellyjuice.co.uk who produced this video as a labour of love (as opposed to a profit making project).

 

Trips & Adventures – 26 July 2018

We met at Piccadilly bus station and walked to the far end to catch a bus to Gorton to visit the famous Gorton Monastery.

In 1997, Gorton Monastery was placed on the World Monuments Fund Watch List of 100 Most Endangered Sites in the World alongside Pompeii, the Taj Mahal and the Valley of the Kings.

The church and associated friary buildings underwent a £6 million restoration programme and the project was completed in June 2007 when the restored buildings opened as a venue for conferences, business meetings and community events.

However, before viewing the building, we dined in the “secret cafe” (a cool basement room) of the Victorian Pantry cafe.

We tried on some hats, relaxed in the garden and Stuart even posed as a monkey!

Trips & Adventures – 19 July 2018

Harrogate is a spa town in north Yorkshire and this was our destination on this trip. Since 2013, polls have consistently voted the town as “the happiest place to live” in Britain, so we were expecting to have a gay old time.

We had lunch at the Winter Gardens – Harrogate’s former Royal Baths included the Winter Gardens – built so that visitors could relax and stroll in any weather. Its name lives on in this Wetherspoon pub. During the 1920s, people could relax here, amid potted palms, listening to music from a grand piano. In the 1930s, the Municipal Orchestra played every morning throughout the year, with free admission for the patients of the baths.

We then had a walk through the Valley Gardens – a large park which included the Japanese Garden and a number of wells, before visiting the Royal Pump Room. The town motto is Arx celebris fontibus, which means “a citadel famous for its springs”. Harrogate spa water contains iron, sulphur and common salt, and despite a sign advising “Not fit for human consumption” we couldn’t resist trying a sip. It was truly disgusting!

The Royal Pump Room houses Europe’s strongest sulphur well, but is now a museum showcasing the town’s spa history. We had the opportunity to try on some hats.

Harrogate was the scene of dramatic events in December 1926. The famous crime novelist Agatha Christie, who was thought to have been abducted or even dead, was found dancing the Charleston at the Old Swan, in Swan Road.

Her car had been discovered by a road near Guildford, and for a week police and volunteers searched for clues to her fate. Eleven days later, members of the hotel’s resident band recognised her from a widely distributed missing poster.

The explanation offered to the public was that Christie had briefly lost her memory after a car accident. Few believed this. Some suggested a nervous breakdown, while others thought the affair was a publicity stunt.

Her disappearance seems to have been a message to her husband, Colonel Archie Christie, as the couple were divorced two years later.

Harrogate is a fantastic place and we shall certainly visit again.