This is a nice, relaxing one this one – a walking trail which you can tackle at your own leisure and, best of all – it’s in and around the city centre – meaning it’s probably our most easily accessible walk ever.
The University of Manchester Tree Trail is an activity set up by the Living Campus Plan, which seeks to provide opportunities for people to learn, think and connect with the city environment. It also looks to help people take advantage of the health and wellbeing benefits that come from being outside and experiencing all that nature provides.
Therefore, the University have created an interactive Tree Trail for us all to enjoy, which takes in all 1500 trees on the Main and North Campuses, as well as Whitworth Park.
The trail is full of a wide variety of trees, an abundance of wildlife and glimpses into some serious history and heritage that’s ripe to explore.
Alongside ample Apple, Japanese Maple and Silver Birch trees, the North Campus is also home to some stunning Brutalist architecture – in particular the iconic Reynold Building with its distinctive ‘zig-zag’ window wall.
Just behind the Reynold Building is the famed Vimto Statue, placed there as a reference to the fact that the huge building on Sackville Street (now a University building) was once home to the production line of the famed fruit drink.
Renold’s unique Zig-Zag wall
The Sackville Street Building itself is full of history too – including a stunning terracotta tile interior and creepy old gym and observatory up on the top floors.
Over on the Main Campus, there’s 21 different species of tree explore, as well as some of the University’s oldest and most prestigious buildings. You’ll also find the excellent Manchester Museum here, although it’s actually closed to the public until late 2022. Maybe just peer through a window at the builders and their bacon butties?
Just a short walk up from the Main Campus, past Whitworth Park Halls, is The Whitworth, a fantastic museum and gallery where you can ponder at William Blake’s ‘The Ancient of Days’, which they’ve recently made into an NFT which is available to purchase for a measly 999 ‘Tezos’ (roughly £2.2k).
Right next to the gallery is Whitworth Park, absolutely jam-packed full of trees for you to have a look at, plus loads of wildlife and even a playground if you fancy a run on the swings for a bit.
From here feel free to head down the Curry Mile for some scran, or walk up Hathersage Road and pop in Seoul Kimchi. It’s entirely up to you – and with this being the city centre still – you can pretty much go anywhere – Manchester is your oyster.
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For more information and PDFs of the University of Manchester Tree Trail – click below…
