Manchester

 

June 23, 2021.

MANCHESTER PICCADILLY, CANAL STREET, ROCHDALE CANAL, THE HACIENDA, BRIDGEWATER CANAL, OLD TRAFFORD FOOTBALL GROUND, IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM NORTH, MEDIA CITY, THE KABANA IN THE NORTHERN QUARTER, THE MILLSTONE, THE UNICORN AND THE WALDORF

Distance: Four miles.

Difficulty: Easy.

Weather: Cloudy but dry.

Walkers: Andy Blease, Hughie Hardiman, Alan Hart, John Jones, Chris Owen, George Whaites, Dave Willetts.

Apologies: Mickey Barrett, Peter Beal (walking elsewhere), Alastair Cairns, Tom Cunliffe, George Dearsley (in Turkey), Mark Gibby (filial duties), Julian Ross, Paul Sidebotham (gone fishin'), Dean Taylor.

Leader: Owen. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Outside main entrance to Piccadilly Station.

Starting time: 10.02am. Finishing time: 3.30pm.

A meeting of the Wednesday Wanderers' caravanning club in the Lake District reduced our numbers for this walk through the urban landscape. Six of us assembled next to the war memorial outside the station's main entrance as JJ had missed his train. By the time he had reached the Imperial War Museum North, we had departed by tram back to Piccadilly and George had caught his bus home. So two of our walkers never actually saw each other.

The walk itself ran smoothly with Chris one of four wearing shorts as he led us along Canal Street, the gay heart of Manchester. At Princess Street we went down a flight of steps to reach The Rochdale Canal and walked west along the left bank.

In doing so we passed on our left the site of the former Hacienda nightclub, a famous venue which has hosted music legends such as Madonna, Tears For Fears, The Smiths and Happy Mondays in the 70s and 80s.

At the Barca restaurant we turned left to join the link with The Bridgewater Canal and proceeded along the left bank, passing the tram station at Pomona before leaving the waterway and skirting Old Trafford football ground, home of soccer giants Manchester United.

After passing its car park on our left we reached the Imperial War Museum North on our right, with a Russian tank parked outside.

In the 1990s the IWM began looking for a location outside south-east England to build a new showcase for its collections of memorabilia and displays. In 1997 world-renowned architect Daniel Libeskind, who was born in Lodz, Poland in 1946, was chosen to design the building. Inside visitors can learn the history of two world wars and more recent conflicts.

Because our leader was on a tight schedule having been warned he would be required later for school caretaker duties, we made a whirlwind tour before heading to the Media City stop for a tram back into Manchester. George left the company to catch a bus home.

From our disembarkation point in Piccadilly Gardens, we headed for the Northern Quarter to enjoy a variety of curries available in the cheap-and-cheerful surroundings of the Kabana.

Chris led us to the nearby Millstone where JJ finally joined us. After Chris left us for Macclesfield we dropped in to The Unicorn and The Waldorf for refreshment on the way back to the station.

Next week's walk will start at 9.35am from outside The Sportsman on Kinder Road, Hayfield. Peter has promised to lead us on a tough climb up the Kinder Plateau, calling at the rarely seen Trig Point at the summit before descending back to The Sportsman for refreshment. We expect to reach the pub around 2.20pm.

Happy wandering !