The Calendar of Public Walks & Zoom tours
Walks in standard text, Zoom tours in italics
You can purchase gift vouchers for these tours HERE
What guests have said...
Tuesday 7 September
6pm Top 100 North West places, the first ten – Zoom tour
A personal choice of the best of the North West of England big and small, manmade and natural. Beautiful pictures and entertaining commentary with choices that will surprise people. There will be ten Zoom presentations over the next year or so. The last one will also give my personal top ten.
FREE but contributions are very welcome.
Wednesday 8 September
11am The Secrets of Heaton Hall and Park EXCLUSIVE
Regular access to the interior of one of the most important stately homes in the country of its period is normally impossible. Now every Wednesday and Saturday at 11am you are guaranteed entry and afterwards a look around the park to take in the views and the exceptional features.
Saturday 11 September
3pm Secrets of Ancoats and New Islington
Has any area of the UK been transformed so utterly than this fascinating area of mills, canals, new development and controversy? The answer is no. So join me for a stroll around the most interesting urban story in modern Britain.
Sunday 12 September
10am The Bicycle Magical Mystery Tour: The Surprising Manchester Series
Three and half hours of fun on a route around the city centre that is full of surprises and full of green spaces.
11am The Secrets of Heaton Hall and Park EXCLUSIVE
Regular access to the interior of one of the most important stately homes in the country of its period is normally impossible. Now every Wednesday and Saturday at 11am you are guaranteed entry and afterwards a look around the park to take in the views and the exceptional features.
Sunday 12 September
2pm Kersal Moor and the River Woods: The Surprising Manchester (and Salford series)
An urban yet rural tour crossing over one of the oldest continuously used sporting grounds in the UK, and one full of curious human stories, a richly populated graveyard and a pretty and antique building.
Wednesday 15 September
11am The Secrets of Heaton Hall and Park EXCLUSIVE
Regular access to the interior of one of the most important stately homes in the country of its period is normally impossible. Now every Wednesday and Saturday at 11am you are guaranteed entry and afterwards a look around the park to take in the views and the exceptional features.
Saturday 18 September
10am Kimpton Clock Tower Hotel Tour (Refuge Assurance)
The most spectacular terracotta building in the North of England. The Kimpton Clock Tower Hotel is a beauty and on this tour you learn its secrets.
3pm The Day the World Got Smaller: A Manchester Anniversary Tour
Three days before the 190th anniversary, this tour looks at the day the Railway Age began in speed, smoke and blood.
Sunday 19 September
11am The Secrets of Heaton Hall and Park EXCLUSIVE
Regular access to the interior of one of the most important stately homes in the country of its period is normally impossible. Now every Wednesday and Saturday at 11am you are guaranteed entry and afterwards a look around the park to take in the views and the exceptional features.
Wednesday 22 September
6pm Manchester Town Hall, 'a classic of its age' – Zoom tour
A virtual tour around one of the greatest Victorian buildings in the world. This tour includes the story of its design, its construction and the activities that have taken place within it. There are lots of people stories, a few ghosts involved and of course superb pictures.
FREE but contributions are very welcome.
Wednesday 22 September
11am The Secrets of Heaton Hall and Park EXCLUSIVE
Regular access to the interior of one of the most important stately homes in the country of its period is normally impossible. Now every Wednesday and Saturday at 11am you are guaranteed entry and afterwards a look around the park to take in the views and the exceptional features.
Sunday 26 September
11am The Secrets of Heaton Hall and Park EXCLUSIVE
Regular access to the interior of one of the most important stately homes in the country of its period is normally impossible. Now every Wednesday and Saturday at 11am you are guaranteed entry and afterwards a look around the park to take in the views and the exceptional features.
Saturday 2 October
10.30am The Secret of Fairfield Moravian Settlement and area
One of the most delightful surprises across this conurbation of 2.8m people is the hidden corner that is Fairfield Moravian Settlement. If you've never been you'll be fascinated by this atmospheric location.
Wednesday 6 October
6pm Folklore, tall stories and crazy early sport – Zoom tour
This is the stuff of legends you might say. This tour looks at the myths and folktales associated with the Manchester area but also includes some of the madcap games and pastimes people enjoyed from chasing greased pigs, playing clout ear, treacle loaf eating, nude male racing. In superstitious times people worried about spirits, faeries and sprites lurking in canals, under bridges or in leafy dells. This is an amusing excursion into a past where the urban and natural landscape was alive with supernatural and also the people’s playground.
FREE but contributions are very welcome.
Saturday 9 October
3pm Suffragettes, Women & the City: A Manchester Anniversary Tour
In October the Suffragettes raised their first ‘Votes for Women’ banner. This was an epic moment in the fight for equal rights, this tour marks that and so many other heroic moments.
Tuesday 12 October
6.30pm Talk: The Lost Buildings of Manchester - Eagle pub (five minutes walk from Manchester Cathedral)FREE
Saturday 16 October
1pm The Death & Beer Tour
A tour around Weaste cemetery with Salford’s noble dead, finishing off in a beer tap with the Marble’s noble beers.
5pm The Ghosts of Manchester – spooks guaranteed
A rip-roaring and fascinating tour of the haunted areas of Manchester, finishing in a dark place for a surprise.
Wednesday 20 October
6pm The glories of the NW England Part Two – Zoom tour
Another ten surprising or lovely or both sites and sights across the North West of England.
FREE but contributions are very welcome.
Saturday 23 October
3pm The Pan-African Congress, Slavery, and Thomas Clarkson Tour: A Manchester Anniversary Tour
The city was at the heart of the anti-slavery movements in the UK and Empire yet its mainstay product, cotton, was largely slave-picked. Epic history and a contradiction explored.
5pm The Ghosts of Manchester – spooks guaranteed
A rip-roaring and fascinating tour of the haunted areas of Manchester, finishing in a dark place for a surprise.
Sunday 31 October
2pm/6pm The Ghosts of Manchester – spooks guaranteed
A rip-roaring and fascinating tour of the haunted areas of Manchester, finishing in a dark place for a surprise.
Wednesday 3 November
6pm Manchester in great speeches – Zoom tour
The city has inspired grand words delivered by locals or by visitors, this tour looks at some of them.
FREE but contributions are very welcome.
Sunday 7 November
11am EXCLUSIVE: The Secrets of Heaton Hall and Park
This is a love story in stone, the passion between a young married couple turned into architecture. At the same time the utterly stunning interiors are all about music, so naturally amongst the lovely stories there will be playing music. This is one tour not to miss.
Wednesday 10 November
11am EXCLUSIVE: The Secrets of Heaton Hall and Park
This is a love story in stone, the passion between a young married couple turned into architecture. At the same time the utterly stunning interiors are all about music, so naturally amongst the lovely stories there will be playing music. This is one tour not to miss.
Saturday 13 November
10.30am EXCLUSIVE: One of the UK’s 'Boldest Buildings', The Edgar Wood Centre
An amazing building, an eccentric architect, a radical woman and a very special Spanish lady plus a little about Victoria Park
Sunday 14 November
11am EXCLUSIVE: The Secrets of Heaton Hall and Park
This is a love story in stone, the passion between a young married couple turned into architecture. At the same time the utterly stunning interiors are all about music, so naturally amongst the lovely stories there will be playing music. This is a tour you should not miss.
Wednesday 17 November
11am EXCLUSIVE: The Secrets of Heaton Hall and Park
This is a love story in stone, the passion between a young married couple turned into architecture. At the same time the utterly stunning interiors are all about music, so naturally amongst the lovely stories there will be playing music. This is a tour you should not miss.
6pm Heaton Park: Manchester's love letter in stone – Zoom tour
Another ten surprising or lovely or both sites and sights across the North West of England.
FREE but contributions are very welcome.
Saturday 20 November
11.30am EXCLUSIVE: Salford Lads Club Tour
(plus Middlewood Locks and Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal)
The Saturday Walkabout Series
The Manchester Music Walkabout 1pm every Saturday; The Manchester Pub Walkabout 3pm every Saturday; The Manchester Ghost Walkabout 5pm every Saturday.
Total entertainment, brilliant stories, great fun.
Sunday 21 November
11am EXCLUSIVE: The Secrets of Heaton Hall and Park
This is a love story in stone, the passion between a young married couple turned into architecture. At the same time the utterly stunning interiors are all about music, so naturally amongst the lovely stories there will be playing music. This is a tour you should not miss.
Sunday 21 November
1.30pm EXCLUSIVE: Inside Ordsall Hall: the guided tour
(plus a short walk and history of Manchester Ship Canal)
Wednesday 24 November
11am EXCLUSIVE: The Secrets of Heaton Hall and Park
This is a love story in stone, the passion between a young married couple turned into architecture. At the same time the utterly stunning interiors are all about music, so naturally amongst the lovely stories there will be playing music. This is one tour not to miss.
Saturday 27 November
The Saturday Walkabout Series
The Manchester Music Walkabout 1pm every Saturday; The Manchester Pub Walkabout 3pm every Saturday; The Manchester Ghost Walkabout 5pm every Saturday.
Total entertainment, brilliant stories, great fun.
Sunday 28 November
11am EXCLUSIVE: The Secrets of Heaton Hall and Park
This is a love story in stone, the passion between a young married couple turned into architecture. At the same time the utterly stunning interiors are all about music, so naturally amongst the lovely stories there will be playing music. This is one tour not to miss.
3pm Engels & Marx in Manchester
On the occasion of Friedrich Engels 200th birthday we trace the story of two men and Manchester’s role in creating a world ideology.
Wednesday 1 December
11am EXCLUSIVE: The Secrets of Heaton Hall and Park
This is a love story in stone, the passion between a young married couple turned into architecture. At the same time the utterly stunning interiors are all about music, so naturally amongst the lovely stories there will be playing music. This is one tour not to miss.
Saturday 4 December
10.30am The Secret of Fairfield Moravian Settlement and area
One of the most delightful surprises across this conurbation of 2.8m people is the hidden corner that is Fairfield Moravian Settlement. If you've never been you'll be fascinated by this atmospheric location.
The Saturday Walkabout Series
The Manchester Music Walkabout 1pm every Saturday; The Manchester Pub Walkabout 3pm every Saturday; The Manchester Ghost Walkabout 5pm every Saturday.
Total entertainment, brilliant stories, great fun.
Sunday 5 December
11am EXCLUSIVE: The Secrets of Heaton Hall and Park
This is a love story in stone, the passion between a young married couple turned into architecture. At the same time the utterly stunning interiors are all about music, so naturally amongst the lovely stories there will be playing music. This is one tour not to miss.
Wednesday 8 December
11am EXCLUSIVE: The Secrets of Heaton Hall and Park
This is a love story in stone, the passion between a young married couple turned into architecture. At the same time the utterly stunning interiors are all about music, so naturally amongst the lovely stories there will be playing music. This is one tour not to miss.
Saturday 11 December
10.30am EXCLUSIVE: One of the UK’s 'Boldest Buildings', The Edgar Wood Centre
An amazing building, an eccentric architect, a radical woman and a very special Spanish lady plus a little about Victoria Park
The Saturday Walkabout Series
The Manchester Music Walkabout 1pm every Saturday; The Manchester Pub Walkabout 3pm every Saturday; The Manchester Ghost Walkabout 5pm every Saturday.
Total entertainment, brilliant stories, great fun.
Sunday 12 December
11am EXCLUSIVE: The Secrets of Heaton Hall and Park
This is a love story in stone, the passion between a young married couple turned into architecture. At the same time the utterly stunning interiors are all about music, so naturally amongst the lovely stories there will be playing music. This is one tour not to miss.
Saturday 18 December
11am EXCLUSIVE: The Kimpton Clocktower Hotel (formerly The Refuge Assurance) Tours
One of the greatest terracotta wonders of the UK with stories to match. A tour of jawdropping architecture mixed with anecdote and gossip.
The Saturday Walkabout Series
The Manchester Music Walkabout 1pm every Saturday; The Manchester Pub Walkabout 3pm every Saturday; The Manchester Ghost Walkabout 5pm every Saturday.
Total entertainment, brilliant stories, great fun.
Saturday 26 February
10.30am The Tour of Uninteresting Objects
We miss so much strolling the city centre because they aren't obvious yet often they provide delight and real insights into the story of Manchester and the country. Come on this tour to find out about some of the secrets of the city.
More tours will be announced soon
Please check the website 24 hours before the tours
Your Paypal receipt is your ticket, the receipt may have gone into you spam folder so please check that if you can't find it in your main email inbox.
6pm Top 100 North West places, the first ten – Zoom tour
A personal choice of the best of the North West of England big and small, manmade and natural. Beautiful pictures and entertaining commentary with choices that will surprise people. There will be ten Zoom presentations over the next year or so. The last one will also give my personal top ten.
FREE but contributions are very welcome.
Wednesday 8 September
11am The Secrets of Heaton Hall and Park EXCLUSIVE
Regular access to the interior of one of the most important stately homes in the country of its period is normally impossible. Now every Wednesday and Saturday at 11am you are guaranteed entry and afterwards a look around the park to take in the views and the exceptional features.
Saturday 11 September
3pm Secrets of Ancoats and New Islington
Has any area of the UK been transformed so utterly than this fascinating area of mills, canals, new development and controversy? The answer is no. So join me for a stroll around the most interesting urban story in modern Britain.
Sunday 12 September
10am The Bicycle Magical Mystery Tour: The Surprising Manchester Series
Three and half hours of fun on a route around the city centre that is full of surprises and full of green spaces.
11am The Secrets of Heaton Hall and Park EXCLUSIVE
Regular access to the interior of one of the most important stately homes in the country of its period is normally impossible. Now every Wednesday and Saturday at 11am you are guaranteed entry and afterwards a look around the park to take in the views and the exceptional features.
Sunday 12 September
2pm Kersal Moor and the River Woods: The Surprising Manchester (and Salford series)
An urban yet rural tour crossing over one of the oldest continuously used sporting grounds in the UK, and one full of curious human stories, a richly populated graveyard and a pretty and antique building.
Wednesday 15 September
11am The Secrets of Heaton Hall and Park EXCLUSIVE
Regular access to the interior of one of the most important stately homes in the country of its period is normally impossible. Now every Wednesday and Saturday at 11am you are guaranteed entry and afterwards a look around the park to take in the views and the exceptional features.
Saturday 18 September
10am Kimpton Clock Tower Hotel Tour (Refuge Assurance)
The most spectacular terracotta building in the North of England. The Kimpton Clock Tower Hotel is a beauty and on this tour you learn its secrets.
3pm The Day the World Got Smaller: A Manchester Anniversary Tour
Three days before the 190th anniversary, this tour looks at the day the Railway Age began in speed, smoke and blood.
Sunday 19 September
11am The Secrets of Heaton Hall and Park EXCLUSIVE
Regular access to the interior of one of the most important stately homes in the country of its period is normally impossible. Now every Wednesday and Saturday at 11am you are guaranteed entry and afterwards a look around the park to take in the views and the exceptional features.
Wednesday 22 September
6pm Manchester Town Hall, 'a classic of its age' – Zoom tour
A virtual tour around one of the greatest Victorian buildings in the world. This tour includes the story of its design, its construction and the activities that have taken place within it. There are lots of people stories, a few ghosts involved and of course superb pictures.
FREE but contributions are very welcome.
Wednesday 22 September
11am The Secrets of Heaton Hall and Park EXCLUSIVE
Regular access to the interior of one of the most important stately homes in the country of its period is normally impossible. Now every Wednesday and Saturday at 11am you are guaranteed entry and afterwards a look around the park to take in the views and the exceptional features.
Sunday 26 September
11am The Secrets of Heaton Hall and Park EXCLUSIVE
Regular access to the interior of one of the most important stately homes in the country of its period is normally impossible. Now every Wednesday and Saturday at 11am you are guaranteed entry and afterwards a look around the park to take in the views and the exceptional features.
Saturday 2 October
10.30am The Secret of Fairfield Moravian Settlement and area
One of the most delightful surprises across this conurbation of 2.8m people is the hidden corner that is Fairfield Moravian Settlement. If you've never been you'll be fascinated by this atmospheric location.
Wednesday 6 October
6pm Folklore, tall stories and crazy early sport – Zoom tour
This is the stuff of legends you might say. This tour looks at the myths and folktales associated with the Manchester area but also includes some of the madcap games and pastimes people enjoyed from chasing greased pigs, playing clout ear, treacle loaf eating, nude male racing. In superstitious times people worried about spirits, faeries and sprites lurking in canals, under bridges or in leafy dells. This is an amusing excursion into a past where the urban and natural landscape was alive with supernatural and also the people’s playground.
FREE but contributions are very welcome.
Saturday 9 October
3pm Suffragettes, Women & the City: A Manchester Anniversary Tour
In October the Suffragettes raised their first ‘Votes for Women’ banner. This was an epic moment in the fight for equal rights, this tour marks that and so many other heroic moments.
Tuesday 12 October
6.30pm Talk: The Lost Buildings of Manchester - Eagle pub (five minutes walk from Manchester Cathedral)FREE
Saturday 16 October
1pm The Death & Beer Tour
A tour around Weaste cemetery with Salford’s noble dead, finishing off in a beer tap with the Marble’s noble beers.
5pm The Ghosts of Manchester – spooks guaranteed
A rip-roaring and fascinating tour of the haunted areas of Manchester, finishing in a dark place for a surprise.
Wednesday 20 October
6pm The glories of the NW England Part Two – Zoom tour
Another ten surprising or lovely or both sites and sights across the North West of England.
FREE but contributions are very welcome.
Saturday 23 October
3pm The Pan-African Congress, Slavery, and Thomas Clarkson Tour: A Manchester Anniversary Tour
The city was at the heart of the anti-slavery movements in the UK and Empire yet its mainstay product, cotton, was largely slave-picked. Epic history and a contradiction explored.
5pm The Ghosts of Manchester – spooks guaranteed
A rip-roaring and fascinating tour of the haunted areas of Manchester, finishing in a dark place for a surprise.
Sunday 31 October
2pm/6pm The Ghosts of Manchester – spooks guaranteed
A rip-roaring and fascinating tour of the haunted areas of Manchester, finishing in a dark place for a surprise.
Wednesday 3 November
6pm Manchester in great speeches – Zoom tour
The city has inspired grand words delivered by locals or by visitors, this tour looks at some of them.
FREE but contributions are very welcome.
Sunday 7 November
11am EXCLUSIVE: The Secrets of Heaton Hall and Park
This is a love story in stone, the passion between a young married couple turned into architecture. At the same time the utterly stunning interiors are all about music, so naturally amongst the lovely stories there will be playing music. This is one tour not to miss.
Wednesday 10 November
11am EXCLUSIVE: The Secrets of Heaton Hall and Park
This is a love story in stone, the passion between a young married couple turned into architecture. At the same time the utterly stunning interiors are all about music, so naturally amongst the lovely stories there will be playing music. This is one tour not to miss.
Saturday 13 November
10.30am EXCLUSIVE: One of the UK’s 'Boldest Buildings', The Edgar Wood Centre
An amazing building, an eccentric architect, a radical woman and a very special Spanish lady plus a little about Victoria Park
Sunday 14 November
11am EXCLUSIVE: The Secrets of Heaton Hall and Park
This is a love story in stone, the passion between a young married couple turned into architecture. At the same time the utterly stunning interiors are all about music, so naturally amongst the lovely stories there will be playing music. This is a tour you should not miss.
Wednesday 17 November
11am EXCLUSIVE: The Secrets of Heaton Hall and Park
This is a love story in stone, the passion between a young married couple turned into architecture. At the same time the utterly stunning interiors are all about music, so naturally amongst the lovely stories there will be playing music. This is a tour you should not miss.
6pm Heaton Park: Manchester's love letter in stone – Zoom tour
Another ten surprising or lovely or both sites and sights across the North West of England.
FREE but contributions are very welcome.
Saturday 20 November
11.30am EXCLUSIVE: Salford Lads Club Tour
(plus Middlewood Locks and Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal)
The Saturday Walkabout Series
The Manchester Music Walkabout 1pm every Saturday; The Manchester Pub Walkabout 3pm every Saturday; The Manchester Ghost Walkabout 5pm every Saturday.
Total entertainment, brilliant stories, great fun.
Sunday 21 November
11am EXCLUSIVE: The Secrets of Heaton Hall and Park
This is a love story in stone, the passion between a young married couple turned into architecture. At the same time the utterly stunning interiors are all about music, so naturally amongst the lovely stories there will be playing music. This is a tour you should not miss.
Sunday 21 November
1.30pm EXCLUSIVE: Inside Ordsall Hall: the guided tour
(plus a short walk and history of Manchester Ship Canal)
Wednesday 24 November
11am EXCLUSIVE: The Secrets of Heaton Hall and Park
This is a love story in stone, the passion between a young married couple turned into architecture. At the same time the utterly stunning interiors are all about music, so naturally amongst the lovely stories there will be playing music. This is one tour not to miss.
Saturday 27 November
The Saturday Walkabout Series
The Manchester Music Walkabout 1pm every Saturday; The Manchester Pub Walkabout 3pm every Saturday; The Manchester Ghost Walkabout 5pm every Saturday.
Total entertainment, brilliant stories, great fun.
Sunday 28 November
11am EXCLUSIVE: The Secrets of Heaton Hall and Park
This is a love story in stone, the passion between a young married couple turned into architecture. At the same time the utterly stunning interiors are all about music, so naturally amongst the lovely stories there will be playing music. This is one tour not to miss.
3pm Engels & Marx in Manchester
On the occasion of Friedrich Engels 200th birthday we trace the story of two men and Manchester’s role in creating a world ideology.
Wednesday 1 December
11am EXCLUSIVE: The Secrets of Heaton Hall and Park
This is a love story in stone, the passion between a young married couple turned into architecture. At the same time the utterly stunning interiors are all about music, so naturally amongst the lovely stories there will be playing music. This is one tour not to miss.
Saturday 4 December
10.30am The Secret of Fairfield Moravian Settlement and area
One of the most delightful surprises across this conurbation of 2.8m people is the hidden corner that is Fairfield Moravian Settlement. If you've never been you'll be fascinated by this atmospheric location.
The Saturday Walkabout Series
The Manchester Music Walkabout 1pm every Saturday; The Manchester Pub Walkabout 3pm every Saturday; The Manchester Ghost Walkabout 5pm every Saturday.
Total entertainment, brilliant stories, great fun.
Sunday 5 December
11am EXCLUSIVE: The Secrets of Heaton Hall and Park
This is a love story in stone, the passion between a young married couple turned into architecture. At the same time the utterly stunning interiors are all about music, so naturally amongst the lovely stories there will be playing music. This is one tour not to miss.
Wednesday 8 December
11am EXCLUSIVE: The Secrets of Heaton Hall and Park
This is a love story in stone, the passion between a young married couple turned into architecture. At the same time the utterly stunning interiors are all about music, so naturally amongst the lovely stories there will be playing music. This is one tour not to miss.
Saturday 11 December
10.30am EXCLUSIVE: One of the UK’s 'Boldest Buildings', The Edgar Wood Centre
An amazing building, an eccentric architect, a radical woman and a very special Spanish lady plus a little about Victoria Park
The Saturday Walkabout Series
The Manchester Music Walkabout 1pm every Saturday; The Manchester Pub Walkabout 3pm every Saturday; The Manchester Ghost Walkabout 5pm every Saturday.
Total entertainment, brilliant stories, great fun.
Sunday 12 December
11am EXCLUSIVE: The Secrets of Heaton Hall and Park
This is a love story in stone, the passion between a young married couple turned into architecture. At the same time the utterly stunning interiors are all about music, so naturally amongst the lovely stories there will be playing music. This is one tour not to miss.
Saturday 18 December
11am EXCLUSIVE: The Kimpton Clocktower Hotel (formerly The Refuge Assurance) Tours
One of the greatest terracotta wonders of the UK with stories to match. A tour of jawdropping architecture mixed with anecdote and gossip.
The Saturday Walkabout Series
The Manchester Music Walkabout 1pm every Saturday; The Manchester Pub Walkabout 3pm every Saturday; The Manchester Ghost Walkabout 5pm every Saturday.
Total entertainment, brilliant stories, great fun.
Saturday 26 February
10.30am The Tour of Uninteresting Objects
We miss so much strolling the city centre because they aren't obvious yet often they provide delight and real insights into the story of Manchester and the country. Come on this tour to find out about some of the secrets of the city.
More tours will be announced soon
Please check the website 24 hours before the tours
Your Paypal receipt is your ticket, the receipt may have gone into you spam folder so please check that if you can't find it in your main email inbox.