Grand Tour of the North Day 28 First Class Hiccup

It was my last day in Scotland, but not quite the end of this tour of the North as I had planned a night in Manchester. Having got a great deal on First ticket travelling Transpennine Trains instead of Virgin cost more second Class it was a no brainer.... Well it didn't quite turn out like that.
Having checked out of the hostel I made my way to to the tube station & then alighting at St Enoch, which is the nearest stop to Central Station. As usual I arrived in plenty of time a had a coffee.  Train was 11.16 & I had fifty minutes to before the train was due to leave.
11.00 i looked at the displays but couldn't see the Manchester train on the board, only one for Carlisle Only at 11.16. Having enquiried with station staff I was told my train would only be going as far as Carlisle as a maintenance train had derailed at Carnforth & we would change to anther service (Virgin Trains) at Oxenholme where a bus would take to Preston Station. From there we could resume the journey by train.
All was fine to Carlisle, I even managed to take a few photos.I didn't even need to change platform which was great, so far so good. Shame I wasn't going to see Carnforth station, made famous by Trevor Howard & Celia Johnson in 'Brief incounter'
Virgin train arrived,  no problem still travelrd first Class. I thought, ok this is going to be fine. On reaching Oxenholme. a small station managed by Virgin Trains I might add that's where it all disastrously belly up. All the passengers were told to go to the front entrance where coaches were waiting to take up to Preston.... NO COACHES.  There was a lot of passengers & no coaches. Virgin staff were nowhere to be seen, no one knew what was happening. We were just left.  Not a Virgin Train not there problem (as it was a Transpennine service)
After twenty minutes a coach turned up at least four coaches would be needed.
The coach was full & people needed to alight. People waiting surged forward try to get to on the coach as the drive was loading up with suitcases, passengers with out cases piled on the coach & there wasn't any room, so the driver off loaded the cases & left to everyones anger & dismay.
Still no Virgin staff,  nothing was done in a orderly or safe manner & I'm surprised no one got hurt. I managed to get on the second coach. The driver was very good making sure it was done safely & orderly.
Coach loaded & on our way. Took an hour to Preston. (Virgin Trains managed & larger station) was very organised safely & orderly... Completely different to Oxenholme ( I will writing to Virgin Trains in due course)
I got to the platform & the train to Manchester arrived. Took an hour & in the end a two & half journey took over four hours.
Finally Manchester headed for the Metrolink to catch tram to Deansgate where the YHA is sit only to be told trams aren't running maintenance work being told "You need to take the bus..... No thank you...." TAXI"

Grand Tour of the North Day 27 Hard Rock Cafe

Sadly it's my last day in Glasgow & nearly the end of my Grand Tour of the North. Tomorrow I leave for Manchester for one night before heading back to Nottingham. I've had a wonderful time travelling around Scotland.
After breakfast I headed of through Kelvingrove Park to catch the tube into the city.  I could here drums..... a lot of drums coming from the park. There was twenty-five of them.  Also there was a Charity run taking place & while I was filming participants were running in front of, so it added to it "running to the beat of the drum"
After ten minutes film I made my way to Kelvingrove tube station & into the city, so far the rain held off.  A got off at St Enoch which was the closest to Central Station. To my surprise if I got the Transpennine Train I could travel First Class for less than Virgin Trains.... No brainer...
On leaving the station it started to drizzle with rain, so I popped into the Gallery for New Art.... I noticed Wellington was still wearing his cone on his head. In all the galleries I have visited I saw postcards with Wellington with a orange cone on his head... This gallery had gone one better POSTERS
By I had finished looking round the Gallery, I was ready to eat & having spotted HARD ROCK CAFE I miss going in the one where I live, sadly it's gone.  So I got sat down, music rocking away screens all around & great atmosphere rock memorabilia covering the walls Guitars hanging up & Artists clothing displayed.
Ordered food... Norwegian Salmon + veg & coffee.  absolutely wonderful. They were starting to get busy with customers, so it was time to leave... Having paid the bill of course
While walking up the stairs I noticed a display, it was Angus Young's guitar & his stage gear school blazer short trousers & a photograph wearing the clothes & playing the guitar displayed. John Phillips ( my late partner)  was at one time sound & lighting engineer & had toured with the band AC/DC & became good friends with Angus.  after the tour had finished John was given the tie he worn on stage during the tour....I have that tie...maroon / white stripe. The one on display was similar colour but different pattern.
It was great to see it John had fond memories of that time working with them & bands like Supertramp,  Ian Gillan,  Deep Purple & many others
It would have been lovely for him to have been there.... Or maybe he was....
ROCK ON JOHN!!!

Grand Tour of the North Day 26 Discovering Rennie Mackintosh

Apart from going to see a film about Ingrid Bergman in the afternoon, the morning was spent pursuing Rennie Mackintosh.... Or should I say his work.
His designs feature in many buildings around Glasgow. I began my Macintosh trail at Glasgow School of Arts.(Hillhead St.) Here I found his house.... Well not exactly, sadly that was demolished after it was given along with the contents to the University
 A difficult decision was made & due to subsidence the structure of the house No.6 Florentine Ave was demolished. A representation of the house was built as part of the University to the same design, rooms were constructed exactly as the original & the furniture placed in those rooms. Some soft furnishings aren't the original & the lighting are reproduction.
You really feel you're in his original house & it's light & spacious completely different from the dark interior of Victorian of that period.
My next location was the Lighthouse the Mackintosh centre. (Mitchell St.) Here you will find a mixture of models of his designs including some that were never built, a timeline of his life. The Mackintosh tower which you can climb for panoramic views of Glasgow.
It was lunchtime & fancied a cup of tea & a light bite so off I headed for 217 Sauchiehall St to the The willow Tea Rooms designed by Macintosh & his wife Margaret Macdonald. Sadly when I got there it was boarded up future unknown.
I was informed of a place on Buchanan St that was site of the new Willow Tea Rooms & was a modern reproduction of the original. So i made my way there & had a sandwich & had a nice pot of tea. It was ok you could imagine what the original tea rooms might have been like, a little disappointed, but the atmosphere made up for that. There was also a small gift shop dedicated to Mackintosh.
There are many more places around Glasgow that he designed including Queen's Cross (Garscube Rd) the only Church he designed. Kelvingrove Art Gallery (Argyll St) House For Art Lover (Bellahouston Park) Scotland St School Museum all displaying some his work.
Rennie Mackintosh left his mark on Glasgow & has left a lasting impression
 on me.