Remarkably for us we were packed and ready to go before lunch. We phoned my mum before we set off because she was feeling down in spirits due to a recent diagnosis that added to her ongoing health issues.

After the phone call we set off on our journey to the Premier Inn Heald Green for our overnight stay ahead of catching our flight to Rome. Along the way we stopped for lunch at Hungersheath Tea Rooms, eventually arriving at the hotel a few minutes before the earliest check in time.

We sat in the car for a few minutes and as we were checking in, we were informed that the restaurant and bar area was currently closed. Dining wasn’t a problem as we were already booked into the nearby Tatton Arms.

We decided to visit Quarry Bank Mill (which was a lot closer than we realised) for an afternoon cup of tea. Comfortably refreshed, we walked through the greenhouses and gardens. By this time the sprinkles of rain that greeted us on arrival became a steady gentle downpour that set in for the day.

We returned to the Premier Inn and chilled out for a while before dining in the Tatton Arms. I wanted to order a small fish and chips but I was informed it was ‘Chippy Tuesday’, small portions were unavailable but the large portions were heavily discounted. The discount on a large meal meant I left half my portion because I only have a small appetite.

For some unknown reason neither of us felt at ease in what is normally a comfortable place so we retired to the nearby Flying Horse which was no better.
Third time lucky, The Griffin, nice drinks and a fun, quirky quiz night going on in the background. We couldn’t help but answer the questions between ourselves.

Then it was back to our room for our 3:45 wake up call to allow us to get to the airport in time to drop off the car at the ‘meet and greet’ parking and check in in plenty of time for our flight to Rome.