We recently did the gangs of Manchester tour. Starting at the Barton Arcade on Deansgate, Emma Fox, the tour guide takes you round sites relevant to the stories of The Victorian Scuttler Gangs and tells you tales of violence, poverty and squalor. She manages to recreate a sense of the time through her accounts, tales and poetry and having been resident in Manchester for 18 years, I ended up in areas just a few miles from home that i would never had known about. The tour finishes in the wonderful Marble pub just right for a thirst quenching beer!

www.showmemanchester.com
+44(0)161 431 7030

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Castlefield in Manchester is a great starting point for waterside walks in Manchester. It’s across the road from Manchester Science and Industry Museum, an exciting place to visit even before you start walking! Follow the Bridgewater Canal south west as far as Old Trafford (where a stadium tour is available), and then walk across to the Manchester Ship Canal. On the Trafford side there is the Imperial War Museum, or cross the footbridge to visit the Lowry Gallery and theatre complex (and outlet shopping mall). If you don’t want to walk back, you can always take the tram. In the other direction from Castlefield, follow the Rochdale Canal to walk under central Manchester’s busiest streets whilst watching barges negotiate locks. There is plenty of choice for refreshment with the bars and restaurants at Deansgate Locks and along Canal Street. At Piccadilly Basin you can either return to Castlefield by walking through the city centre, visiting museums, art galleries (or shops) along the way – or continue walking along the towpaths of either the Rochdale Canal or the Manchester and Ashton Under Lyne Canal. The latter leads to Manchester’s other football stadium.

www.penninewaterways.co.uk/manchester/castlefield.htm
www.visitmanchester.com

Museum of Science and Industry:
www.mosi.org.uk
Liverpool Road, Castlefield, Manchester, M3 4FP
+44(0)161 832 2244
Google map: bit.ly/qiM1Hu

The Lowry
www.thelowry.com
The Lowry, Pier 8, Salford Quays, M50 3AZ
+44(0)843 208 6000
Google map: bit.ly/oTOCEe

Imperial War Museum North
north.iwm.org.uk
The Quays, Trafford Wharf Road, Manchester M17 1TZ
+ 44 (0) 161 836 4000
Google map: bit.ly/pDppEq

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The Castle Hotel is a charismatic and very welcoming pub in the heart of Manchester city centre. It specialises in real ale and quality ciders and also has some fantastic bar food on offer.

66 Oldham Street, Manchester, M4 1LE
+44(0)161 237 9485
thecastlehotel.info/
Google map: bit.ly/maaS1H

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Greens is a fantastic vegetarian restaurant tucked away in West Didsbury, Manchester. Part owned by TV chef Simon Rimmer, it has a brilliant selection of imaginative veggy dishes which goes beyond the typical goat's cheese tart that always feels like the runner-up prize on a restaurant menu.
The restaurant specialises in a vegetarian take on popular dishes - their version of black pudding is especially delicious!
What I like best, however, is the fact that you feel like you're in a proper restaurant with mood lighting, table cloths, the works! Could definitely take a hot date OR your reiki-practicing, hemp-wearing hippy mate.

43 Lapwing Lane, West Didsbury, Manchester
M20 2NT
+44(0)161 434 4259
www.greensdidsbury.co.uk/
Google map: bit.ly/h206oa

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