Weekends Well Spent

Graham Ashworth

@grahamashworth_mcr

6Items

Bit too old to be sliding into two-footed tackles, but not quite ready for the armchair yet. These are the places I actually drag myself to when I fancy something more than shouting at the telly. Proper mix of big stadium days, a few museums-and-a-brew jobs, and the odd place that reminds you your knees aren’t what they were. All sound in their own way, if you pick your moment.

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Weekends Well Spent — 6 items
Name	Sport	Best for	Address	City	My take
1Old Trafford	Football	Big match days and stadium tour	Sir Matt Busby Way, Manchester M16 0RA	Manchester	Walk up Sir Matt Busby Way on a matchday and you still get that daft little tingle, even if the football’s a bit up and down. Museum and tour are a decent shout midweek when it’s quieter.
2Etihad Stadium	Football	Modern stadium experience	Etihad Stadium, Ashton New Rd, Manchester M11 3FF	Manchester	Feels more like a sports campus than just a ground these days. Easy tram, plenty of space, and the view’s spot on. Atmosphere’s better on derby days, mind.
3Emirates Old Trafford	Cricket	Long test days and summer evenings	Talbot Road, Manchester M16 0PX	Manchester	Turn up for a test, settle in with a pint and a pie, and let the day drift. If you’re used to ninety minutes of chaos, four days of slow burn cricket is oddly calming.
4National Football Museum	Football history	Rainy afternoons and nostalgia	Urbis Building, Cathedral Gardens, Manchester M4 3BG	Manchester	Basically a love letter to football without the mud. Shirts, trophies, old tat you half-remember from Panini stickers. Free for locals, which is proper civilised.
7Manchester Climbing Centre	Indoor climbing	Learning the ropes, literally	St Benedict’s Church, Bennett Street, Manchester M12 5ND	Manchester	Climbing in an old church feels very Manchester – bit grand, bit scruffy, utterly practical. Good mix of beginners’ stuff and routes that’ll remind you your forearms are past their peak.
8Sale Water Park & Trafford Watersports Centre	Kayaking, paddleboarding and sailing	Sunny-day messing about on the water	Trafford Watersports Centre, Rifle Road, Sale M33 2LX	Sale	When the sun actually shows up, this is where I go to feel vaguely outdoorsy. Calm enough for beginners, but you’ll still end up knackered and slightly damp. In a good way.