Nelson

Leaving our Warmshower host’s house we decamped to a Backpacker’s before heading out for our Nelson day!

A perfect cold grey day to enjoy The Suter Art Gallery - it was first on our list. On route we popped into a bike shop to get some tyre sealant. Talking to the bike mechanic we learned he had heard of Richard and Shona - the couple who own ‘Keep Pedalling’ in Manchester where we bought our bikes. They regularly race together in out-of-the-way-places on their tandem and he had listened to their blog about The Silk Road Mountain Race, which he is racing this August. It’s a toughie and we wished him well!

When reaching the Art Gallery we made friends with the resident gnome, and then really enjoyed the Suter’s three brilliant exhibitions (so much so we’ve given it a separate Footprint).

Inspired by the art we thought we’d explore Nelson’s Art Trail. Following a trail map gave us direction and orientated us in the city, looking at outdoor art as we went. Nelson has lots of wee galleries and we popped into a few - especially Craig Potton’s, a renowned landscape photographer from Nelson whose work we both like.

We also visited the Nelson Provincial Museum which was full of random local histories and artifacts. Of note… “Wanted: One Dead Canary!” In 1973 the museum director at the time crowd-sourced a replacement canary to be displayed in a cage showcased at the opening of the 'new' museum. The advert at the time read: “A dead canary is wanted by the Nelson Provincial Museum, but the director does not want you to ‘put down’ yours. A stuffed canary in mechanical music box at the museum stands forlorn and denuded. The passage of years has taken its toll and the feathers have dropped off one by one. But with some judicious borrowing, the canary will be ready to burst into song again.” Sadly the canary didn’t sing for us. I also realised afterwards that the poor bird’s head is cut off in the photo.

We walked up the steps to the Anglican Church that towers above Nelson on a wee hill and loved the small cacti garden in the grounds. Heading back down off the hill we also liked the restored historic settlers homes in Nelson’s oldest street.

In the evening we went out to The Free House bar, recommended to us by the lady we chatted to in Craig Potton’s gallery. Tucked away in a converted church it had the same cosy warm feel as The Cloisters back home. Entering we were immediately greeted by the music from a group of musicians, all sat round a table. The folk music they played reminded us of home and what could pass for a similar impromptu jam in an Edinburgh pub. Had a warm fuzzy feeling end to a good day.Leggi altro