Today, I drove a manual and survived.

It was very successful. I was honked at less than 15 times, and both times we got lost we found our way again in less than 45 minutes. The whole trip took only twice as long as it was meant to, and I only stalled on two roundabouts. And six traffic lights.

The sights were lovely too. We popped past a really happening town, “World Class Birmingham” (according to the sign, anyway). They have a lovely wee art gallery there and a pub in a mall that serves food almost as good as the hospital cafeteria’s. I can completely understand why Snoring Lamp Man would want to live here.

Luckily, Manchester is great. Our hostel is right by the canal, and the area has a really cool vibe. We even went to see Ghost: The Musical, which we thought sounded about as fun as World Class Birmingham, but was actually surprisingly good.

Tomorrow, we head further into the Lake District. I can’t wait to get back behind the wheel.

AA