Sunday, 5 July 2026

Cocktails, Chancers and Saunas

Great afternoon in Ancoats Marina, in Finders Keepers bar yesterday.

Scenes at Finders Keepers Ancoats Marina Saturday. Cheong orange mai tai. And a Canada Goose eyeing it up.

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— Matt Tuckey 🇬🇧 (@matttuckey.bsky.social) 5 July 2026 at 21:21

Sat outside in the sun with the Meetup group. I say great, but in actuality, someone turned up without having actually RSVPd on the page. He ordered a drink, drank it, then left the bar without paying. I shouldn’t have done this, but I made a split decision to pay for him just to keep the peace with the bar. 

Found Track, a brewery come serving bar, on an estate just off Oldham Road. I’m not a beer drinker so there wasn’t much for me to slake my thirst, but their pizzas were great. 2 left to Wetherspoons to my crushing disappointment. Remember COVID and Tim Martin, people. He was a twat. 

The rest of us walked to Freight Island behind Piccadilly approach. PBR Streetgang were on the decks, which is a name I recognise from somewhere. I thought it might be Radio 1… Turns out it’s the 1979 ‘Nam movie Apocalypse Now.

 

Didn’t stay out late. 

Today I visited FIX in the Northern Quarter. I got in on a friend’s membership as a +1. Very serene, calming venue with a sauna room, much larger than Oldham Sports Centre’s (which I was in Saturday). Not as hot, but much more organised. 90 minutes allocated instead of 50. Staff applied different oils with orange and other scents. FIX also have 2 on-site plunge baths of cold and very cold. I tried them both for a few seconds. Very quiet venue. No talking allowed. Good to have a sauna experience that doesn't include yonners arguing about Hamas and vaccines, and telling dull stories of their younger glory days. A calming and cleansing experience, physically and mentally. 

Then we got lunch in My Thai, eastern restaurant I’ve had my eye on for ages. Good spicy food.

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