Hilton

Today's the day ............................. for the old and the new

A very different day today as we left the countryside behind and headed for the big city of Manchester.

Twenty or so years ago, the canals of Manchester were so synonymous with decay and vandalism that passage through the city was regarded by the majority of canal travellers as a necessary evil. You certainly would not plan to stay overnight if at all possible. Nowadays thankfully, things are quite different with regeneration of the urban environment making a journey by canal an intriguing and fascinating experience.

Doyen of the Canal Age, the Bridgewater arrived at Castlefield in 1765 - built to carry the Duke of Bridgewater's coals from his mines at Worsley to the market place of Manchester. Castlefield Quay now provides a safe mooring to tie up and explore this part of the City.

Modern skyscrapers like the iconic Manchest Hilton sit next to the red brick warehouses and mills of a former time. The railways, tramways, roads and canals thread their way between - and somehow it all works to make this the vibrant and exciting place that it undoubtedly is ........................