We are off to Derbyshire, specifically to the pretty village of Tissington,  overlooked by Tissington Hall. a 17thC Jacobean Mansion,which is still a private family home occupied by Sir Richard Fitzherbert and his family.. Here, the first Well Dressings of the year, and some would consider them to be the best, are on display.  Well dressing is a beautiful floral art in pictures, made with flower petals, leaves, stones, twigs etc.set in wet clay and all made by the very talented  local residents here.  The origins have disappeared in the mists of time but are thought to be connected with the Black Plague when the Wells were dressed to protect the water.  We will witness the service of the  blessing of the Wells on this Ascension Day and there will be time to wander and browse in this lovely, peaceful, Derbyshire Village..There are refreshments here but if you would rather wait till we reach our next destination Bakewell,  where there is a wide choice of eating, coffee, hotels, pubs etc. places of interest –  It’s the home of the famous Bakewell Tart, and is the largest town in the North Peak District, set on the River Wye and one of the prettiest.  Plenty to interest us here including the Bakewell Tart Shop, lovely mellow stone buildings, quaint courtyards, good choice of shops, . It’s a must for sightseers.

When??  Thurs.2lst May 2020   Dep.8.30am  Ret.6pm  Price: £12.  Seats will be on sale at our table on Tuesday 25th February 2020..

It was cold, frosty and sunny when we set off for Oswaldtwistle Mills.  Set in a converted Weaving Mill this is an award winning destination with lots of variety including clothes, garden centre, textile museum, cafes, ice cream parlour, fresh food etc.  We arrived to a room set out for us to have coffee/biscuits which was a nice start.  Then came the serious business of shopping, browsing, investigating and we are all good at that!    Continue reading →

We will start our day with a visit to the historic city of Lancaster, set on the banks of the River Lune. This is an English Heritage city, compact, vibrant and quirky, with a captivating past and cultured present. There is something for everyone here – museums, galleries, the castle, priory, shopping, Georgian architecture, ‘Olde World’ pubs and the Charter Street market. Take your choice of its’ lively coffee culture, including Atkinsons’ famous coffee and tea merchants, where you will get a cup of freshly roasted coffee.  Follow footsteps along ancient alleyways and discover for yourself its’ charm.  Then we will be off to the White Cross restaurant which is set in a 130 year old converted cotton warehouse on the banks of the canal.  It has a very good reputation for food and we will have a delicious 2 course lunch, pre-selected from an excellent choice of menu, (3 courses if you prefer is an extra £4)

Wed. 25th March 2020 Dep. 9.15am  Ret. 5pm.  Price: £25 inc. lunch.  Seats will be on sale at our table on Tuesday 21st January 2020

Happy, Healthy New Year to all. Our new day trip will start  with coffee at Oswaldtwislte Mills.  This is an award winning outlet and a popular group destination.  There is just about everything you could wish for including fresh food counters and a Garden Centre. We can browse, even buy,  before having a delicious Lancashire lunch.  After lunch we will reboard our coach to be joined by Simon Entwistle to give us a guided Haunted Histories tour.  Simon is very well known for his entertaining tours and has done a series for BBC television.  He will keep us amused and informed with his tales of the unexpected.  So sit back, relax and enjoy.

When?  Wed.5th February 2020.  Depart 9.15am  Ret.5pm.  Price: £25 inc.morning coffee, lunch and guided tour.  Seats will be on sale at our table on Tues.7th January 2020

2.12.19 to 6.l2.19  Turkey n Tinsel Break – – final briefing for this break will be held on Tues.26th November 2019 in the Coffee Room at ll.15am.  If you cannot attend please arrange for your information pack to be collected.  Many thanks

Mon.16th Dec. 2019 – Christmas Lunch at Llyndir Hall Hotel, Rossett.  As there will be no Day Trip Table on 3rd December and it is the Carol Service on the 10th, please arrange to pay your balance for this trip by Tues.26th November. Please make sure you have completed and returned your choice of meal slip  Many thanks

Turkey n Tinsel –  2.12.19 to 6.12.19 Please note the final briefing for this break is on Tuesday 26th November 2019 at ll.15am in The Coffee Room.  If you are unable to attend please arrange for someone to collect your information.  Many thanks

Mon.16.12.19 Christmas Lunch – There will be no Day Trips table on Tues.3rd December 2019 and the Carol Service is on the 10th Dec. so can you please arrange to pay the balance for this trip by the 26th November.  Many thanks

An 8,.30am start and beautiful sunshine started our visit to Guru Nanak Gurdwara in Smethwick.  We had an uneventful journey – if you don;’t count the miles of smart motorway speed limits on the M6.  On arrival at this, the largest Gurdwara in Europe we were warmly greeted and appropriately suited but not booted eg. head coverings and no shoes, were ushered in to this beautiful Temple for an interesting talk and opportunity for a question session.  It was an amazing insight into a completely different culture. Sikhs are very welcoming regardless of faith etc. Everyone we met was calm, peaceful, very polite and very helpful. We attended Langa – this is counted as a blessing and food is provided all over the world free of charge, every day and we wondered how lines of people were able to easily squat on the floor to eat their meal. After bidding farewell to this peaceful area we set off for the Jewellery Quarter Museum.Smith and Pepper who owned the factory could not have known the legacy they left when they closed the factory and stopped production.  It is like a time warp and an indication of how different working conditions were then and now.  Very interesting guides who also gave a demonstration.  We finished with tea/biscuits and then set off on the tortuous journey home on the M6.  However, it was a good day with lots of surprising information. We met some lovely people and the sun shone all day.   .