The first stage of our trip to Manchester started from the
historic port of Dublin. A place that has seen many ships come and go over the
years. Our ferry was one of the faster ones and the crossing to Holyhead in
Northern Wales only took about 2 hours. After collecting all our baggage from
customs we went to the train station to board our first train and the driver
told us that our surfboards were too big. We were starting to stress and were
thinking of other ways to get to Manchester when another guy came along and
said that if we could find a space for them, we could go. So we searched the
train top to bottom to find some room for them and managed to jam them into a
bike storage area. We had to run for our second train which wasn’t an easy task
with all our gear but we just made it. We made our third train with ease but we
were getting some funny looks from the locals as I’m sure they don’t see too
many surfboards around these parts. We were met at Piccadilly station by my Uncle
Eric and Aunty Elaine whom we were staying with for the week. My dad is
originally from Manchester so there is a sort of historical family connection
to this city.
After a good sleep in, Danielle and I went into the city.
Manchester is an old industrial city that thrived on cotton in the industrial
revolution and has always had a reputation of being a rough and tough working man’s
city. Whilst it still has some of these elements, the city itself has been
developed and modernised. Some beautifully old buildings such as the town hall
are spectacular but contemporary architecture is also visible in an attempt to
fuse both old and new. Manchester does have a pumping nightlife as I found out
last time I was here so we had a few beers in the Deansgate area as well as a
couple on Canal street.
The next day Aunty Elaine drove us to through Llundadno on
the way to Conwy Castle which is in the north of Wales. It’s a spectacular
castle built around 1100A.D. and sits right on the bay overlooking the entrance
to the river. We had a walk around all the ruins and climbed the towers all the
way to the top and got some great photos. We then drove into the Snowdonia
district where the road winds through expansive valleys and over flowing
streams through the town of Betswy-coed. We somehow missed out on dinner and
ended up at “Slappers fish n chips shop”. The two girls working there were
straight out of Ladettes to Ladies- the TV show. All good.
We woke the next day and drove to Liverpool and cruised
around the docks area which has had a major revamp in recent years and enjoyed
a coffee. We then went and checked out the Antony Gormley’ “Another Place,” an
art exhibit in Crosby. He is an artist that created loads of these life sized,
metal statues of men that stand on the beach and look out to sea. Something
different.
The next day we drove out to the Lake District which is a
nice county north of Manchester. In past years it was a popular area for
wakeboarding but a recent ban on motorized boats has put an end to the fun. We
went on a cruise around Lake Windermere then jumped back in the car to check
out Blackpool. Blackpool is a holiday resort town on the sea where people go
and get drunk and gamble. It’s no Vegas but it was Ok for a quick visit. AND
they had no pinball machines....devastated.
It was my birthday during this week so Danielle and I
decided that we would take a trip out to Alton Towers which is a theme park
about 50 miles from Manchester. We had a great day riding all the roller
coasters. One in particular we rode numerous times. Freefall can feel so good,
and always puts a smile on your face.
We spent a week in Manchester at Elaine’s house in Hyde and
we can’t thank her enough for her kind hospitality and dedicated hours behind
the wheel of the car driving us around everywhere. Now it’s off to London to
meet up with my sister. We haven’t seen each other since February and haven’t
had much to do with each other for 5 years or so. Danielle and I are excited to
heading off to the big smoke and continue this epic adventure.
P.S. We have had over 2000 views of the travel journal now
so thanks for tuning in!!!
