March 7 Friday

Christine, Guy and I left Cheltenham for Manchester at 9:30 am.  It was a 2.5 hour drive as well as a coffee stop at a big lay by area off the M 5 or M6, and then a lunch stop at a country pub.  We were off to visit Guy and Christines’ cousin Hugh and his family who live in a village just on the outskirts of Manchester. 

Hugh is the oldest of four sons of Ursula, Guy’s father’s twin sister. Hugh’s three brothers are, Phil in Swansea, Wales, Tom in a village in France, and Nick in Glasgow, Scotland. We plan to see them all on this journey.

Upon our arrival at Hugh and Jos’, we had refreshments and a visit.  Then we went for a nice walk nearby on a beautiful nature trail through an area that is slated for a huge housing development. So sad when you think of all the wildlife that must call this area home. It’s happening everywhere! Too many people as Guy always says. Poor old mother nature is taking the brunt of it!

That evening, we had a nice supper and caught up with our hosts and their wonderful 15 year old twins, Ben and Oliver. Ben is a painter and tennis player and Oliver, he is a skilled pianist who plays rugby. It was great to meet them both. Kids like that bring us hope!

March 8 Saturday

After breakfast, Guy, Christine and I got the train into Manchester.  We were headed to the Imperial War Museum first, then Guy and I were going to Coronation street in the afternoon. 

The area around the Imperial War Museum and ITV Studios is attractive with lots of modern buildings and modern vibe. The Salford Quays Lift Bridge behind Guy and Christine below is a pretty blue pedestrian bridge. It was completed in 2000 for the millennium. It lifts for higher marine vessels when needed. Hope they get the pedestrians off before they raise it:)

The museum was very interesting. We only had 2 hours there but could have used at least 3 hours to see everything properly.  The museum focused on the First and Second World Wars.  There was a wealth of information on the political precursors of both wars,  write ups about the conditions of war and accomplished soldiers from the UK, as well as many artifacts of war including personal items salvaged from the battlefields and from those who survived the war and have passed on. There was even a large steelwork beam structure that had been salvaged from the 911 attack on the World Trade Centre in New York on display. It was truly a moving site to see.

After the war museum, we had a quick lunch in the café there and then Christine went back into the museum for awhile and Guy and I went across the parking lot to the Coronation Street ITV Studios for our tour that I had booked months ago. 

I was so excited. Yes, I have been watching Coronation Street for close to 15 years.  Each night at home, I sit down to relax with 20 minutes of Corrie that I have set to record each day, so I can skip passed the commercials.    It is a guilty pleasure that I am mildly embarrassed about. There was no embarrassment at the studio though. Everyone was there because they were Corrie groupies so I found my tribe for a couple of hours.

We waited for our tour guide to come and collect us in a small café on the site.  “Everyone with yellow wristbands please line up for the start of the tour”, he yelled.  Guy and I fell in line, me excited with anticipation and Guy excited because I was excited.  The guide led us in to a theatre where we had a seven minute film montage of Coronation Street through the decades.    Then we were led out into the parking lot with a couple of stops there to talk about the set and filming.  We found out that what you think is a town is actually a bunch of facades on the cobbles and the inside filming mostly takes place somewhere else at the studios.  That burst my bubble about Coronation Street. By this time, everyone on the tour was antsy to get on the actual Coronation Street cobbles, including me.

We were on the star tour which means that somewhere along the tour, one of the stars from Corrie, would come to meet the tour.  I had been saying to Guy recently that I hoped it would be Steve (Simon Gregson) to be the one to make an appearance. Well, as we were all standing in the parking lot listening to the guide, I spied a car making its way across the parking lot, about 50 feet from us.  For some reason I looked at the car and if it wasn’t the character Steve from Coronation Street. He looked right at me.   I elbowed Guy once he had passed and yelled “I just saw Steve, that was Steve.  I bet he’s the star”.  And he was!

It was a lot of fun to tour the street and see all the spots that I watch weekly on tv. 

The highlight of the tour for me was getting the photo with Steve (Simon Gregson). As we stood together to get the pic, I whispered out of the side of my mouth, “I’ve come all the way from Canada”. He whispered out of the corner of his mouth, “Oh that’s great”. I whispered after the picture was taken, “Take care”, and he whispered, “You too”. That was the extent of our meeting. He had to move on to the next fan. Guy thinks I am in love with Steve but I am not. I just find his character hilarious and I’m old enough to be his older sister!!!

After all that excitement we met up with Christine and had a walk along the Manchester Ship Canal and the Salford Docks area. An interesting bit of information:

“Manchester docks were nine docks in Salford, Stretford and Manchester, at the eastern end of the Manchester Ship Canal in North West England,^[1][2][3] which formed part of the Port of Manchester from 1894 until their closure in 1982. They marked the upper reaches of the ship canal,^[4] and were a destination for both coastal and ocean-bound vessels carrying cargo and passengers, often travelling to and from Canada.^{[5]” (Wikipedia)}

In the last decades, the area has be revitalized into a modern destination of canal walks, museums, art centres, hotels, restaurants and cafes. Apparently its a top place for mini breaks in the area.

Then we took a train downtown, got off and walked for awhile taking in the city and it’s wonderful old buildings and pathways, through to the train station to go back to Hugh and Jos’. Manchester is another example of a city trying to meld the old with the new. Some instances of this work better than others.

That night, we went out with the whole family to a nice pub down the road. It was a great evening.

March 9^th Sunday

After a terrific sleep and breakfast, Guy spent some time with Hugh wandering their lovely garden and giving some ideas about pruning etc. Then we went for a drive through some of the Peak District with Hugh and Ben. The plan was to meet meet Jo and Oliver later for a picnic and a walk around the Biddulph Grange Manor and Gardens. Jo and Oliver left earlier as she was driving Oliver to a piano competition in that area and we were going to meet them later.

The drive through the Peak District was stunning. We got off on some beautiful roads high in the hills with spectacular vistas.

We stopped at the very popular village of Buxton for a coffee and then a wander around the town and through the gardens.

Buxton is the highest altitude market village in England at elevation 1000 ft. above sea level. Like Cheltenham, it is a spa town with access to natural thermal springs, which are now housed as part of a spa . ” The Natural Mineral Baths evolved over many centuries and occupy the site of ancient Roman baths and later Georgian baths situated over the main mineral water spring.” (visitbuxton.co.ca)

Then we continued on to Biddulph Grange with more rolling hills, farmhouses, sheep and beautiful expansive views across the landscape.

We met Jo and Oliver at the busy destination. It was a sunny day and everyone and their dog was out to enjoy the day. Parking was an issue but we managed to secure a spot outside the carpark and walk in. The seven of us enjoyed a picnic provided by our hosts and then we had a wander around the gardens.

Like many manors and gardens, Biddulph Grange is a National Trust Site. The gardens are obviously a passion project for people who had the resources to develop the site. The Grange was originally a farm from likely the 1400’s. In 1842, it was bought by James and Maria Bateman and apparently they spent almost 30 years developing the property and gardens with help from a friend who scouted and propagated a lot of the plants and trees that you see there today. The Heath family later owned the house for 50 years after which it became a hospital. In the 1970’s a campaign started to save the site and it succeeded and in the 1990’s the National Trust assumed Biddulph Grange for perpetuity. (nationaltrust.org.uk)

Just an aside. Caroline (Guy’s sister) encouraged us to get a National Trust membership because entry for many of these old protected sites are expensive. I looked into it and found that if we were members of the National Trust in Canada, our membership would be honored by the National Trust of UK. We will soon already have paid for our pass in entry fees for sites so it’s really worth it.

After our garden walk, we bid Hugh, Jo, Ben and Oliver goodbye and headed back to Cheltenham. We made good time from the Peaks in about 1.5 hours. Way to go Christine!

It was a great weekend and wonderful to spend some time with Guy’s extended family.

Next up – Pick up the van and make some tracks!