Peak District / Manchester
Time to see some proper English country-side; we're off to tackle Mam Tor in the Peak District this morning, about 30 mins from Stella's place.
The walk starts with a little steep climb and then runs along along a ridge between two valleys, meaning great views in every direction. Looking across the landscape it feels like you're looking at a toy town, its so picture perfect - oh look, there goes the miniature train through the lovely country-side!
Lots of people are out making good use of this walk, lots of them with their dogs. Despite this there are no toilets (classic UK things apparently) so a few bush (countryside?) wees are required. We run into a group starting their Duke of Edinburgh course today.
One last steep accent and we finish the main section, giving us the best views and chance to grab a snack and some pictures. Then we turn around and head back.
We've earned ourselves a pasty, we think, so head for the nearest village, Edale. There are plenty to choose from, there's one every 10 kilometres it feels like. We choose well and enjoy one meat and one veggie pasty along with a flapjack, kind of like a thicker and more desert like version of an ANZAC biscuit.
We head home for a quick freshen up before getting a taxi to Manchester. We aim for the People's History Museum on recommendation. It covers off on the narrative of moving from a few rich people running the show and workers having no rights, to where we are today with democracy, better equality and improved human rights in general. It's done pretty well for a free museum. The highlight was the interactive "day at the match factory" where you try and pack as many boxes of matches as you can, and then find out how much money you made at the end of the day (or owed).
Stella now takes us for a mini walking tour of the city, hitting all the key sights, like the Cathedral and main shopping area etc. Its Friday afternoon, the suns out, and everyone seems to be in good spirits.
We head down to Gay Village and check out Canal Street and the vibe around the canal there with quite a few bars and restaurants. It looks great and a perfect time for a well deserved beer.
Time for dinner. Stella has booked a Mexican place called Madre just around the corner, with her friends David and Kim joining us. The food is perfect, nothing too fancy, just great quality, and good company as well.
David takes us to the Piccadilly area where the industrial area is slowly becoming home to a number of trendy breweries. We head to Track Brewing. The menu is huge. We've noticed that a default ABV seems to be 4% instead of maybe more like 4.5% in Australia. At Track, their flagship pale comes in at 3.9%. The UK also seems to have a look of great Session IPA options coming in around 4.5-5%. I like the concept.
Jeff is gifted a Track Brewing hat by David and Kim and it suits him and he is very pleased.
We say our goodbyes and head back to Stella's.
