Sunday 18th June
To celebrate Alan's birthday and also Father's Day, we all got together to have a full day out. We began with both grandchildren having breakfast.

Then all the adults had a brunch at Altrincham's Market House right next door to the covered market hall.

We all caught a tram in Altrincham and after a short ride and a few minutes walk, we all arrived at Walton Park.

The main attraction here is the regular Sunday train rides pulled by live steam model locomotives and we all had a ride.

Right next door to the model railway there was a lovely playground and both grandchildren took full advantage of the swings and the slide.

Finally we took the tram to Media City where we spent some time in the shade in the gardens and had our evening meal at Wagamama.



Wednesday 14th June
Lunch on the North Yorkshire moors on our way to Whitby and just missed seeing the steam train on the NYMR.



With temperatures in the 20's we enjoyed a lovely day there.

We spent some time watching the dredger working in the harbour and then moving out to sea to dump its load.

After a walk to the end of the pier, along the beach and up the steep path to the clifftop, we watched the members of the surf school arrive for their lesson.

The classic Whitby photograph, the abbey framed by the whale's jawbone.

 In the early evening the cobbled street over the bridge on the opposite side of town was deserted and very atmospheric.

The viewing point below the abbey was an ideal place to watch the fishing boats return from their day at sea.



Sunday June 4th
We visited Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire, the stately home of the Rothschild family, built by Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild in the 1870's in the style of a French chateau.

The aviary was set up in the time of Baron Ferdinand and today remains a very important place for rare bird conservation.

The famous rose garden has many different types of rose and the scent as you enter the garden is a heady mixture of the different varieties.



Saturday 3rd June
Just to the north of Burton-on-Trent is Claymills Victorian pumping station. It was closed in the 1970's and was semi-derelict for 20 years until a group of enthusiasts got together and rescued it.
There are 4 enormous beam engines, 3 of which are in full working order. The state of the 4th shows how much the volunteers have done.

8 miles to the south, on the edge of the National Forest, is Barton Marina. The canal boats and canal cruisers are moored alongside a modern development of shops and restaurants.



Thursday 1st June
We set off from Miller's Dale Station to walk the Monsal Trail which was created on the old Midland Railway line from Manchester to London. There are views of the dales and the local mills and we remarked how difficult it must have been to create this railway line in 1860.

The first tunnel we reached was Litton Tunnel, the longest on this route which is well lit and it is over one third of a mile long with a curve in the middle.

This was the stunning view as we came out of the tunnel at the other end.

Just through the very pretty village of Ashford in the Water we stopped to view Headstone Viaduct from above.

We walked down a very steep track onto the viaduct with lovely views of the River Wye.

We then went down an even steeper track to the meadow below the viaduct.

In the evening we strolled through Pavilion Gardens in the centre of Buxton.

Down at one end we got a view of the Devonshire Dome built in 1779 by John Carr of York to house the Duke of Devonshire's horses. It is bigger than St. Pauls and the biggest unsupported dome in Europe.