Note: Whilst I have visited these, some haven't been recently (within last 3 months), this blog post is actually a banked post that I've had in my drafts in the case of something happening to me which means I'm unable to do travel reviews for a while. As you may have seen on my social media and the note on my last post, I was injured in a car crash on the M25 back in December which I'm still recovering from. Love to you all, Steph x
Manchester, full of culture, history, but with modern twists too! It's quite literally a northern hub city with not only lots to do, but a great transport network that literally works for everyone! In some ways, the accessibility of transport around Manchester puts cities like London to shame! Also, If you're travelling to or from Manchester by plane, you'll be pleased to know that the airport has changing places in every terminal! It's something I wish other airports would follow on but Manchester is definitely setting the example there, so bravo to you guys!
Anyway, with so much to do in Manchester, I thought I'd give you all 4 things you can do when visiting this northern gem!
1. Shopping
I've combined this into one, because whether you want inner city with the delights of Harvey Nichols, The Arndale and Northern Quarter, or outer city vibes at the Trafford Centre, Manchester gives you the choice! Personally I prefer the Arndale and inner city shopping, just because The Arndale has really good transport around the city thanks to the trams and buses, whereas the Trafford centre for me can be a nightmare. The good thing about both shopping centres however, is that both of them now have changing places toilets!
2. Football fan? Do a stadium tour or watch a match! Oh and the National Football Museum is here too!
Both The Old Trafford and The Etihad have changing places toilets, something I was really pleased to hear about especially after the shocking report that came out about disabled access to football stadiums a couple of years back. But if you're a massive football fan, make a weekend of it by watching a game, followed by a visit to the National Football museum afterwards! Both Old Trafford and The Etihad do ground tours as well, and on both tours I found the staff to be really accommodating to my needs!
3. Chill Factore
So before my spine happened, I absolutely loved skiing! To this day memories of skiing in France and Switzerland when I was younger still make me want to get back out on the slopes. Since 2015, I've been itching to get back on the slopes, but needed to find a way to learn to sit-ski. Well guess what guys, Chill Factore in Manchester actually offer sit skiing lessons through Disability Snowsport UK! A massive plus if you're wanting to get into sit-skiing or learn new skills before testing them in The Alps or at Whistler if you dare!
4. The MEN Arena
Concert lover? The MEN Arena isn't just easy to get to, there's so much going on! There is one bugbear I have with the MEN however, and that is that there is no changing places toilet and the nearest is in the Arndale. There are standard disabled toilets in all of the sets and unisex ones with radar key access as well through the arena.
There's a lot more than this that the Manchester has to offer, and I'm sure I'll do an updated guide the next time I go up there! Got any favourite places you like to go to? Pop them in the comments below for others to see!