The Anorak Boys
And were they needed? Indeed they were! Cold, wet, breezy and miserable were our thoughts on the weather conditions that June's summer morning. But then we had interludes of bright blue skies punctuated with white cumulous clouds accompanied with some strong gusts of wind. But hey, it was yet another day out for the intrepid Whitty Wanderers come rain or shine, and so our spirits were lifted on the short Metro tram journey from Manchester's mainline Piccadilly rail station, where were had arrived just after 9am from our HQ of Whitchurch in Shropshire.
With all four of us emanating from engineering backgrounds, the first thing to catch our eye was the suspension bridge connecting the Imperial War Museum to the central piazza. An intriguing structure where the main steel verticals carrying the heavy, stranded steel wires were supported upon massive ball bearings. Did someone mention Timkins?
The bridge is actually an aysymmetric cable-stayed swing bridge, completed in 2011 and designed by structural engineers Gifford & Wilkinson Eyre, masters in bridge design and famous for their multi award-winning Millennium bridge in Gateshead; being the world's first tilting bridge design.
Not a nice day for a visit to Media City but, never-the-less, a good day out for the WW.
Rain and more rain, and so we returned to the City centre for a rewarding lunch at our favourite Chinese restaurant - The Happy Seasons on George Street in Chinatown. Thence homeward bound.
Where's it gone? T'was 'ere. P'raps its moved. Chinatown Manchester.
And then the sun came out!
10 June 2026