# manchester tourist



## geordie01 (Apr 20, 2006)

hi folks
we are off to burrs country park for a few days tomorrow anyone got any reccomends for places to visit in manchester.


----------



## tomnjune (May 1, 2005)

hi
when we have been to burrs, had bit of a job to get my wife past bury market. it must have its attractions because the site is always full(w/ends). to me its biggest draw is old trafford, but recommending that to a geordie, is probably a no no. enjoy.

tomnjune


----------



## julie798 (Jun 13, 2007)

*MANCHESTER*

people come by coach to visit the market, only 15 mins walk from Burrs or the bus is regular and stops in the centre next to the market a couple of nice little pubs in walking distance too. If you want to go into town
( Manchester) the trams run every 6 mins and its free if you have a bus pass, Bury is a good shopping area, so us locals tend not to go to town too often.


----------



## Alfa_Scud (Sep 27, 2006)

Jump on the tram, get off at Shudehill, walk up Rochdale road for about 5 minutes until you get to The Marble Arch Inn, enter the pub & order a pint of Lagonda IPA, sit down & watch the world go by.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Repeat until your tram home is due!!!


You don't need to do anything else in Manchester, the above is the single most important thing, bar none!!  .


Happy to help.


----------



## hilldweller (Mar 8, 2008)

geordie01 said:


> hi folks
> we are off to burrs country park for a few days tomorrow anyone got any reccomends for places to visit in manchester.


Castlefields Science Museum. Shows what Manchester was about in the days when we made things. From steam engines to Planes. Ferranti and AV Roe. Mr Rolls was there once.

Trafford Park was the world's first industrial estate. Home to Ford's first UK manufacturing plant. Now home to a Mickey Mouse War Museum and The Lowry Centre if you like "Matchstick Men and Dogs".

Loads of other art galleries and museums.

Check The Bridgewater Hall for any concerts.

Expensive pint ? The Hilton, 200 feet up standing on a glass floor looking down.


----------



## ChrisandJohn (Feb 3, 2008)

Hi Geordie01

Not to disagree with previous suggestions, but check tram fares and concessions because I think the Metrolink tram concession is for Greater Manchester PTE card holders only (senior Railcard is not valid). 

The East Lancashire Railway runs past the Burrs Country Caravan Club site, which you can join at Bury Bolton St. station. The views of steamers from the site are truly impressive. In Manchester at Castle Field (between Deansgate and Water St.) in the 'heritage area' is the site of the world's first railway station on the world's first mainline railway from Manchester to Liverpool.

What you might want to see or do in Manchester obviously depends what you like or are open to. You could stay on the tram till Piccadilly and ease the recession by shopping at the high street multiples end of the market. You could carry on down Mosley St and alight at the Art Gallery to view one of the country's finest collections of Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood paintings from the later Victorian period. 

After that there is the architectural attraction of the Central Reference Library, the shape of which creates a curious echo that took myself as a student user ages to accept. Across St Peter's Square is the art deco splendour of the Midland Hotel. You'll be on Peter St by then. This is the site of the Peterloo massacre with the Free Trade Hall near the actual site. Go down Mount St and view the finest Victorian Town Hall in the country in Albert Sq. It's a triangular set of buildings, with the round (already mentioned) Library next to it as a nice conceit. Into the Town Hall to view the entrance area only and you'll have some idea of the style, lavish wealth and boundless 19th century optimism of the city fathers - unfortunately though you won't see the Holman Hunt murals upstairs! These were shown last week on Paxman's The Victorians.

OK another way round to the above is get out of the tram at Victoria (noting as you leave the station the wall map in tiles of the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway and amazing foreign destinations; it's above a superb Great War memorial to railway workers). Make your way over towards the Corn Exchange. You can easily see the modernist Urbis building with lots interesting exhibitions to see. Then near Urbis and almost on Corporation St is the giant Ferris wheel, giving panoramic views of Greater Manchester. The Corn Exchange has lots of shops such at Jigsaw and East. If you like Victorian interior fittings walk round Jigsaw and find the ornately panelled and tiled staircase leading to its cafe. Manchester Cathedral is next to the Corn Exchange.

Walk through to St. Mary's Gate past, or shopping at, Harvey Nichols, Hobbs, Zara, Heals, M & S, Selfridges and so on. Walk through St. Ann's Sq and even more expensive shops on King St. beyond the Sq. The Royal Exchange building has one facade on St. Ann's Sq. and the other on Cross St. If you go in you can see how the Royal Exchange Theatre has been built into the trading floor of the old stock exchange. Look up and see the stock and currency prices displayed for the day it closed (my uncle was there at the end; he had been a jobber for Dillons and had to wear a top hat on the trading floor).

If you're up for more Victorian and Edwardian architectural splendour continue up King St over Cross St. and you'll be able to look in Lloyd's bank and the Manchester Ship Canal building.

Or, you could stay on (the right) tram right through Manchester and visit Salford Quays and the Lowry Centre. The site used to be the docks for the Ship Canal.

Whatever you do have a great time. The Brown Cow pub, right next to the campsite, had some excellent beers when we were there 2 weeks ago. They do food too, but we didn't try that.


John


----------



## StAubyns (Jun 4, 2006)

Don't forget to visit the Bella Italia restaurant in Bury if you like Italian food   

soooperb!!

lunch times - half price on pizza & pasta. 

thats for sure on Saturday, not sure about midweek


----------



## geordie01 (Apr 20, 2006)

thanks for those ideas plenty there to keep us busy for a couple of days


----------



## annetony (May 1, 2005)

If the weathers bad you could always spend a day at the Trafford Centre, good shopping, cinema, food hall, I think bowling,

and there is the chill factor insoor ski ing etc which is just at the side of the Trafford, they have a website, and you can hire the equipment

can't think of anywhere else as thats the only place I go to :roll: :roll: :lol: :lol: 


Anne


----------



## Kelcat (Apr 20, 2008)

I'll start by saying that as an ex Salford Lad I'm biased :wink: 

but... 
more than any other English city, one of the joys of 'modern' Manchester is just to walk around. The architecture (as detailed above) is truly inspirational - both the old & the new (the Town Hall is easily the most impressive building in the North - if only the town planners hadn't let them build all around it, BUT it's also free to wander around), whilst the modern architecture of Urbis (really best looked at - not - visited) & the Hilton are great. 
Weather permitting the cafe culture is now superb and there are a lot of free entertainments. St.Annes square will almost always have music at the weekends. The Marble Arch is superb - but if you're in town also try Sinclairs Oyster Bar / The Old Wellington - both were completely rebuilt after the IRA bomb and still retain all their 300 year old charm. 
As said the Steam railway from Bury to Rawtenstall is one of the best around (the diner car evenings are a really good 'special' evening & they'll let you play with the train. If you need a walk then the trip up to Peel Tower at Ramsbottom will clear the head. 
Have fun 
Kel&Cat


----------



## hilldweller (Mar 8, 2008)

Kelcat said:


> the Hilton are great.
> Kel&Cat


I have to disagree on that one. It's an abomination. A slab of glass with a huge pointless fence stuck on top presumably so that the architect could claim highest building of some sort.

But just a short walk away the Bridgewater Hall shows how good a modern building can be.


----------

