Manchester and Stockport
A supersaver, “two together” railcard ticket took us to Stockport/Manchester for £30. When we got there, we were collected and hosted by my sister, Sandra, and her husband, Paul, who looked after us for the weekend.
Wall to wall sunshine and relatively warm temperatures meant we were able to get the most out of the visit, which took us via some of Sandra’s favourite haunts – these mostly being pubs, and cocktail bars…
Sandra was keen to show off the City and with the great weather we got the best throw of the dice we could have wished for.
It also felt like everyone was out for a party, with smiles everywhere you looked. It was just one of those weekends that felt kind of special from the get go!
Whilst we have visited Manchester many times over the years, we’ve never actually explored Stockport, which is Sandra’s local manor. Wow. It’s amazing with tons of character, and we could immediately see why it gets rave reviews.
Hannah arrived at my sister’s house only moments before me and Em, so it was perfect timing for Paul to make some of his home-made cocktails – which we polished off before heading out.
Stockport Town
We started off at one of Sandra’s favourite bars, a place called Stanley’s, which is located on a road called the “Little Underbank” a quaint pedestrianised section of the old town centre.
With steep footpaths next to ornate bridges, linking the railway line to the roads beneath, the whole area looks like a movie set, and I doubt much has changed for centuries.
We met up with Helena and Steve, the former being an old “Mellow Laner” from Hayes in West London and close friend of Sandra’s. We were joined later by Lee and Sam before heading off to the Mekong Cat. Before coming up again Lee will need to brush up on Connect 4 skills. Say no more!
And it’s not everywhere you can find a restaurant like The Mekong Cat which knocks out some pretty authentic and high quality dishes from south east Asia, all sold for a crazily low price. Definitely a place to share starters and mains – tapas style, in order to experience some awesome food.
Any savings we made on the food soon evaporated when we headed to Bohemian for cocktails….
However, price aside, they were some of the most amazing cocktails you could wish to buy.
The night ended in a bar called ōdiobā before heading back the short distance to Sandra’s.
Saturday – Manchester
Hannah was the first to make it out of bed, she had to get ready for a pub-crawl in Leeds with friends her age! So after breakfast she bid us farewell, before the four of us set off for central Manchester.
What with the great weather, supported by bucket loads of alcohol and a ton of laughter, it was kind of difficult to pinpoint highlights from today.
…But 20 Stories bar has to be up there, with its swanky decorations and stunning views of the city. This really is a “must” given its location and the prices, whilst high, weren’t extortionate!
We made it here via a few watering holes en-route. I’d recommend Be at One, with its 2-4-1 cocktails! We liked it so much we swung past for seconds!
Mellow Lane/Manchester connection!
On top of meeting up with Helena last night, whilst at 20 Stories Bar I made contact with Mark James; he and I were close school buddies between 1977 and 1982 and later went on to work together in Tesco Uxbridge before forging different careers.
He lives nearby, so thought I’d see if he was out and about! AND HE WAS, along with his wife Jo and her mum.
So we met them in the Mitre in the Shambles quarter… It was great to catch up and an incredible way to round off the weekend.
Emma and I last met Mark and his wife Jo in 2021 when we celebrated their wedding a few miles across town.
With his full head of hair and youthful features, Mark has aged incredibly well… I think Jo thinks he’s still in his forties! I shan’t tell anyone !
Mark is still recognisable in many of the old photos on this page