A Katsouris Walk

Our standard(ish) Curry Walk route into Manchester to buy some bike bits.

It all began with text messages, first to Long Suffering Rick at stupid o’clock in the morning (I couldn’t sleep), the other to Martin at a rather more sensible hour: I had to go into Manchester, needed to get some exercise and I fancied a nice lunch out.
I’ve written up this route previously so just photographs and a few words:

The graffiti along the Bridgewater Canal doesn’t quite match the standard of some on Martin’s blog

Waters Meeting, Trafford Park. Leigh and the Lancashire Coalfields to the left, Manchester city centre to the right. Map below.


By the Trafford Park Freight Terminal. Old Trafford football ground is visible to the right of the picture

Throstle Nest Bridge

Pomona Island, picured below, is part of the former Salford Docks. It’s now likely to be redeveloped with a huge housing scheme – another of Peel Holding’s plans to extract as much dosh out their asset as possible. Local feelings are running high, most folk don’t want the area to be built on but to be tidied up and used as an inner city park. The local authority have a history of not objecting to any of Peel Holdings plans so locals have a battle on their hands.
In the 1970s and 1980s the dock was host to the North Westward-Ho!, a floating pubship that saw some success for many years – perhaps more as a novelty venue rather than a serious boozer. More information here on the excellent Pubs of Manchester blog.
The area is very much a waste-land but that has it’s attractions, it’s actively promoted as a filming location.




Towards the former Port of Manchester, now Salford Quays, home of Media City

The Manchester Evening News have published an excellent selection of photographs of Salford docks and the Port of Manchester throughout the years, available to view online here.

Looking north to Ordsall Hall, Salford,

Ordsall Hall

Ordsall (pr: ‘Oddsull’) Hall, Salford's Grade 1 listed Tudor manor house was first recorded in 1177. Since then, it has been home to medieval gentry, Tudor nobility, Catholics loyal to the crown, butchers, farmers, an Earl, an artist, priests, scout troops, mill workers, cows and several ghosts. So say the local council.

Lock connecting the Bridgewater Canal to the Manchester Ship Canal

The building with the curved roof: YHA Manchester

An early EE Lightning in the Museum of Science & Industry. More photos here.

On Deansgate: Chopin on the Jo-Anna, trying to woo a lady-fair.

Action in Manchester was limited to a trip to Cotswold for Martin, to Evans Cycles for me, and the very excellent Katsouris on Deansgate for a ridiculously good value, and quite enormous lunch.
Thanks to Rick & Martin for coming along, it was good to get out for a bit of a stretch and to catch up.
Below is our route through Pomona Island

Total walking distance (door to door) around 10 miles, Ascent: negligible. Non-Fitbit Data: 19480 steps.