'Heaton Park is a municipal park in Manchester England covering an area of over 600 acres making it the largest municipal park in Europe,'

Manchester City Council

'Improve your fitness, get some fresh air, enjoy some beautiful scenery and make new friends! Our walking group are aged between 20 and 90 years old and you don’t need to have lots of experience with walking. The walks are a full day with a  break for lunch so you do need to be able to walk approximately 6-7 miles.'

Henshaws Society for Blind People

'Manchester and District Walkers (MAD Walkers) 20s and 30s group, a local group of the Ramblers Association for people who live in and around the Greater Manchester area.'

'We are a group of people who love walking and who appreciate our beautiful countryside.'

'If you live in or around Manchester and enjoy walking, whether it be gentle or strenuous, the Greater Manchester and High Peak Area of the Ramblers and its associated groups organise hundreds of walks throughout the year, so there is sure to be something for you.'

'Guided Walks and Tours of Manchester ... Manchester's Green Corridor ... Manchester Walks and Trails'

'Living history epitomises Ardwick, an area rich in architectural features and cultural heritage. Originally a small village and bounded by the River Medlock, Ardwick can trace its origins back to 1282. By the early 19th century, Ardwick was an elegant suburb and its Georgian splendour is still on show at Ardwick Green, alongside one of Manchester's oldest churches St Thomas's Church, built in 1741 ...'

Victoria Baths Neighbourhood Regeneration Project

''Medlock Valley runs through the heart of East Manchester, running east to west through Clayton Vale, Philips Park, SportsCity, Holt Town, Medlock Outlook, Lower Medlock through the City Centre to join the Irwell at Castlefield.' [From the Website - albeit last updated in 2009 - which gives access to a wide variety of useful background information on the area.]

Medlock Valley Way [LDWA]

'An off-road cycle path, pedestrian and horse riding route from Chorlton-cum-Hardy through Fallowfield and Levenshulme to Gorton and Fairfield in Manchester ... At 8 miles long the Fallowfield Loop is thought to be the longest urban cycleway in Britain.'

Friends of the Fallowfield Loop

'A list of public tours in Manchester and beyond. On other pages there are suggested private tours, gift vouchers and much more.'

'The City of Manchester has 138 parks, 31 of which have been awarded green flag status and a walking route has now been identified that links these green spaces. The Green Corridor is made up of 14 routes with each route averaging 4 miles.' ALERT It seems the Manchester City Council - nor the body originally referenced here Getting Manchester Moving - no longer maintain a description of the Green Corridor on their Websites. Instead, we are referred to the Ramblers' Routes (Search 'Manchester green corridor' - but note that full details of at least some of the stages of the Corridor are only available to Ramblers' Members).

Getting Manchester Moving

'For the most entertaining and best informed Manchester guided tours, join New Manchester Walks, Manchester's leading walks and talks outfit, bringing the 21st century city alive. We provide an unrivalled and unmatchable programme of historical trips and tours in and around Manchester – from the Gothic glories and cotton palaces of central Manchester to the gleaming new dock side towers of Salford Quays; from the coal face of industrial Eastlands to the winding alleyways of Knutsford in leafy Cheshire.'

New Manchester Walks

Guided Walks and Tours of Manchester [Visit Manchester]

'For boaters, this Canal is a peaceful place to escape the crowds. The towpath is probably the easiest walking route through the Pennines, taking you into the heart of the hills at a relatively gentle gradient. However, there is also plenty of access to more challenging routes for serious hiking.'

My Rochdale Canal

The Thirlmere Pipeline 'was built by Manchester Corporation Water Works to relieve the problem of an ever growing need by industry and people in the Manchester area in the latter part of the 19th century. The Thirlmere Way 'broadly follows the path of the pipeline from sink to source, starting at Heaton Park, Manchester and ending, not surprisingly, at Thirlmere'.

BOOT boys