Life in Northern Towns

What can I say about Prestwich ?  To quote The Smiths: "So much to answer for".  I've known this place for over 30 years and know way too much to condense it into a pithy blog post.  I was brought up just over the border in Whitefield, but I went to primary school in Prestwich. We did most of our family shopping there and spent more than enough time delivering newspapers to the area during the mid 1980s.  So 30 plus years on, how does Prestwich fare?  Actually I think it's better now than in the 1980s. Maybe it's because I'm older and it has more to offer an adult than a teenager.   Getting to Prestwich is really easy.  If you are on the M60, get off at junction 17 and you are there.  From Manchester city centre, take the A56 (Bury New Road) and drive about 5 miles, or just jump on the Metrolink in Manchester and get off at Prestwich.  It's a real bonus that Prestwich is on the Metrolink line as it does provide easy access to other p...

Looking back at my blog I noticed there was a glaring omission from the Cheshire section, namely Knutsford .  However persuading Neil to go back there was another matter.  A bribe of battered burger at the Pepper Street Fryer in Nantwich worked, so he was then held captive in the car for a detour to Knutsford. We’ve been having rather beautiful weather in the north lately, which is a complete novelty to us sun deprived northerners.  So it was good to take a trip into leafy Cheshire, although my car proved to be an effective sauna until I remembered how to work the aircon. Getting to Knutsford from north Manchester is simple as you take the M60, M62, M6, junction 19 and follow the signs to Knutsford.  When we lived in south Manchester we used to go M60, M56 and then either the A556 or A538, but I prefer the M6 as it’s both quicker and a shorter drive once you exit the motorway, although you can get a train from Manchester which drops you in the heart of the t...

I have begun to bribe Neil with meatballs and cake so he will actually step foot inside IKEA these days.  After one trip we decided to go to St Helens , just because we've never been and I’d also been asked many moons ago to do a Life in Northern Towns review of this town. Getting to St Helens is simple - we headed down the M62, past the Dream statue, exited at junction 7, negotiated the many roundabouts of the A570 and passed the out of town retail parks into St Helens. The Dream statue on the edge of St Helens was built to commemorate the mining history of the place.  Whilst I don’t have a problem with public art, as I think landmarks are important as it gives a sense of place, the Dream is too subtle as a gateway piece of art.  On a dull day with grey skies you will miss it as it’s white and blends in.  Obviously on a clear blue sky day you can’t miss it, but how many blue sky days do you get in the north of England?  Nice idea, but I don’t think it ...

We’d just visited Ramsbottom and had an hour or so to kill, so we decided to pop 4 miles down the road to Rawtenstall . I am reasonably familiar with Rawtenstall.  When I was a teenager my Dad used to bring me and my brother up to the dry ski slope just outside here.  Like with most sports I have tried, I was completely rubbish at it.  On my first trip, I ended up getting a black eye as I went face first into the wooden barrier on the nursery slope.  Last time I skied (this time in Sheffield) I ended up in casualty with concussion and a suspected broken thumb.  Ski Rossendale is still going after all these years as a social enterprise, which is a good thing for the local community.  Although with my dodgy foot and ankle, I think it’s wise I don’t go anywhere near those slopes as I’ve had more than enough trips to casualty in my lifetime. The last time we went to Rawtenstall town centre was several years ago and I have to admit I wasn’t very excit...