Last weekend we headed up to Manchester to see our living-away-from-home youngest daughter. She's not particularly keen on us visiting too often, as I think this disturbs her settling into a new life (in the way it's not advised to keep nipping home each weekend from uni), but at the weekend she was running in the half-marathon so it was a good excuse to see her. We've been before for the day, but not seen anything of the city, so this time I organised an AirBnB, we took Dylan the dog along, and we had chance to explore Manchester and nearby National Trust properties - and considering we were there for less than 48 hours we saw a lot! Here's just some of it ...
I wasn't sure I was going to like Manchester. I'm not a city person - more of a country bumpkin - but I found it to be a fascinating place. I particularly liked the way old and new sit comfortably side by side - contrasting of sturdy yet ornate buildings and bridges with towering, glass-fronted tower blocks.
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| Doves of Peace by Michael Lyons |
We wandered through the Spiningfields area, and ended up by the Bridgwater canal where we had dinner at The Wharf, a lovely canal-side dog-friendly pub/restaurant. I love going out to eat with my daughter as we end up somewhere unusual and more interesting than our regular places.
Almost everywhere you look there are cranes, and more buildings going up,
but there were plenty of green spaces - we stayed within a reasonable walking distance of the city centre but next to a lovely park which was ideal for last/first thing dog-walks.
It turned out to have a link to our home-town of Derby, in that this was the site of the first Rolls Royce factory - now marked by this memorial.
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| wildflowers in Hulme Park |
The highlight of the weekend though was watching my daughter run in the half-marathon, and despite the hot weather, finishing with a new personal best.
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| Heading towards the finish line |
More on taking Dylan the dog to an AirBnB here
and our visits to out of town, National Trust properties here
Wow she did well to get a PB in the heat! I haven't been to Manchester in years, it looks there is a lot of development going on. Loved your pictures, you did manage to pack a lot in! Thanks so much for sharing with us at #TweensTeensBeyond
ReplyDeleteI think even my daughter was a bit surprised by the PB! If you haven't been recently, you might not recognise the place :) There are SO many new high-rises going up - all glass and shiny finishes, but they mix well with the older buildings, either by luck or clever planning.
DeleteWell done to your daughter Mary. And well done you for cramming so much in during your visit. Somewhere I've never been but it looks like you did it justice and so much better for having a blue sky. I imagine she was delighted to have your company. Thanks for sharing with #tweensteensbeyond
ReplyDeleteThank you, Nicky. I think she was surprised as the weather was so hot! Certainly a fun weekend away, and I'm looking forward to more. Thanks for dropping by and commenting
DeleteMary I used to work in Manchester a lot in my early days and was surprised I how much I loved it. My son is a Man Utd fan so we have been back a few times and what a transformation. A great city. Thanks for sharing. #TweensTeensBeyond
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting, Jo. I can't begin to imagine how it looked only a few years ago - everything is so sparkling and new!
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