It's not you Bodybarre, it's me... kinda…read more This place honestly has the best set up I've seen for pole dancing and that is primarily its main specialism. I walked in the first time and there must've been at least 15 people strutting their stuff in unison on the poles. It was really impressive. However I like aerial acrobatics and as you may see from my previous reviews I've tried a fair few places. I booked onto both the four week trapeze and four week aerial hoop lessons. Both the owner and the teacher were really helpful, as I specifically emailed beforehand to make sure I would 'fit'. Sounds silly, but being almost 6 foot tall kind of works against gravity and I've found both aerial artists and your generic kit (hoops and trapezes) to generally be on the petite side (makes sense really). Which in my experience makes for a not only painful, but embarrassing and also futile workout for me. So after some reassurance I signed up and sadly this only confirmed my fears. The studio is on the top floor of a building in the Northern Quarter - which is brilliantly located - but I'm not sure the ceilings are much higher than my flat. Meaning that for me there was only enough space to sit once on the trapeze and I was very nearly scraping my head on the floor when hanging under the hoop. In my opinion if you cant stand up on a trapeze, it's basically half a lesson. Lack of space meant I didn't feel comfortable, as I was too busy worried about hitting things than actually getting into the classes and the movements. In all honesty I got bored, I felt the teaching was more focused on flair than developing strength and aerial conditioning. One reason behind this could be that a lot of class members seemed to be from the pole dancing school, in which case I'm sure they already have fantastic upper body strength. But I did book onto a beginners class and I think if I had been a genuine beginner I would have felt totally lost. Its a difficult thing to review an aerial class, because everyone has their own needs and requirements. In Bodybarre's defence they did offer me a trial half-price lesson to judge whether classes were suitable and I chose to continue and sign up for the courses after having had that trial. I guess I was just overly enthusiastic about finding somewhere for aerial in Manchester and sadly Bodybarre just isn't what I am personally looking for in a studio. However don't let me put you off, I recommend you drop them an email if you have any inkling of an interest, they have a very experienced team and were very helpful.

I had my first aerial yoga session yesterday with Penny..it was amazing.I felt great after,so…read morerelaxed and stretched from head to toe.Penny is so friendly and cheerful and a very good instructor.She also gave lots of additional information that I found interesting and helpful.The Bodybarre studio has a lovely feeling about it and there seem to be lots of fun exercise choices.I shall look forward to doing it again very soon.Thank you again.Diane Faulkner.

Nice park. Not large, but well equiped. Bowling green, nice paths, grass and all weather football…read morepitches, basketball, play area, zip line. Cool.

There is a comprehensive range of aerobic classes including, circuits, spinning, aerobics,…read morebox-ercise, chair based exercise classes and tai-chi. There are also aqua-fit classes in the swimming pool. Aqua Fit is £4 Per sessions and currenly two evenings per week, Monday 8 til 9 & Fri 7 til 8, the instructor is great fun, using spagehtti floats, ages range from 17 to 65 it is mostly women and there have been a few men join the class. Its great fun to get in shape meet new people and have a laugh.

Anglers everywhere have been flocking to Leatherbarrow Angling centre since the late 1960's to have…read moretheir fly-fishing rods custom made and tailored to their needs. It is quite a large shop, well organised with a full range of rods and fishing tackle a far cry from my butterfly net I used to use when I was a child. I popped in to have a mooch around, not because I believe that I will catch the largest pike in Britain and have my photo with aforementioned pike plastered across all the broadsheets, but because my god-son has expressed an interest in fishing and I thought I would check this very British past-time out. Colin Leatherbarrow, owner and expert regarded me with an expression of bemusement as I tottered to the counter in my four inch stilettos and asked him to show me a rod.... oh dear. With slightly twitching lips he told me to bring the god-son in and he could talk him through what he will need to get started. He sells and makes carp and specialist rods from £125, fly rods from £150 and there are so many different types and specifications that my head began to hurt. My mind drifted away from rods and my gaze fell on a stuffed framed fish on the wall which gave the shop a fishy authenticity. By this time I was far too embarrassed to ask Colin if this was one of his catches but well done if it was because this was a monster! Perhaps this shop is a little too advanced for my god-son and should be left for the more experienced angler to visit. Maybe I should dig out my butterfly net and give it to him after all.

Great shop and used too go in back the 1980s used to sea fish with Colin Master rod builder on the…read moreAlexandra Docks and Backpool glad to find your shop is still open and making great rods.Made me and my m8 Big Kev 2 vary nice Cono-flex cod rods

Sometimes you desperately need a short sharp shock of smushed fruit after your swim. Restorative…read moreVitamin C and lovely stuff. I kind of didn't want to walk all the way over to Amber Café on my way to Petersfield, and I'd noticed the little café at the Aquatics Centre a few times. It seemed to offer way more healthy treats than the archetypal vending machines at the South Manchester leisure centres (hey, they have those too. Hello Nice 'n' Spicy Nik-Naks!), and there was proper coffee too, so I sauntered up to the counter all exhausted with my hair all soggy (I refuse on principle to use my 20ps for hairdryers that wouldn't make a jot of difference to my multilayered thick hair) and asked about their smoothies. They could indeed do them to take away, but they only had about three options available on the generous list which didn't bother me in the slightest. I went for... come on, how could I resist the name?... THE IMMUNISER. It sounds like some kind of *machine*! It incorporated strawberry, kiwi and pineapple, three of my absolute favourite fruits, and it was awesome. Just the right portion and only a little over £2, how can one complain? I'll definitely be using this as regularly as my morning fruit shoot before breakfast. Thanks, Manchester Sports and Leisure! Nom.

Have been coming here to the gym on and off for a while now…read more The gym is small and compact but as everything you need in it for a workout there is always an instructor avaliable if you need any help on how to use the machines there is air conditioning on all the time so you dont get to hot and at £5.20 pay as you go you can stay as long as you like. downstairs there are a couple of pools and you can start at a beginners course or you can go in the advanced side , they also do a ladies only night for those who wish to just be with the girls. next door to the gym is a keep fit class and down stairs is a cafe and drinks machines staff are always friendly and helpful.

Old Trafford, currently known as Emirates Old Trafford for sponsorship reasons, is one of two "Old…read moreTrafford" stadiums in Manchester, one is home to Manchester United Football Club, while this one is used for cricket and concerts. The capacity for cricket is between 19k and 26k, while concerts can reach a capacity of up to 50,000. It is the second oldest test venue in the country after The Oval. Hosted the first Ashes Test in England in 1884, as well as the Cricket World Cup on five occasions. In terms of concerts, it has hosted big names, including Harry Styles, Beyonce and Rihanna. It was also home to One Love Manchester in 2017, which raised money for the Manchester Arena attacks and featured Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, Katy Perry and Coldplay. The stadium also has a recently expanded hotel, which features over 250 rooms, including some which have a balcony overlooking the pitch. I have reviewed the Hilton Garden Inn Emirates Old Trafford separately at the listing below. https://www.yelp.co.uk/biz/hilton-garden-inn-manchester-emirates-old-trafford-manchester While I don't find the stadium too expensive and it's just like any other cricket stadium for me- the facilities are very good. The hotel and concert capacity are certainly useful, as well as the connections via public transit due to being right outside Old Trafford Metrolink Station. There is also a large car park, although I have only used this when staying at the hotel and I'm sure it is very busy on an event day. It's certainly worth a trip if you're a cricket supporter, as the home of Lancashire Cricket, it's arguably the most famous used for cricket in the north. 4*

Got amazing seats but a pretty small cricket ground. Good selection of beers and variety of food…read more Loved our experience watching India England game here.

Second time dining here. Both times have been at lunch time .Once on a spa day package; today as a…read moreguest of my nephew who has a membership. Fuzen restaurant lives upto it's name and serves up Japanese inspired food with a twist. Very tasty and fresh served from an open kitchen that is very busy. I had crispy rice balls with salad and sampled my nephews sushi with soft shell crab . Both dishes were delicious and filling. As this venue does not accept cash my nephew paid on a pre - loaded card . You can also pay with debit card.

I've been here 4 or 5 times as a guest of a member. He has the top notch 'country' membership which…read moregets me into the country changing rooms where I get towels, a robe, slippers and super chilled atmosphere with only a few other members around. For me the main attraction is the pool which is free from kids after 630 for either a fitness swim or a relaxing swim. The lighting in the pool area is chilled out and you can swim directly from the inside pool to the outside pool which is great for the summer and the winter! Upstairs there's an extensive spa area with sauna, fire and ice room, steam room and salt steam room, plus the infinity pool! The gym is well equipped and has a movie room where you can watch a film while you workout. As with many gyms these days the free weights area is too small and over crowded with no enforcement of gym etiquette, since most gyms suffer from this I've not marked them down :) The restaurant serves an interesting Asian fusion menu which is reasonably priced, delicious and does a good job of creating an intimate atmosphere.

What a fabulous experience :-) never been and was taken here as a birthday present and loved it…read more You get all dressed up and taken into a tube and you learn how to fly :-) the instructor shows you how to balance yourself and float and each round is about 2 mins long. They will take you up if you so choose. Loved it and did it again in Madrid a few days later. Great experience and I would happily do it again. It's a bit scary at the beginning but well worth it :-)

Having bought this for the boyf's birthday back in December, I had been planning an escape route…read morequite early. However, this backfired and I ended up staring at the air-tunnel of doom early this morning. I completely have to go back on my fear and preconceptions of what it was going to feel like (i.e. death) and say it really was an amazing feeling. The staff were more than friendly and willing to go through the steps more than once, and our fellow fliers were equally as supportive. You literally have to fall forward into the tunnel, so trust was a bit of an issue for me initially, but you just have to suck it up and fall. The instructor stays with you the whole time and really wont let anything happen to you and, if you are a scaredy cat, the feeling of accomplishment is second to none. As others have said, there is a viewing area if you are unsure or just want to gawp at people's faces doing crazy things. Have a trawl online to see if you can get a good deal, otherwise it can feel quite pricey for the time you get. Overall, a real experience and something I would recommend to all in the Manchester vicinity!

If you've ever wanted to try your hand at climbing but thought better of spending a lot of money on…read morethe equipment and travel to find out it just wasn't for you, then head to The North Face store in Deansgate. I booked a lesson here in their specially refrigerated room and I didn't realise how much fun it could be. For £40 you'll get an introduction into climbing from a qualified instructor on their purpose built, real ice wall. I was given the picks, the boots and the helmet and off I went. The wall isn't really all that tall but to me it was high enough! Edmund Hillary I wasn't but it did give me a sense of achievement, and make me realise I had muscles in places I didn't even know existed. Ouch!

Wow, wow, wow i absolutely loved the vertical chill!…read more Got to have a go at ice wall climbing with ice picks, cramp ons and everything!! We got all kitted up and headed into what I can only describe as a freezer with a glass viewing window and one wall covered in ice! Our instructor was super nice and very supportive and we did several different climbs of varying skill level including a traverse from one side of the wall to the other. It was a great physical test and really good fun although i am now sporting some very black bruised knees due to bashing them on the ice on my way up! Trousers for me all this week! Instructor said that if we were doing a beginners climb outdoor then we would find it easier than this as it was quite an intense climb due to space restrictions * grins*