Altrincham is the end of the tram line. The only way you can go from here is back the way you came. The trams share a station with the railway.

This is one of a set of old-style posters, all bearing the same message but each referencing a different town. The message? “Meander the Mid Cheshire Line and Enjoy Marvellous Days Out”.

Opposite the station tram terminus is the Station Hotel. Today just a pub, it was probably built to serve passengers for the railway station in the mid to late Victorian period. We could not find a date on the building but the style is suggestive of that period.

This clock tower, now looking rather lonely and in need of some sympathetic attention, was built in 1880 when its position was within the forecourt of the railway station.

Yes, another old Burton’s store. This one is in “modern” style and bears the familiar Burton logo at intervals around the base. There are two foundation stones, dated 1936, by Raymond Montague Burton and Arnold James Burton, respectively.

This quietly handsome building whose design makes the most if its corner site, bears the date MDCCCLXXXIII – 1883. There is now no indication that I can see as to its purpose or original owner. The large windows on the ground floor suggest that it might have been a retail establishment.

This large building caught my eye because of its size. I can only guess that it is an early 20th-century department store.

We spent a while relaxing in a coffee bar before making our way back to the barbarously named “Interchange”. It’s just a station and the fact that you can catch buses, trams and trains here doesn’t alter the fact.

As we reached the platform a tram for Piccadilly was about to leave so we went aboard.

We changed trams in order to reach Salford Quays. We should have gone one stop further but we could reach our goal by walking.

And this ugly lump of building is where we were heading: known as The Lowry, it is a gallery containing works of L.S. Lowry.

We stopped for tea at the gallery cafe which was our undoing because the gallery closes at 6 pm and it was 5:55 by the time we realized the time.

We walked to the tram stop and took the tram back to Piccadilly (the railway station).

Carluccio’s

At Piccadilly station there is a branch of Carluccio’s Italian restaurant so we had an early supper there before catching the by now familiar free bus number 2 which brought us almost to our door.

I was quite tired by now and was glad to make tea and rest. Well, not quite: before I could settle down, I had to take a phone call from my sister and nephew in Canada, ringing to wish me a happy birthday for next Saturday.

That done, I could finally put my feet up and mull over the day’s adventures.

The Corn Exchange is looking very fine in the September sunshine. For this photo I was standing on the platform of the tram stop near our apartment.

And here comes the tram. We are having a tram day and have bought one-day travel passes at £7 each as the most economical way to do this.

This is Victoria Station but not as we (Londoners) know it! We changed trams here,

taking the tram to Bury.

A view from the tram as we approach Bury.

First view of Bury

This statue is a monument to comedienne Victoria Wood who came from the town. Photo by Tigger.

Church of St Mary, Bury

This is the head stop of the East Lancashire Railway, a heritage railway running steam trains on a 12.5 mile track to Rawtenstall.

This is the second time we have tried to take a trip on this railway. The first time, we arrived to find it closed. Today it was open but we had just missed a train and we would have to wait 2 hours 20 minutes for the next one. We decided to try again another time. Third time lucky, perhaps.

Fine Victorian buildings

We went for a walk and decided to visit the Art Gallery.

Entrance to the Art Gallery

The art gallery has a range of works from ancient to modern . It is not possible to select a “representative” sample but here are a few items chosen at random.

Monumental Urn, Seifussai, Edo Period, Japan

George Bernard Shaw, Sir Jacob Epstein

Apollo, Briton Riviere

I don’t know what the title of this work is. It is by Joe Hancock and the chairs go up and down, crossing in the middle. We did not see it in action.

By the same artist, this work is a jeu d’esprit in which a nonchalantly posed spirit level sits on a shelf deliberately installed crooked.

For lunch we went to this pub called the Art Picture House.

It is an old cinema and the interior layout still allows this to be seen.

After lunch we again took the tram, this time in the direction of Altricham.

What will we find there?