Greater Manchester’s councillors have agreed to introduce a new clean air zone. Under new proposals, buses, lorries and taxis could face fines of as much as £100 per day, should their vehicles not meet clean air guidelines.

However, it won’t just be just commercial vehicles which will be forced to pay fines if they don’t meet new clean air guidelines. Those who own an older vehicle will also have to prove that toxicity of waste emissions falls within agreed clean air thresholds.

This developed has hardly come as a bolt from the blue for those in the know. Recently, diesel vehicles have been in the spotlight with clean air campaigner’s adamant that diesel emissions are especially harmful. In response to this, levies such as VED (Vehicle Excise Duty) have been introduced.

Exploring the idea of having specific areas located within Manchester City Centre designated as clean air zones is a clear indication of the Manchester’s commitment to improving the environment for all concerned – something that has been on the council’s agenda for more than two years.

A New Dawn for Motoring in Manchester

At the first full council meeting to discuss the proposed changes, councillors agreed to investigate the possibility of banning through traffic inside the inner ring road. Although no details of how any measures would take shape or the charges motorists would face, councillors have agreed that the feasibility of creating a clean air zone bounded by the Manchester/Salford inner ring road should be explored.

The news is in stark contrast to comments made by Major Andy Burnham in late 2017. At the time, the major championed trialling electric buses and car sharing whilst encouraging flexible working hours and improving access to public transport and renovating train stations.

At the time, Manchester’s mayor was steadfast in his commitment to improving congestion and traffic bottlenecks, with pollution perceived as just a facet of the larger problems faced by those living and working in Manchester City Centre. However, no pledge was made to tackle the problem of pollution hotspots head on.

Under new proposals, the issue of pollution has been placed in the forefront of councillor’s minds, with Labour councillors viewing finding a solution to the issue as integral to the ongoing health and well-being of Manchester’s community.

Jon Connor Lyons and Marcus Johns spearheaded the latest proposal and have received unanimous support by both local Labour and Liberal Democrat politicians. Both Lyons and Johns believe that London’s ‘ultra-low emissions zone which charges drivers of older cars, in addition to older motorbikes, lorries, taxis and vans £12.50 to drive into the nation’s capital has been integral to successfully slashing toxic nitrogen dioxide emissions by 30% in the space of a few months.’

It’s clear that political opinions are swaying towards making Manchester a city that takes environmental matters seriously. Banning through traffic inside the inner ring road may well be just the beginning of wholesale motoring changes.

Manchester Joins the Nationwide Drive Towards Cutting Emissions

Manchester isn’t the only UK city determined to promote cleaner air in the city centre. York, Bristol, Birmingham and Oxford have also rallied to throw their support behind new proposals. Advocates of banning traffic in built-up, populous areas point to the fact that in large cities reasons for driving through the city centre are becoming increasingly sparse, especially with the wealth of public transport options.

This is no more apparent than in Manchester. With an expanded Metrolink infrastructure which can accommodate passengers travelling around the city centre and suburban areas on the outskirts with ease and convenience and the expected reform to the bus network through franchising – something that Major Andy Burnham has made on of his priorities, commuting in and around Manchester is more accessible than ever before. Do we even need to drive through the city centre?

It’s, perhaps, unfair to say that Manchester is merely joining a nationwide drive toward a change in commuting. If anything, the city is at the forefront of any change and demonstrating a progressive attitude towards creating better, more efficient and cleaner means of transportation.

The Health Consequences of Pollution in the City Centre

Current pollution levels in Manchester City Centre have long been a cause of concern. Andy Burnham cites these and says that there is no reason not to act. Moreover, by introducing a charging zone Job Connor Lyons is firm in his belief that Manchester must be ambitious in its plan to make the city safer for everyone who lives and works there. This includes taking a proactive approach to pollution.

Indeed, Manchester’s plans to improve air quality in the city centre has been supported by all ten of the councils of Greater Manchester. Although the most polluting offenders – older cars, lorries, taxes and buses have been consistently mentioned for the volume of carbon dioxide (C02), carbon monoxide (CO), Nitrogen Oxide (NOx), not too mention a wealth of hydrocarbons and particulates emitted by their exhaust are highly toxic to people, we’re yet to experience any rubber-stamped policies. But that’s not to say that we won’t begin to see sweeping changes in the coming years.

The Future

At present there’s a plan, which Andy Burnham has submitted, that will see a charge being levied for vans travelling across Greater Manchester, starting from 2023. This falls in line with Manchester’s legal responsibility to introduce appropriate measures to cut pollution in every area significantly.

The scale of any changes across the whole of Greater Manchester remains to be seen. Insiders have speculated that any pollution discussion has been thrown to the forefront of political discourse to coincide with the general election of earlier in the year.

What’s abundantly clear is that Manchester is determined to introduce measures to cut pollution in the city, and paying a toll may well be the most effective means of achieving environmental objectives.

In a perfect world, an MOT test takes 60 minutes. But we usually ask customers to leave their car for a couple of hours to get everything done.

This means that there’s more time to get set up and move cars in and out of the test centre. It also means that you shouldn’t be waiting around waiting for us to finish.

Remember that if your car has a ‘dangerous’ fault then we may need to carry out additional repairs before you drive away. How long these repairs take will depend on the type of fault.

Many of our customers leave their car with us in the morning, head off to work and come to pick their car up in the evening. This means we have all day to test the car and gives us enough time to repair most minor faults.

If you don’t work in the city centre, then you’re welcome to wait in the test centre or you could grab a coffee, watch a movie or even throw some axes. Leave your car in our capable hands and we’ll give you a call when it’s ready to pick up.

Get a reminder when your MOT is due

Want a reminder when your MOT test is due? Simply fill in the form at the bottom of the page.

The smart motorway signs and cameras covering a large section of the M60 and M62 have been fully operational for a little over six months now. And many drivers may be getting used to the variable speed limits and lane closure signs.

But a new law could cost drivers money and points on their licence if it’s ignored.

From Monday 10 June, motorway drivers that ignore the ‘Red X’ lane closed signs on motorways will be slapped with an automatic £100 fine and three points on their licence.

This has always been the law and the penalty has always been the same, but now the home office has ruled that automatic camera can be used to boost enforcement.

The new rule will apply on all smart motorways including sections of the M6 and the stretch between Sale at junction 8 of the M60 and Rochdale at junction 20 on the M62. It will also apply to other smart motorway sections of the M62 and M56 when they are completed over the next few years.

A smart motorway map of the UK.

Replying to a Highways Agency tweet about the change, many drivers appeared to be positive about the change. Many highlighted fairness and safety concerns for emergency services, contractors and other people that may be stranded in lanes.

Are Smart Motorway Cameras Active When the Board Is Blank?

The £208m project covering the M60 and M62 was completed at the end of July last year, but the cameras were only switched on in January after the police finished commissioning work.

Something that has been confusing a lot of motorists is what happens when there are no variable speed signs above the motorway. Some rumours on the internet rumours suggest that the speed cameras are still operational and will flash anyone travelling over the national speed limit (70 MPH).

This is an example of one rumour that has been shared thousands of times by multiple accounts on Facebook. But parts of it at least appear to be false.

First, three points is the standard penalty for speeding. Six points are usually reserved for drivers travelling at speeds far in excess of the speed limit.

Highways England has confirmed that smart motorway cameras ‘are capable’ of enforcing the speed limit even when there’s no speed limit displayed on the boards.

But the agency also said that it is the decision of the local police force whether they pursue prosecutions for these detected offences.

Having spoken to several drivers who regularly use the smart motorway around the M60 and M62, it doesn’t look like the national speed limit is being enforced on this stretch of motorway.

But this could change and the police could easily hit drivers with a £100 fine and three points or a speed awareness course.

When driving on the motorway, we urge everyone to stay below the national speed limit and variable speed limits when in force.

Working from our Manchester City Centre location, we know how frustrating it can be to find cheap, reliable parking that’s close to your final destination.

Some city centre parking firms will cost you well over £10 for the right to leave your car in a multi-storey eyesore. Thankfully though, there are still some places where you can park at a reasonable price.

We have mapped out some of the cheapest locations and included a few details about them below. We want this map to grow over time, so if you know about any other cheap car parks in Manchester, please let us know on Twitter.

And if you ever need to get your car serviced or MOTd, remember that you can leave it in our Manchester garage for the day, free of charge. 

  1. Duffy Motors FREE*

Duffy Motors offers FREE City Centre parking to all customers that bring their cars in for an MOT or service. We have enough space to cater for several clients every day.

Drop your car off, get it serviced or MOT’d, and pick it up when you are finished at work. For more information about our car maintenance services, speak to a member of the team today. Call: 0161 834 4168.

Duffy Motors – 16-17 Watson St, Manchester M3 4LP.

  1. Red Bank £2.50

A hidden gem in Manchester, Red Bank Car Park is tucked away behind the NOMA development and Victoria train station. At £2.50 it’s almost definitely the cheapest car park in Manchester, but some of the online reviews warn about a few unsavoury characters and thefts.

There are a couple of car parks around the corner including Roger Street Car Park, which is about the same price, with friendlier attendants.

Parking Places – Red Bank, Faber Street, Manchester, M4 4HF

  1. Bridgewater Street £6.00

Castlefield is a popular side of town, with the Hilton, Bridgewater Hall and other attractions. But there are a few cheap parking spaces and patchy public transport links. Located next to Castlefield Urban Heritage Park, Bridgewater Street Car Park is a very happy find at just £6.00 for the day.

They also offer secure overnight and weekly parking – but it is cash only and manned by an attendant.

City Centre Parking – 28 Bridgewater St, Manchester M3 4NH

  1. NCP Manchester Palace £6.50

Tickets for the Palace? Maybe you are doing something else around Oxford Road. This secure multi-storey car park occupied an attractive red-brick building in a historic part of town. You can pay £6.50 for 12 hours of parking, but only if you grab an early bird ticket between 6.00 and 9.00AM.

If you are coming for an evening performance, then it might be a little more expensive. And you should watch out for the queues after the curtain has closed.

NCP Car Park Manchester Palace – Palace, Whitworth St, Manchester M1 6NE

  1. Rochdale Road £3.00

Located close to the Manchester Arena and around a ten-minute walk from the Northern Quarter, this is another cheap and cheerful car park on the outer rim of Manchester – just outside the ring road.

Run by Total Car Parks, motorists can pay £3.00 to park all day. The site is quite large as well, so suitable for drivers who work in the city.

Total Car Parks – 87 Rochdale Rd, Manchester M4 4HY

  1. NCP Piccadilly Gardens £6.00

Another early bird ticket, this time at the centrally located NCP Piccadilly Gardens, near the train station. Just like at the Palace, if you get to this large city centre car park before 6.00 and 9.00 in the morning, you can park for 12 hours for £6.00. Not a bad deal for the location.

And because it is a smart building run by a reputable company, you can be fairly sure that your car won’t be left on a pile of bricks.

NCP Car Park Piccadilly Gardens – Piccadilly, Chatham St, Manchester M1 3AY

Cheapest on-street parking in Manchester

It’s often easier to park on the street rather than in a car park. Manchester has a lot of on-street parking spaces, but it helps if you know where the cheapest areas are.

Motorists can park for up to two hours in zones one and two on the below map. But did you know that you can save 20 pence on a two-hour parking ticket if you find a spot in zone two compared to zone one?

Zones three and four are cheaper still. Two hours parking in zone three or four will set you back £2.50, less than half as much as the £6.00 it costs in zone one.

The max parking time in zone three is three hours while in zone four it is ten hours.

Map from Manchester City Council.

Emma Shepherd’s distinctive VW Golf was stolen from Halfords’ Rochdale Autocentre, while it had its MOT test.

Emma has expected a call to say her £11,000 Golf had passed its MOT late in February.

Instead, the medical worker answered the phone to be told that her personalised car had been stolen from the MOT test centre.

Emma was left in a state of disbelief after she was told that the keys were left in the ignition as the car was stolen.

Emma told the Manchester Evening News: “It was stolen off the MOT test bay whilst in their possession and they have got no CCTV. It is quite shocking.

“I am just really shocked and thought it was all a joke at first. I dropped it off for an MOT and now it’s been stolen. I just cannot believe it.”

She continued: “Apparently the person came into the test centre and into a work yard, pushed a mechanic out of the way then jumped into the car and nearly ran him over as he stole the car. The police have been in touch and I have given them an account. Apparently a mechanic was injured too.

“I have been told it was having its MOT at the time and the keys were in the car because they were testing emissions.”

Emma, who works at Salford Royal, also lost her son’s pram and car seat, as well as an iPod, CDs and prescription sunglasses, all of which were in the car when it was stolen.

Emma has written to Halford’s chief executive after pre-paying £30 for the MOT.

The white Golf, which has the personalised number plate X666 ECS has still not been recovered.

Halfords MOT criticism

Social media users poured scorn on Halfords MOT test centres, and not just because the car was stolen on their watch.

Research shows that independent garages like Duffy Motors are, on average, 18% cheaper than large franchised garages and main dealers. Customers also tend to be happier with the service they get from smaller independents.

Image credit: Halfords Autocentre – Nuthall Road cc-by-sa/2.0 – © Anthony Parkes – geograph.org.uk/p/3725562

Potholes are becoming an increasing problem in Manchester.

The recent bout of extreme weather has lead to more holes appearing in roads across the city, causing more damage to vehicles and posing a safety risk.

The RAC has warned that the Beast from the East has left a legacy of potholes in its wake, claiming that callouts related to pothole breakdowns have doubled following last week’s widespread snow and ice.

The RAC estimates that pothole damage costs drivers £100m a year.

Manchester council has recognised the problem and has committed to spending £100m over the next five years to resurface and maintain the road network.

In this blog post we explore the damage that potholes do to cars, how you can report and claim for damage caused by potholes and we will also look at some of the worse pothole hotspots in and around Manchester.

What damage do potholes do to cars?

If you’ve ever hit a pothole, you’ll know the sinking feeling that comes with that sudden deep clunk. You know that something has been damaged down below and you know it is going to be pricey to fix.

Potholes can cause a number of wheel, tyre and other problems. They can lead to:

  • Buckled wheels
  • Cracked alloys
  • Popped tyres
  • Tyre lumps
  • Imbalances in tracking and wheel balancing
  • Suspension problems

If you are concerned after hitting a pothole, its best to pull over straight away and check for any obvious damage to your wheels or the underside of your car.

Some of the damage may not be immediately obvious but you should keep an eye out for unusual vibrations and slight tracking problems.

If you notice these signs then it is best to get a garage to check your vehicle as soon as possible. This will make it easier to claim for pothole damage.

Reporting and claiming for damage caused by a pothole

If your car has been damaged by a pothole, you can file a claim with the local authority that is responsible for maintaining the road (or Highways England if it is a main A road or motorway).

Councils, however, can only be held accountable for damage if they are aware of the pothole and have not fixed it.

Councils regularly perform their own road assessments, but you can also report potholes with the council or with a third-party website like Fix My Street. On Fix My Street, you can also see potholes that have already been reported.

If you intend to claim for damage, return to the scene, take notes and, if it is safe to do so, take photos of the pothole.

Make sure you note down exactly where the pothole is – including the road name and the position in the road. If anyone is in the car or walking down the road, ask if they are willing to be a witness and take their contact information.

If you get a photo, make sure you include a household object like a can of coke to give a sense of how large the pothole is.

Potholes that are 40mm or below – equivalent of two 20p pieces – don’t qualify as potholes according to government guidelines.

Get your car repaired by a trustworthy garage, keeping all quotes, invoices and receipts in support of your claim.

Now you can write to the council responsible for the pothole or contact Highways England if it is a main road.

Manchester pothole hotspots revealed

There are lots of pothole hotspots around Manchester. This map shows all the most recent potholes reported around Manchester City Centre on Fix My Street.

Other hotspots have been identified as particularly tricky.

A Freedom of Information request from Car Parts 4 Less found that the most potholed road in England was Oldham Road in East Manchester with a whopping 741 complaints made about it to Manchester City Council in 2016/17.

Chester Road in Cheshire also made the top ten list.

Wythenshawe labelled particularly bad by the MEN. One anonymous Fix My Street user reported that a pothole on Gladeside Road damaged their suspension linkage arm and steering rack, costing them £300.

Very recently, residents in Trafford have identified the A56, a main road through Stretford as being particularly in need of repair.

Resident Hazel Gibb took to Facebook to warn drivers and cyclists of the dangers of running into the hole which has opened up on the main road.

She said: “Avoid this pothole at the roundabout by Stretford flats if you are coming from Manchester and instead go around the roundabout towards Urmston. Broken spring and that’s the second one!”

Trafford residents recently welcomed plans for the local authority to spend 14.4 million repairing 60,000 potholes. For many road users, it couldn’t come soon enough.

MEN readers also identified Wheler Street in Higher Openshaw, Queens Road in Cheetham Hill, Moston Lane in Moston, Heyscroft Road in Withington, School Lane, Wilmslow Road, Kingsway and Burnage Lane in Didsbury and Wilbraham Road in Chorlton as pothole disaster zones.

Eagle-eyed website visitors might have noticed that a new section has appeared on the website. On Duffy Cars website visitors can browse nice and reliable motors on sale from Duffy Motors.

Lee Atkinson and the rest of the Duffy Motors team, have decades of experience fixing, maintaining and buying in Manchester.

In that time they have developed dozens of industry contacts and learned to spot good deals on cars that are in good condition.

And it is these cars that Duffy Motors will sell through the website.

There will be no clapped-up old bangers, no tired engines that fail their MOT after a few months of wear and nothing that is going to depreciate through the market floor.

In short, if you buy a car through Duffy Motors, you’ll get a good running car, with a good spec and a reliable service history. Oh, and you’ll get a great price too.

You’ll also benefit from our top-rated garage service, and you can drop in at our city centre garage to view the cars whenever you like.

Just Launched: Duffy Cars will sell the most reliable motors in Manchester

Duffy Cars website

Shopping for a car can be stressful. You can look online and compare all of the specifications under the sun, but putting money down for a new motor is still unnerving – especially if you aren’t really a car person.

At Duffy Motors, we have built our reputation on good customer service. Our garage has the top-rated service record in Greater Manchester on the Good Garage Scheme, and you can read feedback from more than 500 happy customers on our website.

We have always been happy to help our loyal customers pick out a new car.

If you don’t know that much about cars, you can trust us to spot things you might miss. And after so long dealing with car dealers and agents in and around the city, we know how to spot the red flags that can spell motoring disaster.

After decades in the industry, Lee regularly gets phone calls from friends and clients asking for his latest car recommendation and sometimes he even gets asked to take a look at the organs of a car before any money changes hands. Just to make sure.

With Duffy Cars, the team is trying to take the hassle and stress out of shopping around. You know it is a motor that you can rely on.

Just Launched: Duffy Cars will sell the most reliable motors in Manchester

Top-rated Garage in Greater Manchester on the Good Garage Scheme

Manchester city centre car sales

With the launch of Duffy Cars, we also want to make it easier than ever to buy a car. If you work in the city, there’s no need to take the day off work, or waste your Saturday car shopping – just pop into our garage on your lunch break or on your way back from the office. We’re conveniently located just behind the Hilton Tower.

We aren’t salesmen. We won’t turn the screw to try and make you buy. We’ll just show you the most important stats and let the quality of the car sell it for us.

Just Launched: Duffy Cars will sell the most reliable motors in ManchesterIn time, we hope to get lots of cars up on the website for sale on the website. For now, there’s only one car up there for sale, but we think its a pretty useful example of what we hope to sell in the future.

The car is a high-spec Audi Q3 Quattro, which we believe is one of the best examples of a Q3 that you will find. Check out the premium vehicle’s full range of specs on the new Duffy Cars section, and let us know if you would like to come and take a look at it.

What noise would you pick for an electric car?Electric vehicles are becoming more popular. They are particularly popular with city-dwellers and we are seeing more and more of them coming into our city centre garage.

They are cheap to run and good for the environment and as the technology improves the driving experience is getting better.

One of the more positive aspects of the driving experience is that electric and hybrid vehicles make a lot less noise than their fuel-guzzling counterparts.

But while a quiet drive is nice for drivers, it is potentially dangerous for pedestrians. Particularly those that struggle with their sight.

The old Look, Listen, Live mantra is becoming more and more ineffective. Just ask one Birmingham man who was hit twice in the same place by the same electric car because he “never heard it coming.”

The EU is making it compulsory for all electric vehicles to have sound generating systems in 2021, but the charity Guide Dogs wants the government to impose an order on all manufacturers to do this before then.

The US has one-upped this policy mandating that electric cars make some kind of artificial noise when travelling at low speed by 2019.

The legislation says that when vehicles are travelling at higher speeds (over 19km/h) the tyres and wind passing over the car make enough noise to alert other road users. But at low speed the battery-powered cars are too quiet.

Interestingly though, the legislation doesn’t specify what kind of noise the electric vehicles should make. This will be up to the manufacturer, but we have some suggestions.

What noise should an electric car make

What noise would you pick for an electric car?Artificial noises in cars is nothing new. Reversing commercial vehicles have beepers to tell pedestrians that the driver may be unsighted. It’s also a legal requirement for every car to have a horn to alert pedestrians (and other drivers when they are driving stupidly).

Blind people cross the road by relying on traffic noise, but it’s not as easy as picking a sound and playing it out of a speaker.

You might be tempted to fit your electric car with your favourite song that plays to alert passers-by. But a blind person would struggle to judge the orientation, speed and direction of travel of your vehicle if it was just continuously playing a song. It will also probably get on your nerves after a while.

The Guide Dogs charity has some recommendations for vehicle manufacturers to help them make their cars safer for blind people. The recommendations are:

  • That the vehicle is audible regardless of location and speed
  • That any noise-generating system takes account of when a vehicle is operating in quieter conditions
  • That the noise-generating system indicates the direction of the car and what it is doing, particularly if it is stationary in traffic
  • That the noise generated sounds like a vehicle and replicates the sound made by a similar vehicle with an internal combustion engine performing the same manoeuvres
  • That systems do not have a “pause switch” so that drivers cannot turn off the system at will

There is still a lot of room for vehicle manufacturers to pick their own signature sounds within this framework though. In most cases the sounds reflect the personality of the vehicles.

Porsche hybrids, for example, are fitted with loudspeakers to deliver the company’s signature engine growl.

Nissan, on the other hand, have elected to give their vehicles a very different sound to give their electric vehicles a very different sound. They sought to challenge what a car should sound like and we think they have done a pretty good job.

But that sound might get annoying after a while.

Speaking of annoying sounds, here’s what some Formula E cars sound like.

Motorsport drives a lot of innovation in the world of cars and Formula E has led the way for electric vehicle development. The noises the cars make are certainly distinctive, but they’re more suited to the race track than the streets of Manchester.

For a bit of a throwback someone in the garage suggested that this would be a good electric car sound.

Hmm.

For what it’s worth I think that Tesla leads the way in electric cars sound, listen to this.

(Updated 6th October 2021)

At Duffy Motors we are incredibly proud of our location, right in the centre of Manchester. We’re really easy to find, just off Great Bridgewater Street and Deansgate and only a short drive away from major road links like the Mancunian Way, Princess Road and Chester Road.

Our city centre location, right underneath the Gmex Centre means that there’s a huge selection of things to do while you wait for an MOT or service.

Go to work

The vast majority of our return customers like to leave their car with use while they go to work in the city centre. They’ll drop their car off in the morning, head to work on foot or on public transport, and return to collect their car in the evening on the way home.

The garage is in easy walking distance of dozens of office blocks including busy business districts like Spinningfields.

Deansgate tram and train stations, with good links to Piccadilly and Media City, are just a five-minute walk away. And there are loads of good bus links on our doorstep too. Use the Citymapper app to plan your commute.

And the best part about leaving your car with us? You can avoid those expensive city centre car park fees.

Do some shopping or catch a film

The Great Northern Warehouse is the first thing you see when you pull up to Duffy Motors in your car. This huge shopping centre has enough shops and eateries to keep anyone satisfied for an hour or two.

You could even catch the latest blockbuster at the Odeon Cinema located inside the shopping centre.

Afternoon tea, with a view

Built 10 years ago, and visible from many of the major approaches into the city, the Beetham Tower has come to dominate Manchester’s skyline. It is also just a stone’s throw distance from our under-arch garage.

Located on the 23rd floor of the tower, Cloud 23 is one of Manchester’s most exclusive night time spots. Daytime visitors can also enjoy the towers lofty pleasures with their Traditional Afternoon Tea, costing £23.00 per person.

Sample one of the 200 whiskies on offer at the Briton’s Protection

If you are a bit more down-to-earth, or you fancy something a little stronger, then this local pub is the place for you. It’s one of the oldest and most unspoilt in the city, with high quality local ales on tap and a 200 strong selection of whiskey bottles to choose from.

Make sure you have a designated driver if you mean to pick up your car afterwards!

Visit the Museum of Science and Industry

Also a short walk away, the Museum of Science and Industry tells a story of the industrial revolution which is inextricably linked to Manchester. Located inside the oldest surviving passenger train station, in the heart of the world’s first industrial city, the museum is a must see for anyone interested in science, technology and local history.

Get lost in Castlefield Urban Heritage park

In the same district as the Museum of Science and Industry, the Castlefield Urban Heritage Park is a slice of serenity away from the hustle and bustle of the city. This spot is great for a wander down by the canals and narrow boats, watch out for the geese though. They can be less than friendly this time of year.

Have a really fine dining experience

If you want a fancy bite to eat while you wait then we can recommend The French restaurant in The Midland hotel. Run by Michelin star chef Simon Rogan, the hotel eatery is one of the city’s finest dining spots. Be warned though, it won’t be as easy to book in here as it is in Duffy Motors.

Absorb some knowledge in one of Manchester’s fine libraries

Manchester has some fantastic libraries and we are lucky enough to be within walking distance of two of them. The most visually striking is the John Rylands library, just off Deansgate. The gothic structure was erected just before the turn of the 20th century and is great for architecture nuts.

The recently restored Manchester Central Library, also within walking distance, almost always has a good exhibition on.

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