Where are your favourite walks?

[DaveF]

I've always wanted to ask our esteemed English friends: are there any vineyards around Manchester?

The English seem to be a bit quiet this evening, so I'll jump in again . The Manchester climate is notoriously dull, wet and windy which, together with the acid, peaty soils of the southern Pennines, means that vines probably won't grow there.  This map https://www.winecellardoor.co.uk/directory/map/ seems to confirm this.  (The Vale of York, on the other hand, which is further north but enjoys a sunnier climate and fertile limestone soils, appears to have a number of vineyards.)  Manchester is however a great beer town.

[Irons]

@Irons

I would like to recommend Nara (and Kyoto) for a visit in the near future. In Nara, there is a small classical music cafe called El Mundo. The shop has nice audio equipments and LP records. The female owner likes British people and she has visited London to buy used records. Her daughter is a violinist and she frequently comes to the shop. The venue is rather small, but cute and elegant.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/eJf24WMXQJsMF8Dh9?g_st=ipc

http://milk21.cocolog-nifty.com/blog/2018/06/post-dbb1.html

https://samcamp.exblog.jp/31119508/

El Mundo looked very nice. Two high quality turntables, with a British Michell Gyrodec and on the right possibly a Luxman? Top of range amplification too. To combine a café with record shop is so civilised with the only downside being how many hours spent there! Search and refresh!!
The only equivalent I know of in the UK being Yarborough House in Shropshire. When we visited many years ago there was a large amount of LPs for sale but I notice vinyl not mentioned on current webpage.

 https://www.yarboroughhouse.com/

[Florestan]

The English seem to be a bit quiet this evening, so I'll jump in again . The Manchester climate is notoriously dull, wet and windy which, together with the acid, peaty soils of the southern Pennines, means that vines probably won't grow there.  This map https://www.winecellardoor.co.uk/directory/map/ seems to confirm this.  (The Vale of York, on the other hand, which is further north but enjoys a sunnier climate and fertile limestone soils, appears to have a number of vineyards.)  Manchester is however a great beer town.

Thanks for the info.

[Dry Brett Kavanaugh]

El Mundo looked very nice. Two high quality turntables, with a British Michell Gyrodec and on the right possibly a Luxman? Top of range amplification too. To combine a café with record shop is so civilised with the only downside being how many hours spent there! Search and refresh!!
The only equivalent I know of in the UK being Yarborough House in Shropshire. When we visited many years ago there was a large amount of LPs for sale but I notice vinyl not mentioned on current webpage.

 https://www.yarboroughhouse.com/

Yarborough House Looks cozy and nice. I have a feeling that I will visit there someday.

[steve ridgway]

Coming home down the M6 yesterday I fulfilled a long-held desire to have a look at Alan Garner Country (also known in these parts at @steve ridgway Country ).  I was a bit concerned that Alderley Edge wouldn't live up to its descriptions in Garner's books (specifically The Weirdstone of Brisingamen, The Moon of Gomrath and Boneland), but it sure did - enormously atmospheric.  We did some of the "Weirdstone" places on The Edge - Stormy Point, the Goldenstone, Saddlebole and of course The Wizard - now sadly a National Trust tearoom rather than a pub.  Next time, must devote a whole day.

Pics of Madame admiring view of distant Manchester and rock-hopping on Stormy Point.

Alderley Edge is indeed very scenic and also has some mysterious copper mines going back to prehistoric times - there are some marks where the rock's been hacked out with antlers!

[Kalevala]

El Mundo looked very nice. Two high quality turntables, with a British Michell Gyrodec and on the right possibly a Luxman? Top of range amplification too. To combine a café with record shop is so civilised with the only downside being how many hours spent there! Search and refresh!!
The only equivalent I know of in the UK being Yarborough House in Shropshire. When we visited many years ago there was a large amount of LPs for sale but I notice vinyl not mentioned on current webpage.

 https://www.yarboroughhouse.com/

From your description (I haven't checked out the links), it sounds pretty cool!

Alderley Edge is indeed very scenic and also has some mysterious copper mines going back to prehistoric times - there are some marks where the rock's been hacked out with antlers!

Wow! 

K