Manchester is Buzzing

The bees have arrived in Manchester!

Last weekend, I was trying to come up with something exciting to do when I realised, the long awaited Bee Trail had arrived in Manchester and as the sun was shining, a treasure trail to find as many bees as possible was on the cards. So I roped Wandering Beeb into the trip and the hunt was on!

The Bees in question are part of the ‘Bee in the City Trail’ – 101 bees decorated by artists, communities and celebrities as part of a public art trail. The bee symbol has taken on a more prominent role in Manchester after the Arena attack and the designers of the art trail have recognised this in their giant bee sculptures.

Dotted across Manchester, the bees are all over the wider Greater Manchester area and part of the fun is finding them. A £1.99 app provided a trail map and information on each bee – proving a handy way of keeping track of the ones we spotted.

Whilst the art work involved in each bee celebrates different aspects of the city’s culture and history, I found the most beautiful thing about the bee trail to be the way it provided a route to exploring familiar parts of the city.

Walking around the trail, we found ourselves spotting other pieces of art in the city that we’d never noticed before. It’s easy to walk about a familiar place without actually taking notice of the surroundings.

Brightly coloured wall murals, changes to familiar artwork outside often frequented bars and subtle sculptures all sprang into life around us – usually hidden and forgotten.

We spent around four and a half hours walking around Manchester, following well-trodden paths that our boots could describe blindfolded. At each turn, we spotted something new, visited cafes and shops that we wouldn’t usually notice and stopped to watch an impromptu jazz performance, left over from the recent jazz festival. It reminded me of the walks I used to take as a kid, eyes wide and soaking up the movement of the city around me. It reminded me that we can quickly loose our sense of wonder and adventure in our home town, however we can find it again with a little push.

Don’t Underestimate Local Travel

I’m the opposite of most people. I get time off work and instead of feeling relaxed and chilled out, I get bored and angsty. If I don’t have a plan for the day, you can guarantee I won’t be happy! Wandering Beeb on the other hand is quite happy spending a day on the computer, pottering about the house or watching TV. Not me. I’ve got to be on the move, doing something, feeling like I’m taking down names and kicking ass. Basically, feeling like I’ve achieved something in the day. So you can see how a week off work with no plans felt incredibly stressful to me!

Getting sick of my pacing about and mutterings about dying of boredom, Wandering Beeb struck up a plan to visit Tatton Park, a nearby country park.

I’d never been before and hadn’t realised quite how large the park is. After driving down some very narrow country lanes, the park seemed huge.

One of the main reasons to visit Tatton Park is to see the herd of deer that live there. Initially they were quite far in the distance but later in our walk, we ended up with the herd running in our direction after being spooked by some thing. It’s one thing to observe quietly from a safe space and quite another to see huge antlers coming towards you at speed!

Butterfly’s were abundant throughout the park and I spent some time trying to get a good photo – it’s harder than you think! I certainly don’t have the reflexes or camera skills to do it justice. Most of my pictures were of a fuzzy blob, slightly different in tone to the rest of the blurry picture!

After spending a lot of time on winding (read narrow and nauseating) roads, it was relaxing to be near the water for a stroll around the lake. Aeroplanes overhead quickly brought me back to earth as I contemplated my next adventure, but for now, Tatton Park bridged the gap.

The Beach

The UK is in the middle of a heatwave! As we live in the north, it’s fairly rare to get a summer with this much sun! I can’t believe just how warm and dry it has been over the past few weeks. Usually we have to dress for the weather in summer, which translates to taking out coats and brollies ‘just in case’ it rains!

As expected, with the beautiful weather arriving just in time for school holidays, everyone heads to the beach to soak up some rays. Pictures of crowded beaches, with people sunbathing in every available gap in the sand have filled our news feeds recently. It made me think about what I like about going to the beach and I have to say; it’s not about the weather!

Firstly, you have to understand that I love the heat. I am a sun worshipper and I can feel cold with a jumper, heating and a blanket; proving that I am not a fan of the winter. However: visiting a beach in the middle of a heatwave is the worst thing that I can imagine! Not only would it be full of lots of people (which as an introvert, I probably wouldn’t be thrilled with) but it takes away some of the power of being on a beach.

To me, a beach is a gateway, filled with possibilities; you can look out across the horizon and know that a different place lies across the water. Even though you may not be able to see land, you know that adventure is waiting, travelling across the sea will take you to adventures in another country, with excitingly different cultures and new friends you haven’t yet met.

The proximity and constant movement of the tide helps me to think and there is nothing better than seeing the stretched expanse of beach lay in front of you – even if in reality, a dodgy fairground is a mile down the road.

Looking at the pictures of people making their way down to the beach on hot sunny days; crowded and loud, makes me think back to the times when I have walked down empty, squishy patches of sand, along the edge of the sea, whilst the wind whistles around my coat. I know which one I prefer.

Clearing Out the Cobwebs At Malham Cove

An hour and a half’s drive from Manchester led us to Malham, a small village with a huge rock cove and beautiful views.

Stocking up on Kendal Mint Cake and Snickers, we set off on the 8km round trip from the village to Malham Cove, stopping at Janet’s Foss and Gordale Scar on the way. Blessed with beautiful weather and just the right amount of breeze, it was a beautiful walk with a mix of fields, forest and cliffs to satisfy my adventurous nature.

Janet’s Foss is a small waterfall, which pours into a lush green forest-like setting. Legend has it that a small fairy lives in the cave beyond the waterfall – I thought that Janet wasn’t a very fairy-like name but who am I to judge!? The forest on the way to the Foss was dense and created a mysterious atmosphere, with our conversations echoing around us.

A short trip up the trail led to Gordale Scar – a rocky, waterfall area which was mostly dried up, except for small rock pools and a light waterfall.

Two very brave guys were climbing the rock cliffs – one sensible guy with a rope and one less sensible guy who had a rope that wasn’t hooked up to anything! Very impressive to watch but not something I am brave enough to do! Still we spent some time amongst the lower cliff face, climbing through rock pools and scrambling up the cliff side to a small waterfall at the top.

Doubling back along the path, we followed the trail up to the top of Malham Cove. Here the broken rock stood tall, making crevices and stepping stone pathways reminiscent of an otherworldly terrain.

I’d started the day grumpy and frustrated with a lack of travel recently, however the fresh air and sense of movement really changed how I felt and by the time I was heading back down the cliff, my sense of adventure had returned.