We travelled to Manchester with a single purpose in mind – all things football !! We had surprised our 12-year-old Kidsetter giving him tickets to the Manchester United vs Aston Villa match at the Old Trafford Stadium, he was beyond thrilled with the news.
We were travelling via campervan and pre booked staying at Burrs Country Park Club Campsite which is based around the River Irwell and the remains of two cotton mills. Higher Woodhill Mill and Burrs Mill. Extensive development of the mill has left interesting archaeological remains and water courses in the area.
As we had arrived around dinner time we all craved a hearty pub meal. Thankfully The Brown Cow pub was only a 5-minute walk from the campsite.
Entering the Brown Cow instantly makes you feel at home. It’s a cozy pub, great atmosphere buzzing with activity and even a few dogs chilling out. We didn’t manage to squeeze a table inside and originally, I was disappointed as it was cold outside however it turned out to be the best part. Outside is a lawn with a football goal. Immediately our Kidsetter joined in with the local kids kicking the footy. We were able to chat with the friendly locals which was a definite highlight.
We awoke the following morning to find there was no heating. None ! The campsite manager was nowhere to be seen which meant that unfortunately we then had to reach out to Just Go (the campervan hire company) and advise them of the issue. They then sent us on a 2-hour investigation process via text messages which still did not work. Eventually we were able to speak to the campsite manager and it turned out to be an easy fix; the electricity connector wasn’t activated by the campsite. At our previous campsites they had already activated the electricity so it was unusual that it had not been activated. Although it worked out, it was quite stressful as we all know the weather in UK is mostly cold and wet !
We had hoped to use that time exploring Manchester city but alas now we were potentially going to be late to Manchester United match.
We had been given directions on how to reach the Old Trafford Centre from the Burrs Country Club, but sometimes things just don’t go your way. We walked from the Burrs Country Club to the nearest Manchester Metrolink in Bury which turned out to be a 38 minute walk in the wet and we got lost. You can imagine the moaning from our Kidsetter !
We had previously done our research on which tram to catch from Bury to Manchester and then to the Old Trafford Centre. But alas, we caught the wrong tram !
Eventually we arrived at The Old Trafford stadium, and although the morning had been awful, we were able to enter into the zone of excitement.
The Old Trafford stadium, commonly known as “The Theatre of Dreams,” was originally opened on February 19, 1910 with a capacity of approximately 80,000. During the Second World War, Old Trafford was used by the military as a depot, and on March 11, 1941 was heavily damaged by a German bombing raid.
We had to walk up 17 flights of stairs to reach our allocated section in the Sir Alex Ferguson Stand, 3rd Tier. Entering the Old Trafford Stadium our Kidsetter could not stop smiling. The effort to get here, had been worth it.
We enjoyed participating in all Manchester United chants;
Glory, glory Man United
Glory, glory Man United
Glory, glory Man United
As the Reds go marching on, on, on!
The game was intense and kept us in suspense the entire time as the score was close. Eventually though Manchester United won – phew !
We caught the tram back into Manchester City and seized the opportunity to catch up with a good friend whom was singing at the Manchester Cathedral.
It was a long weekend and restaurants were fully booked, however Wagamama managed to squeeze us in and we ate a delicious Asian style meal. A lovely end to an adventure filled day.
