Castlefield Canal System

When we were moving to Manchester we very almost moved into a flat right by the Castlefield Canals. The whole area is peaceful and lovely in the summer, with pubs alongside the canal and outdoor seating to hang out and drink a relaxing pint with your mates.
The area is home to the kind of office worker section of Manchester’s population, so studentville this is not.
As for the canals, they’re clean and well kept, which is better than some of the sections of canal over near Piccadilly. A nice getaway from the hustle and bustle of the city.

One day I was walking the Castlefield stretch between Spinningfields and Regent Retail Park to get to Sainsbury’s from my old workplace. It was this experience that prompted me to want to review Castlefield’s canals as a whole. I walked around a corner, and was greeted my an entire family of Canada geese. They’d wandered up from the Canal to one of the grassy banks around the area and were pottering about, minding their own business. And I’m talking a whole family. Huge ones, tiny fluffy goslings, the works. Everyone who walked past sought a camera and tried to take some photos. It was brilliant.
This is why I’m so happy that we have canals in Manchester. Here in the North West we have a city that actually attracts a great deal of wildlife. Pollution and development hasn’t quite got the better of Mother Nature yet, and I for one am glad. If you take a walk alongside the canals there are many places to stop and take in the scenery, you can watch the barges go by and it’s mighty pretty. Take a picnic or call in at one of the canalside bars and restaurants, they’re all pretty good.
Ducks? Bread? Wine? General nature-​based loveliness? Get away from it all and come here to unwind, I guarantee it’ll put the wind back in your sails.

I would go as far as to say that Castlefield’s canal system is the best and most beautiful part of Manchester bar none. Castlefield is the meeting point of three early-​nineteenth-​century canals, Rochdale Canal, Bridgewater Canal and Ashton Canal. This makes the architecture of the area worthy of a visit on its own merit. It really is a site of special historical interest.
In addition to this, following a period of urban decay in the area in the 1980s, a regeneration project has meant that a large number of professionals now live in the area. This has let to the development of a number of excellent bars and businesses which now line the canals. There are exactly the right number of gorgeous bars allowing for the perfect canal side experience, without destroying the authentic views of the canal system and the original architecture. These bars include the famous Dukes 92, a perfect outdoor canal-​side bar, BarCa, an up and coming bar previously owned by Mick Hucknell, and the lovely Albert’s Shed restaurant.
In fact the history of the Castlefield dates back to somewhere around 37 AD! Some of the Roman ruins can still be seen, though they have been renovated and aren’t much to see. The highlight for me is the more recent history.
Castlefield is also home to the excellent Museum of Science and Industry where you can learn more about local and broader history. So whether you’re a keen historian or just fancy a beautiful canal side walk and a few gorgeous pints, Castlefield is the place for you.