Thursday April 6th. The annual Conference of Rotary in Britain and Ireland is
now on our calendar every year, as it is an opportunity for the PDG and I to
catch up with all our PDG friends from around the country. We got to know them
quite well during her year in office, so this Conference affords us an
opportunity to meet up again. We were joined this year by Lyn Derrington, who
follows me as President of Shepperton Aurora Rotary in July. In fact we gave
her a lift up North to this year’s venue in Manchester.
Manchester skyline
Although the PDG and I were staying at a Hotel across the
road from the Conference Centre, Lyn was staying with her friend Gerry and her
husband, who live in Bury, just a few miles outside of Manchester. The
Conference started on Friday, but we like to travel up on the Thursday, which
gives us time to get our bearings before it kicks off. The plan was to drop Lyn
off at her friends’ house then go into Manchester and find our Hotel, the
Premier Inn Central.
Premier Inn Manchester central
We set off early on the Thursday, and stopped for our
traditional Olympic breakfast at the Little Chef in Bicester, about an hour
away. Thus refreshed, we continued on our way. Traffic was kind to us and we
arrived at Bury in the early afternoon. It was the first time we had been to
Bury, and for some reason I was expecting a rather grim Industrial town.
However it was a rather pleasant place, quite high up, with great views across
the Pennines. Gerry’s husband was a keen gardener, but struggled with
waterlogged soil for much of the year, due to a combination of high rainfall
and heavy clay.
Olympic Breakfast
Gerry had prepared a
super lunch for us, which we just about coped with after our large breakfast.
We spent a very pleasant couple of hours with them, before it was time for the
PDG and I to head off to Manchester and check in to our Hotel. We knew the
Hotel didn’t have its own car park, but we were unprepared for the fact we
weren’t even able to park outside, as there was no forecourt, and the trams ran
directly past the entrance. I had to pull up (illegally) in a side street
nearby, unload the PDG and get her into the Hotel, then come back for the
suitcases (as usual we had packed for a fortnight, even though we were only
staying 3 nights), leave the PDG in the Hotel lobby looking after them, whilst
I drove to the public car park about 400 yards away, and walked back.
Bridgewater Hall Car Park
Being a Premier Inn, we knew what to expect from the Hotel.
We often stay in them, and find them quite comfortable, and wheelchair
friendly. This one had its own Restaurant, where we would have breakfast. Our
room was on the 8th floor, and had a good view looking South, across
the Rochdale canal, which passed nearby. Later that weekend I was to take a
walk along this canal.
Rochdale Canal (looks like a low bridge ahead)
In the evening we went out to get our bearings, and I was
impressed with what I saw. The Central area of Manchester, where we were, was
largely a pedestrian only zone. The only traffic in the area were the trams
which went in all directions. The city has a very efficient tram system,
whereby people living in outlying areas can catch a tram into the city centre,
which must take a lot of cars off the streets. In fact Lyn met up with us the
following day, having travelled from Bury by tram.
Traffic Free - City centre
We strolled around to a Bar / Restaurant called The
Alchemist, not the kind of place we normally frequent. For a start there were
bouncers on the door, and loud music playing inside. However despite all that,
there was a good atmosphere inside, and we had a good time. On the way out, I
had this idea of asking the bouncers if they would kindly pretend to throw me
out, thus creating a good photo opportunity for the PDG. However she demurred,
worried that they might demand cash for providing this service. I doubted that,
but decided not to bother anyway. On our way back to the Hotel, we passed a
number of Restaurants with (Rotarian) faces we recognised inside. Unfortunately
they didn’t all recognise us, and looked blankly at these two idiots waving
through the window.
The Alchemist
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