The North
AROUND MANCHESTER IN A WHEELCHAIR
St. Peters Square
Manchester is a thriving and busy city, surprisingly free of traffic, with a good public transport system including trams. It has a mixture of modern and older architecture and is interesting to explore. There is disabled 'on street' parking free of charge adjacent to St. Peters Square in the city centre. The tourist information centre is situated here and it is very helpful and informative. At one end of the square on the opposite side of the road is the City Art Gallery. This is accessed via a ramp and has lifts to all floors, disabled toilets and an excellent cafe that serves lunches and light snacks. The gallery also provides lightweight portable folding chairs for those that have limited mobility.
For accessible places to stay in the area please scroll to the bottom of the page and for a wider accommodation search for other areas of the North and the UK click here.
Manchester Cathedral
Ten minutes walk from the art gallery is Manchester Cathedral that can be accessed via a ramp, it was mostly built in the 15th century and has five modern stained glass windows to replace those destroyed by an air raid in 1940. Admission is free but donations are welcomed.
The Regimental Chapel
Just across from the Cathedral is a shop, below which is the refectory. The entrance to which is through the shop and via a lift. It serves main meals as well as snacks and is a good place for lunch. Adjacent to the Cathedral is an area which was destroyed by IRA bombing several years ago. It is now home to a garden and the URBIS museum which is housed in a very modern building. It is fully accessible to wheelchairs and would be particularly interesting to young people as it is about modern city life and its future. There is a restaurant, a cafe and disabled toilets in the museum.
Manchester Museum of Science and Industry
Situated in the Castlefields area of Manchester is the Museum of Science and Industry which covers a large area and really needs a whole day to explore it fully. The picture above shows some of the machines (which can be seen working) that turned raw cotton into woven cloth, once a principal industry in Manchester. The site is 98% accessible to wheelchairs and has a cafe and disabled toilets it is also free admission. There is disabled parking on site and also in the street opposite.
The Imperial War Museum
Two miles west of the city centre is the Trafford Park area in which there are several attractions. One of these is the very futuristic looking Imperial War Museum which has its own car park with disabled spaces. There is a lift to the main exhibition floor which also houses the restaurant. There is a shop and disabledtoilets on site. Admission free.
About half a mile away is Manchester United's Football Ground where there is a museum and tour centre. Visitors with wheelchairs wishing to go on a tour of the ground need to contact the museum beforehand as this involves a slightly different route, tel: 0870 442 1994. Entrance to the museum and tour is free for those in a wheelchair and their carer. There are lifts to access all three floors, disabled toilets and a restaurant on site. Allow three to four hours for your visit or maybe longer if you are an avid fan.
The Lowry Art Gallery
About a half a mile away in Salford Quays is another very modern building which houses The Lowry complex. As well as being home to an exhibition of Lowry's paintings, there are other galleries and a theatre. There are lifts, disabled toilets, a restaurant and a cafe all of which are accessible and admission is free.
Clifton Country Park
If you take the A666 Manchester road towards Kearsley you will see signs for Clifton country park. It is one of several country parks in the Manchester area and it has a wheelchair trail around the lake (this was originally a gravel pit excavated for the building of the M62) approximately one mile long. It is a pleasant way to relax in the countryside after seeing the city.
For somewhere to stay in Manchester there is the Travel Inn in Portland Street just off of St.Peters Square in the city centre also the Manchester Travelodge, n.b. the disabled rooms only have a conventional bath. Also the Holiday Inn in Salford Quays.
Manchester as a holiday destination has lots to see and do, without having to travel a great distance from the city centre.