Best City Centre Running Routes in Manchester

Running in Manchester city centre is better than most people expect. The obvious starting point is Salford Quays, where the dock road circuit around the old Manchester Ship Canal docks takes you on a flat 2-3km loop past MediaCityUK, the Lowry and Imperial War Museum North, almost entirely free of traffic. The surface is tarmac and paving, the circuit is well-lit, and at any time of day you will have company from other runners and cyclists. Extending the Quays loop south to Pomona Island and back adds another mile or so through a more industrial stretch that still has that big-sky waterside feel.

Castlefield basin is the other city centre anchor. The towpath network from Deansgate Locks heads in two directions – southwest along the Bridgewater Canal toward Worsley (see our canal towpath guide) or east through the city on the Rochdale Canal toward Piccadilly Basin and Ancoats. The Ancoats direction gives you a running tour through one of Manchester’s most interesting regenerated neighbourhoods, with street art, old mill buildings and the canal as constant companions. For crowd avoidance, early mornings between 6am and 8am are the sweet spot in the city centre – you get the streets largely to yourself, the light on the water is good, and you are back before the city properly wakes up. Evening runs from around 7pm also work well once the commuter traffic has cleared. Road shoes and a running light in winter are all you need.