Day trip to Manchester

As you probably know my Mum is in a nursing home which is in Eccles just outside Manchester. It is approx 250 miles away from where I live in the South East. Living nearby, my brother used to visit Mum most days and I would go and stay every 4 -5 weeks. Since his death in March it has been very difficult for Mum and I have been visiting weekly until Mum had got over the shock of Peter's death. Now I go and stay for a few days every month and in between go by train just for the day. Today I decided to photograph the journey.

I left early and caught the 6.30am train from my local station - Grove Park

 The journey only took about 18mins to London Bridge.

Down two long escalators to the underground.

Always like to check I'm on the right line. (In fact before I took this photo I had gone to the wrong line despite having done this trip on numerous occasions!) What is often confusing is that I needed to travel north on this line from London Bridge to Euston but looking at the map it looks as though I need to go south.

This is the one I want. Only 6 stops so won't take that long.

Here I am at Euston where you would generally catch a train going to the North West of Britain. .

This is the train I'll be travelling on to Manchester. It's a pendalino train and travels at high speed which means it sways as it goes round bends. Travelling backwards on these trains makes me feel very travel sick. Yuk!

It takes 2hrs and 5mins to travel from London to Manchester in these trains. Passing through the rolling, beautiful, greenery of the British countryside. Unfortunately I cannot do it justice with my camera - but you get the idea.

For whatever reason Manchester seems to be a big hit for hen and stag parties as in the next carriage were a large group of girls drinking champagne whilst in the buffet bar there was an even larger group of men also drinking and enjoying themselves and it wasn't even 9am!

We pulled into Manchester Piccadilly Station on time. A typical Victorian station.

The next part of the journey involves me getting a tram. These were reintroduced into Manchester in the early 90s running on disused railway tracks and then onto tram lines along the main roads. Manchester has steadily expanded the tram routes as they are a convenient way of travelling.

This is the one I need to take me out to Eccles. As they run above ground and not particularly fast you get to see some of the city.

I always know I'm in Manchester when I see the red bricked buildings. From the old to the new.

 After about 50 mins I arrive at Eccles which is part of Salford.

It has some quite quirky shops and some run down parts.

Although I never lived in Salford when I was growing up I remember it well as my Father was born here so I used to regularly visit relatives here. I clearly recall the  2 up and 2 down, back to back houses. On the walk from Eccles town centre to where Mum now lives I pass some of these houses so it's like a trip down memory lane for me.

But at last I reach the Nursing Home with its welcoming gardens.

I finally arrive at 11.30am five hours after leaving home, but it's worth it: