MAN – Which spot?

its a shame the new viewing park that was planned when the 2nd runway was built did not materialise, ok you would not have one as large as today with the exhibits, but the planned position was in the area of land too the south of the original runway and behind the new one, and facing terminal 1 and 3 would have offered a great selection of views

Thank you very much for this useful information, PM send.

Out of all the Manchester enthusiasts, don’t know quite why I keep on being the member to answer questions on Manchester Airport, as I’m Liverpool based!

For an impression of the right of ways around Manchester Airport have a look at www.bollinvalley.org.uk/SitesAndTrails/bollin_valley_way.htm scroll and select No.3 Neighbours “routes between Prestbury and Wilmslow”, then click over ‘Wizzard leaflet’. Englarge map from your toolbar.

The previous post and photo refers to the empty patch named Moss Nook. Moss Lane is the yellow line with o-o-o-o markings. The viewing field for 23L is where the ._._._. path line meets the purple shading. Quite a hike from where you are staying. The field track sections get very muddy in winter.

Recommend 1:50000 O.S. map 109 ‘Manchester’ for detail, better still the 1:25000 of the area.

Bad news for you is that it that having consulted www.wunderground.com it would appear that the 05 end will be the active all this week (3-6th May). Maikel have a look at your PMs.

The official RVP – Runway Viewing Park is the best location for general viewing of activity when 05 is the active. Seem to recall reading that there is a bus from the terminal area to RVP. Anyone is this still operating, or was it weekends only?

Thanks you very much for your reply. Is it actually possible to walk from the 2 red dots near the carpark all the way down alling 23R to the beginning of 23L.

Or do you have to enter those spots via Moss lane?

Maikel

There have been changes to this area in the past fortnight.

The answer is, yes, there is access, but not the red line route shown. Immediately having crossed over the railway bridges, turn right (signposted as access road to the car park). When the car park entrance turns off to the left, carrry straight on along the ‘white’ track, which eventually parallels the airport boundary fence.

Where the ‘white’ roadway meets your yellow line (2 red dots), there are mounds with a photographic view just over the top of the fence.

The white zone over the left of the photo were mounds of crushed stone. Outside working hours some photographers used the crushed stone ‘hills’ as a vantage point. The odd black aeroplane-like object over on the left edge is the big fire rig, inside the boundary fence. In the past few days I’m told the crushed stone hills have gone and much of the field (the one which is above the name Moss Lane) now covered in hardcore to become a car park extension. My usual way of accessing this area by car was to park on Moss Lane and hop over the style (by the first ‘s’ of Moss Lane) and follow the footpath to the raised land (near the two red dots). What changes the car park extension will have made, remains to be seen.

If just reggie taking, then the ‘Beer Garden’ of the pub north of the runway threshold (the ‘bed’ logo) is an acknowledged viewing spot.

I’ve never done it myself, but it is apparently possible to walk on tracks and footpaths from the area shown by 23R to the great photographing points south of 23L (which is a very long detour drive by road), then from there (which I have walked) way down the full length to 05R threshold.

Hello guys,

I’m going to visit Manchester Airport from the 3rd till the 6th of May. We are staying at the Airport Hotel. I’m not really sure how to walk to certain locations next to the runways. I check google maps for that, is it possible to walk like this?

Or follow the B5166 and then right into Moss Lane?

Landing on 05R (easterly winds), best position is down opposite the threshold or further along the southside boundary footpath at touch down point – a really good location for smoking tyres shots. Best morning when sun is right behind you. Finding the entrances to the footpaths is not easy in a maze of quiet country lanes. Have a good look at Google earth and use the 1:50000 OS map. Lane-side parking spots are at a premium though.

Landing on 05L (early afternoon), there is a footpath from the south boundary footpath, west of the fire station, that takes you right under 05R/23L on a track alongside the River Bollin. Once across and north of the runway, little used footpaths rise between the runways amongst the 05L approach lights.

A section of www.tasmanchester.co.uk “Viewing Locations” helps greatly, area ‘7’ is that covered in the first paragraph, close to area ‘8’ is the second paragraph above. Also good comments and lots of MAN photos on a section of NWAN forum, best accessed as a link from www.nwan.co.uk

Provided you are prepared for a walk of 20+ minutes or so, Manchester has a variety of excellent photo points southside, whatever direction the wind.