Manchester open day bloomin train strike, need clever ideas

[DownyEmerald]

So - we live 2.5+ hours S of M/c so we were going to train it - can't go up night before for reasons.

And now a train strike. And coaches not from anywhere near here.

I did used to work in the Uni in a previous life and drive in regularly from Shropshire but that was 30 odd years ago before traffic so horrendous and not on Sat mornings!

So - I thought park in Sale or Cheadle Hulme and get trams - but they go nowhere near the bloody Uni! We'd then have to get a bloody bus as well.

Anyone clever got ideas? I'm thinking of binning it, frankly bored now! No real affection for M/c, be very happy for DD not to go there!

There is a tram stop at Manchester Piccadilly, OP. That’s presumably where the train would land you? You have my sympathies but if you are prepared to drive to a point on the tram network (which I find easy and good when visiting) I don’t think you can get out of it that easily.

Park at Sale Waterpark and get a tram to St Peters Square and walk down Oxford Rd to get to the uni it's not that far. Or hop on one of the millions of buses that go down Oxford Rd if you don't want to walk it's not an issue really.

Agree tram to St Peters Square then a 2 min bus to the uni. 142 or 143.

Manchester is not bad at all to get to by car. I would just drive all the way. Its mainly motorway.
If you dont fancy driving into the city though look at anywhere around the M60 with a direct bus or tram and park there.
The Trafford centre for example is literally 1 minute off the motorway.
I live in Shropshire. You will get to the Trafford centre in 2 hours

Cheadle hulme doesn’t have the tram so don’t do that!

Either park and ride from sale waterpark or east DIdsbury.

Or park up anywhere near Wilmslow road / palatine road and get the 142 / 143. That’ll take you through fallowfield where the student halls are so you can see what that’s like too.

I would suggest driving to either (1)East Didsbury, park for free on any of the side roads off the main wilmslow road and get the 142 bus to the university, which is likely about 20 mins in non-rush hour or (2) drive to fallowfield where a lot of the students live and where there are lots of free spaces and get any of the buses (143 or 142, 42) which is 5 mins to the main uni campus. Fallowfield is probably the easiest and there is ample free parking along Egerton road/side roads.

Agreed, if you’d got the train you’d have gone to Piccadilly or Victoria and still would’ve needed to get to the uni so it’s really no different.

Do park & ride on the tram from Brooklands or Stretford, get off at St Peter’s Sq and either walk down Oxford rd or jump on any bus.

If you’re coming up the M62, get off at Whitefield / Prestwich, follow the satnav for Whitefield Tram stop (5 mins from motorway and free parking) park up and hop on the tram into the city. You need a tram that stops at Piccadilly. You can walk (15 mins) to the Uni from there or jump on a bus (5 mins)

The traffic's not that bad OP, honest.

You are all so helpful to a grump! When it was trains was thinking DD and friend could manage by themselves - now I have to go. Can go and see where I used to work though. And if go the Fallowfield route my old bedsit in Victoria Park Rusholme.

I'm not Shropshire anymore sadly @Yellowshirt further south now.

We probably would've walked from Piccadilly anyway tbh to give DD an idea of central M/c. I had just assumed that these new trams (since I was there 😀) might actually go somewhere near Uni!

I'll sleep 'ont. Thank you all

I drove in to the Saturday open day a few years ago and parked in a multi-storey in oxford road by Rusholme . Near hulme hall. Coming from the midlands. It was fine but we did get there early, parked around 10.

Perfectly walkable from St Peter's Square but loads of buses too.

Me too. Just park in the city centre. The ncp is only a short walk to the uni. I went to uni in Manchester and it was good.

If you live near a major city like Birmingham look at National express or Megabus. They will have coaches going to Manchester and back every day. If you book in advance they are usually cheaper than trains as well.
There is another company called flexibus.

Park at the multi-storey next to Sale tram stop (not Sale Waterpark), then get the number 41 bus from across the road from the tram stop straight to the university.

If you're coming from the south then presumably you'll end up on the M56 which turns into Princess Road. Just drive to Fallowfield/Rusholme and park for free (I'd go for Norman Rd, off Wilmslow Rd - close to Platt Fields) and get a bus five mins down Wilmslow Rd to the universities. Don't mess about parking miles away and trying to get trams - they're not useful at all for you in this instance!

Drive and park anywhere on the 42/142 and other buses that go down the Wilmslow road corridor.
There is a bus every 5-6 mins to the university doors & miles of bus route / side streets to park on without the hassle of city centre. Rusholme / Fallowfield / Withington / Didsbury etc

Manchester has excellent buses. So you could park anywhere on a big bus route.

eg Fallowfield or Withington

I'd get the Justpark app and find a spot near to the University - that's what I did when visiting with my youngest last year. I use it all the time now!

We have the same problem, have booked with Flixbus as they were much cheaper than either National Express or Megabus. It may be work seeing if any of their services go near you as their routes may be different to National Express/Megabus and driving too and from the coach. Secretly hoping the strike get called off so I'm not cancelling my train tickets yet!