48 hours in MANCHESTER, England | UK Travel Vlog | things to see and where to eat 

Glad to hear you get it! I feel like it's pretty hard to sell Manchester to lot of Edinburgh lovers, but I just loved the vibe and the people (despite saying they seem a bit grumpy haha)!

I grew up in Manchester and it is a fantastic city. I now live in Edinburgh and it's great too.

Is it welcoming for South Africans

Had to look up Castlefield Viaduct - you got me curious - and now I absolutely have to go back to check the spot out in person!

@@Kakibot Glad to help!

​​​​@@Kakibot What is that football ground near the end of the tram line (was 22), not the Hradschin end but the other end, please? Dukla, Sparta🤔. You are right about Mcr and centre greenery. It is positively verdant now to what it was 30 years ago! 🤢 Trees have started appearing on some streets. I remember the Northern Quarter before it was the Northern Quarter and the huge Smithfield Market was still operating. The old fish market still exists and is an Arts & Craft Centre, I think and the Mackie Mayor was the old meat market. Been re-opened as a foodie place. Went in early about 9 a.m. to have a look around and a young guy from Prague like you, said he worked there and it didn't open until around 10 a.m. I wasn't there for food, just a look around, but he seemed very happy and spoke wonderful English. I think a modern Jan Huss or Jan Zizka.😉 I think Heaton Park is the largest municipal park in Europe. The Peak District National Park is close to Mcr and Sheffield, halfway between the two. Franz Kafka would be in his element in Mcr. Where you went near, Chetham's which was built in 1422 on the site of the old manor house and castle before that was where Friedrich Engles and Karl Marx studied in Chetham's Library. I think their desk is still there. It's the oldest public library in the English-speaking world. At the other end of Deansgate (the old Roman road) , is the even older part of the city founded by Agricola the Roman general. There were 3 forts apparently. The Castlefield Viaduct "high line" dominates the area hence the name Castlefield from the Roman "castra" where Manchester and other cities and towns get their name, anything ending in "caster", "chester" or "cester". 😄 There is not much original from the fort left but a sandstone rock under one of the railway arches because the engineer wanted to protect it. The main rock in Mcr is sandstone so a lot, like the Cathedral and Chetham's, were built of it. Liverpool Road station is near Castlefield. You probably have heard of it, it is the oldest railway station in the world. The Royal Exchange is the third exchange and the worldwide price of cotton was determined inside. It is now shops with a theatre in-the-, round, inside. The nearby Exchange Station has been demolished but two disused train stations survive, Central now an exhibitions centre and political convention venue. At the front of the station is where probably one of the darkest episodes of Mcr's history - alongside the December '42 blitz, the '96 IRA bomb and the Mcr Arena bomb, took place, the Peterloo Massacre. There are two pubs nearby, "The Sir Ralph Abercrombie" and the "The Briton's Protection" which still survive and were where people were treated. The Mcr Guardian now Guardian (after their move to London) was a direct result of Peterloo. 😭 The other disused station is Mayfield which has become a legendary rock venue for the " Warehouse Project". They are working on the whole area of Mayfield. Next to Piccadilly station. Mcr has always been a political and newspaper city of the front rank, from the Anti-Corn Law League to Suffragettes. Check out Emmeline Pankurst's statue in St. Peter's Square. David Lloyd-George of Welsh ancestry, the Prime Minister, was born in Mcr not that they care to publicise it. At the rear of Central Station they are planning to have the largest public building in Europe at 76 storeys. The city centre was lived in until the 1800's when businesses became priority. Now the public are coming back in huge numbers and the city centre population is rocketing. The towers you see are not usually offices but residences. Mainly students and graduates. Mcr has the highest student campus in Europe and 52% decide to stay after graduating. It really is honey to students, the arts, bars etc. Incredibly 61% of the students graduated elsewhere but choose Mcr. The cost of living is half that of London. They cant build towers quick enough. It really is a very young city. You don't get many people with grey hair. Don't know where it will end. 🤔 Thank you for your honest commentary. I don't think Mcr has an equivalent of Greyfriars Bobby but they would probably write a song or name a beer after him! 😉 Happy Easter! 🐣🐇

It's not too bad if you know where to park, I recommend Retro Bar Carpark on Charles Street! Just outside the main roads enough to not be too hard to get to and not too far to walk either!

Heard many good things about The Alan! Have you stayed there before?

@@Kakibot yes It will be second time there!!

Glad to hear you're feeling inspired! I really think Manchester is worth it, especially for me coming from Edinburgh - just such a different, but very artsy vibe! Also the nightlife seems to be on a whole other level, even though that's not really my area of expertise haha

I was very pleasantly surprised by how creative and casual the city feels! You should absolutely visit and spend half your pay check at Fred Aldous .D

Still waiting on my paperwork to travel back to me from the continent almost two months later! Marital limbo!!! But perhaps having one low point to the trip made me super enjoy the rest of my visit! .)

That's awesome! Glad you found this video helpful .) I'm really looking forward to eventually making it to Liverpool too .)

Thank you!!

Castlefield viaduct?

Getting some pretty shot of Manchester as a whole is super tricky - it really isn’t a very pretty place as a whole 😂 but on a more human level it’s just so fun to explore. I enjoy areas that used to be very industrial but are repurposed as artsy, coffee shoppy, indie friendly quarters nowadays. You’d love Lake District! And I guess Yorkshire Dales are also pretty close to Manchester?

@@Kakibot i’m not really sure, I think they’re about an hour and a half apart? There are too many places that I want to go in Scotland, let alone adding in England and also Ireland to the list. It’s ever-growing!

Both Manchester and the lakes are well worth a visit.

Yusssss I also dream about Durham and York! Travelled through Durham by train couple of times and always makes me dream of coming back and actually GETTING OFF THE TRAIN for once haha! Do you think you'll give Manchester a bit of an explore or will you be on your way to the more picturesque places straight away? .)

Sorry to correct you but the City of Birmingham is the Greenest City in the UK and Europe and has two of the largest urban parks in Europe, The Licky Hills Country Park and Sutton Park with 8000 acres of greenery with in the City Boundary with over 571 parks.

@@peterwilliamallen1063 Thank you for this. Interesting, as I would never have considered Birminham (I've only been a couple times but didn't see much beyond the canals and city centre). I can only go from what I have read over the years in various sources. Lists I saw said Edinburgh was #1. Now it seems Exeter and Sheffield vie for that spot with Edinburgh #2. There never seems to be any sign of Birmingham. Mind, 'green' today takes in various factors beyond chlorophyl.

Glad the change of scenery is appreciated! I love making content from beyond Edinburgh but it always does so badly on the channel 😅 not that it keeps me from travelling anyway! I will force those day trips on people whether they like it or not!

I thought Manchester and a lot of places in the UK felt very rundown and lots of rubbish everywhere. I have family in UK and it always seems grey and gloomy. I also thought the houses were too small and stuck together.

@munterboy1744 Surly there are places like that in UK.Depends on angle you choose to looking at it.

@@Michaela_Mex I look at things realistically.

​@@munterboy1744 sounds like you're a blind spaz

Aaah York, I feel so embarrassed I’ve never been - but it’s very high on my list! It looks like it would be a total treat to photograph!

So happy to hear my videos have been helpful!! Wishing you only the best for your relocation - especially when it comes to finding accommodation 😅 good vibes are needed for that part of the quest I think!

Don't worry, Glasgow is only 50 mins on the train from Edinburgh and will give you that big city industrial town party and shopping vibe of home any time you want

That sounds like the best way of doing it!

There are still loads of Parks and Green space in and around the edge of Manchester City Centre Whitworth Park Platt Fields Fletcher Moss Picadilly Gardens Parsonage Gardens Heaton Park Castlefield Viaduct Green space by Chethams and Urbis Peel Park Mayfield Park Ardwick Green The green space by the gay village with the Alan Turing Memorial Granby Row Alexandra Park Hulme Park The recreation of the Roman Fort Castlefield urban heritage park St Johns Gardenst Michaels Flags and Angel Meadow Cotton Fields Ancoats Green

Mine too

I feel sorry for you

​@munterboy1744 don't be

Indeed I have been here for total of 12 tourist seasons now! But that'd be like saying someone is aways tired and sniffly just because they catch the flu twice a year.

It looks the same but its way more arty and alternative.

Well, Manchester has an Industrial past, so obviously cities with Industrial pasts have less greenery and parks in the city centres.

So what is wrong with Birmingham, if you would not set foot in Birmingham again I wouldn't go to Manchester

@@peterwilliamallen1063 I didn't like it's aesthetic of it nor the lack of feeling safe. Run down, dirty, buildings abandoned, sketchy persons at every corner and soo many homeless I have never seen in my life. Maybe I just happened to come on a bad day for the city, but I don't feel like I want to give it second chances.

@@JinJinDoe What run down dirty abandoned buildings, sorry I do not believe you have eve visited Birmingham, the City center is a totally modern cosmopolitan city Center and he is no run down dirty buildings in the suburbs. Ask any one who visited Birmingham for the 2022 Commonwealth Games and they will agree that Brum is a fantastic City of Friendly people.

As a matter of fact many green spaces have been built over with flats and offices in the recent years (or in very close future, like the Islington Green), so I don't think the city's history is to blame. Bet Piccadilly gardens looked better without the street food pop ups too.

Manchester has many great parks - unfortunately it’s true that they are not in the city centre, but Manchester is far more than just the centre.

@@rufdymond I’m looking forward to visiting again and exploring further! Do you have any areas further from the centre you’re recommend exploring?

@@Kakibot Manchester has many parks, like Whitworth Park, Platts field park, Alexandra Park, and many more, although those listed are mostly focused in the south of the city... Heaton park in the north of the city is also v nice

You might! Probably similarly artsy to Portland!

Portland us beautiful. Manchester not so much everything is rundown and there's rubbish everywhere.

It’s so strange to imagine such a large and important city basically lacking any sort of large park space! A really fun place to visit though and I’m looking forward to going back .)

😅 Yes that was very touristy of me - I was just trying to sell it to my fellow non natives!