The much anticipated leather weekend arrived, at last, I had a final nervous moment and quickly put it out of my mind to pack for the weekend ahead.

I had booked an early train to Manchester and had arranged to meet the friend I was sharing with, he had already paid me half of the cost which was very welcome. We checked in early and it gave me plenty of time to have a shower and relax a bit.

Late afternoon I got leathered up and went to register and collect my weekend wristband, there were already plenty of people I knew present and the atmosphere was good. Had a few drinks and then walked with others to the President’s Dinner at a nearby hotel. The organisers had really done a great job and they were very welcoming, we all received a glass of champagne and had our pictures taken. There was a chance to mingle and then after a short speech we had a lovely meal and got chatting to our fellow guests.

After the meal had finished we moved on to a social where I got to finally meet a very longtime close online friend, and I talked for ages with the most beautiful bearded leatherman, then we moved on to a nearby club for the Mastery event, hosted by Brew Hunter. During the next few hours I talked to quite a lot of people and watched Brew Hunter flogging a man I have seen online, it’s the first time I have ever seen anyone else being flogged, it was much harder than I have ever experienced, but it was clear that both enjoyed it and there was obvious affection involved. I had seen several Masters with their boys and although I wasn’t particularly interested in being on the floor licking boots like they were, I was jealous of what they had. I messaged Brew later online to tell him that I thought it was wonderful.

A few hours later I walked back to the hotel with a lovely chatty man from North Wales, I think we were both glad of the company.

When I got into my hotel room it was instantly clear that my roommate was snoring very heavily, it was very unexpected and I was very worried about how I was going to be able to sleep, I played around on my phone for a bit, and then the alcohol kicked in and helped me sleep.

I woke up early on the Saturday morning, the heavy snoring continued, I went back on my phone to see what was happening and got talking to a lovely younger bearded leatherman staying in a nearby hotel, he invited me over and I jumped at the chance, I got up, washed and shaved and left to meet him.

A very good time was had with a very horny man.

On my way back to my hotel for breakfast I received a text from a very good friend who hadn’t been able to make the leather weekend because his partner was very ill, his partner had died, I called him immediately, it’s so hard to know what to say, but I needed to talk to him, I very much value his friendship. The conversation turned to the snoring and he said that his Manchester hotel was still booked and that he would send me the confirmation. I called the hotel and made an excuse for not checking in the previous day and within the hour I was checked in, having picked up lunch on the way.

There weren’t any hard feelings with my roommate, he obviously understood, and we would still hangout together over the weekend.

I had a shower in my new hotel and then put some leather back on. I had a look online and saw pictures of the back of the guy who had been flogged the night before, he had some very noticeable marks. I have to admit that I was a little jealous of his experience, his connection, the marks were like a trophy.

I went to the fetish market in a nearby club and then to the LGBT foundation for a couple of the workshops. The workshops I attended were extremely good and well patronised. The first was about trust and affection in BDSM, the second was on flogging and was hosted by Brew Hunter, the third was a sort of fireside chat with a veteran of the leather scene followed by Joe King, the current Mister Leather Europe. All of the workshops were interesting and clearly demonstrated what I can only describe as good positive values.

I went off for food and met up with my roommate, then went to a social where I bumped into a lovely man who I had previously met many years before when I was a member of the gay bike club, he was in Manchester with a friend and meeting them really made my night. I went to the club night Alert! with them, leaving for my hotel at about 02:30, having connected with him online.

On Sunday morning I awoke with a hangover, I was supposed to be going on a canal cruise but really couldn’t face it, having reset my alarm several times. I arranged to meet a friend who was staying at a room along the corridor and we went to the Richmond tearooms for lunch, I was in full leathers. Afterwards we went to the Eagle for Sunday Service with La Voix, she’s extremely funny, I would thoroughly recommend catching her show if you can.

I went with a small group to get coffee and some food to soak up the afternoon drinks and then to my hotel for a shower and a rest. I dressed again and headed out to the final club night, Joe King’s meat up! Where again I met and talked to some people I knew and some others I hadn’t spoken to before, including what turned out to be a nice guy I had previously spoken to online. I left the club at about 01:00 and went to the Black Eagle for a final drink before returning to my hotel.

The leather weekend itself was essentially over, I had met and talked to some stunningly handsome leathermen, I’d met old friends and made several new ones. I only got to play once, I could have played more if I had gone to the darkrooms, but it just didn’t feel right for me then. I’m so pleased that I went, overall it was a great experience and it gave me a lot of confidence. The club president said to me that although he had said that I could hangout with them, he knew that I would find my feet and that they would hardly see me.

On the Monday morning I was up, showered, and out to meet a friend for breakfast in the hotel, he then left to catch a train and I returned to my room to pack. I got a message from another friend to say that he was in town, so I dropped my suitcase off at a left luggage place and we went for a drink, followed by a browse around town, then Clonezone and Manworx. Outside Clonezone I met the most beautiful handsome bearded leatherman who I had spoken to for ages on the Friday night, not in his leathers this time though, I know I’m not his type, but we had so much in common and he was a genuinely nice guy.

I went to the station, bought some sandwiches for lunch on the train and had another drink with my friend and then I caught a mid afternoon train home. The train was delayed by over an hour on the way, but I wasn’t bothering too much as I was still on a high, enjoying the pictures and chats online and connecting with lots of new friends so that I can keep in touch.

Late that night I could feel event related drop coming on, but just as I was about to go to bed Sir came online, He had been on holiday with His husband and they were at the airport awaiting their flight home. We talked for over an hour and it made the event drop go away almost entirely. I told Him all of my weekend stories, wished Him a good flight and told Him that I missed Him.

On the Tuesday evening I was delighted to receive requests to connect online with the two most beautiful leathermen, the guy I had met at his hotel on the Saturday morning and the guy I had last seen outside Clonezone on the Monday afternoon, a nice happy conclusion to a very memorable weekend.