[1] Leave the centre and turn left, walking as far as Canal Street. Turn left here and walk to the first junction where you will see the Rembrandt pub on the opposite corner. Cross this road (Sackville Street) and to the right is Sackville Gardens.
Behind the gardens is the Shena Simon campus of Manchester College.
[2] Take the path diagonally across the gardens in front of the college to exit onto Whitworth Street. Turn left and walk to the first set of traffic lights. Turn right to cross Whitworth Street here.
The large building in front of you is part of UMIST which forms part of Manchester University.
At the corner of this building turn right and walk along a street with a large grassy central area (Cobourg Street). At the end of this street turn left and you will see a white tower block, Chandos Hall.
[3] Walk past Chandos Hall and a nursery on your right, and then turn right into Echo Street. Straight ahead is the Vision Centre. Turn left past the Vision Centre and you will soon reach the busy A6 road (London Road here) opposite the MacDonald hotel. Turn right along the pedestrian path set back from the road. The route follows the A6 for a small distance, heading underneath the Mancunian Way. After passing underneath the Mancunian Way look out for a domestic storage building with a large yellow sign on the opposite side of the road. There is a pedestrian crossing here which is a good place to cross the A6. After crossing the road, keep walking in the same direction along the road. After a short distance you will reach the tranquility of Ardwick Green and leave the traffic noise behind.
(A) There is more to Ardwick than meets the eye! 200 years ago Ardwick was a picturesque hamlet on the River Medlock. Towards the end of the 19th Century it was absorbed into the quickly expanding, industrial Manchester. The industry has now largely gone but the village’s green and church remain. Busy commuters and concert-goers hurry past without realizing that this calm oasis exists!
[4] Enter Ardwick Green Park by the first entrance. Stop to have a look at the war memorial and then stroll through the park, where there are plenty of seats to stop and take in the quiet! There are two parallel paths along the length of the park and you can walk along either, but the left hand path gives a good view of St Thomas’s Church and the Church Inn.
St Thomas’s Church is one of the oldest in Manchester, built in 1741. The church tower is a central landmark in Ardwick and is built in the style of many churches in northern Italy.
[5] Walk past the children’s play area and at the far end of the park you will see a granite stone shaped like a jewel.
The stone has been a feature of Ardwick Green for at least a century and old photographs show the stone with a bandstand and pond in the background, but these have long gone.
Exit the park through the gate behind and to the right of the stone. You will emerge onto a busy roundabout with the famous Apollo Theatre on the far side. On leaving the park turn right and use the pedestrian crossing to cross towards the Texaco garage. On reaching the garage turn left, and then immediately right into Brunswick Street.
[6] Walk along Brunswick Street and turn right at the next junction into Wadeson Road. Keep walking past Ardwick Children’s Centre on your right. Pass Coral Street, Hamsell Road and Kale Street on the right, and several residential streets to the left. Soon you will see a row of three garages and Frandley Walk on your left. Turn left here and walk along Grosvenor Street. You will see a busy junction in the distance.
[7] Turn right when you reach the junction, walking on a clearly marked walking and cycling path. Follow the walkway underneath the Mancunian Way and continue straight ahead towards a metal fence, crossing over a slip road. Turn left at the fence and follow the footpath around to the right to reach Princess Street. To your left you can see the rear of the BBC building. Walk along Princess Street, crossing the River Medlock and passing underneath a railway bridge. When you reach the junction with Whitworth Street, cross and pass Canal Street to return to the centre.