There’s a Metrolink stop in the station: NCP parking is right next door, linked to the station and the Arena, entered off New Bridge Street (M3 1LE). The Deansgate/Castlefield Metrolink stop is close by our ending point, Dukes 92: find Dukes here: http://www.dukes92.com/find-us.php There’s a car park right next to Dukes 92.

We’ll make our way from the station past the iconic Urbis building and the the Manchester Wheel, then through New Cathedral Street, Manchester’s most expensive shopping street, created following the 1996 IRA bomb, to St Ann’s Square. Fairs and markets have been held on this land since 1222. The Royal Exchange Theatre is here, in the space once occupied by the Cotton Exchange.

From there we’ll loop through the spectacular, upmarket new Spinningfields area (The Canary Wharf of the north, said the Financial Times), then pass by Granada Studios and MOSI to Castlefield. This conservation area includes the site of a Roman settlement, and several waterways. There are loads of interesting things to catch a photographer’s eye: bridges, viaducts, locks, barges, cobbles, an events arena and much, much more.

Dukes 92 (18 Castle Street, M3 4LZ) is a great, lively place that offers good value food and drink in various spaces, inside and out. It’s located where the Rochdale and Bridgewater canals join at Lock 92. We can stop there at the end of our walk to talk and see what we’ve shot during our saunter! I’m looking forward to a relaxed sociable outing with cameras… and meeting a very varied group of photo walkers. My mobile number is 0772 842 5626.

Even if the weather forecast is dreadful, the walk will go ahead, but you’ll obviously want to think about bringing good waterproof rain gear (maybe a coat/ jacket with a hood,or a hat, to avoid the juggling involved with an umbrella), grippy shoes, and a waterproof camera bag or bag cover. Your lens hoods, if you have them, will really come into their own by keeping rain rather than sun off the lens, and a simple plastic bag/rubber band construction for the camera body works pretty well if there’s a real downpour.