Introduction
This is the first of five posts relating to a ten-day trip that started in mid-August, 2021. In line with normal practice, the trip also involved my Bristol-based friend Bruce, and our original intention had been a two-centre break taking in Manchester and Copenhagen. Due to ongoing Covid-19 related issues with foreign travel, the Danish capital was in due course replaced by Belfast. As the original plan had called for travel via London, this structure was retained for the final version of the trip, resulting in the following series of five posts:
| 1 | Manchester |
| 2 | Maidenhead |
| 3 | Belfast |
| 4 | Antrim Coast |
| 5 | Westminster Abbey |
Journey from Edinburgh
I travelled down to Manchester on a Hitachi-built Nova 1 train operated by TransPennine Express, a subsidiary of FirstGroup. I travelled in First Class, which I had to myself between Edinburgh and Lockerbie. No refreshments were provided, although these were due to be reintroduced in two days’ time. Bruce and I were scheduled to arrive in Manchester Piccadilly at exactly the same time, but in the event my train was a few minutes late.
Hotel 1
It suited us to split our three-night visit to Manchester into two hotel bookings, and the first of these was a 2-night stay at Hotel Indigo Manchester Victoria. With central Manchester being completely – almost eerily! – devoid of trams this weekend, we arrived from Piccadilly using one of the free city centre shuttle buses. The hotel had a stylish feel, both in the Victorian ‘heritage’ building (itself forming a good blend with Victoria Station just along the street) and the adjacent modern, cylindrical tower. Taken together, we felt that the two buildings, together with their slightly quirky interiors, formed a good fit with the Hotel Indigo mission to serve the ‘curious’, which is helpfully defined as ‘people who are inspired by new places, new people and new ideas’.
Art Gallery
Manchester Art Gallery, situated just off St Peter’s Square, is approaching 200 years old, having been established in 1823. It is free to visit and has an impressive collection consisting mostly of paintings.
Manchester Cathedral
Manchester Cathedral appears relatively small for a city of Manchester’s stature. Dating from the 15th century, it served initially as a parish church until 1847, when the Church of England created the Diocese of Manchester. The building is situated close to the River Irwell, Victoria Station, the National Football Museum and Selfridge’s.
Gay Village & Chinatown
Manchester’s Gay Village is an officially recognised area in the city centre, based around Canal Street on the west bank of the Rochdale Canal. It is home to a densely packed collection of bars and restaurants. A little to the west is the city’s compact Chinatown.
Hotel 2
Our final night in Manchester was spent at another IHG property, the Kimpton Clocktower (formerly the Principal). This is located in the old head office building of the Refuge Assurance Company, now part of Royal London. Situated on Oxford Street near Oxford Road Station, the building is constructed on a grand scale and features a magnificent lobby and other public areas.
City Centre Miscellany
Here are some city-centre views that don’t fit into any of the sub-headings so far:
Tailpiece
This visit to Manchester draws to a close amid thoroughly stereotypical weather:
