Wild Nature Trail

This sound walk through central Manchester aims to reveal and highlight the presence and activity of wild nature in the city, particularly in the form of plants, trees and waterways that exist in forgotten or in-between spaces, often in spite of the human activity that dominates or surrounds them.

The walk takes around 50 minutes to complete. It is accessible to wheelchair users and a transcript is included below. If you have any other access needs or queries, please drop us a line at wildingthesmartcity@gmail.com. We'd be very happy to help.

Please download the walk to your phone before you come to the starting point, which is St Peter’s Square in central Manchester and make sure you allow Echoes to use your location to trigger the sounds. It is designed to be experienced through headphones, so make sure you bring yours with you.

These walks are part of a wider research project, so any feedback you have would be greatly appreciated. Please respond through this online questionnaire (https://forms.office.com/r/i2jYQN3Ysy) and get in touch at wildingthesmartcity@gmail.com if you would like to book a follow up interview to discuss your experience.

The walk begins at Manchester Central Library, at the edge of St Peter’s Square in the heart of the city. From the front of the library, turn right, following the curve of the building and sit on the second large wooden bench if you can, facing the entrance of the Midland Hotel.

All instructions and guidance will be offered within the audio, so you should be able to put your phone away for the duration. If you get lost or lose the audio, you can always check the map, which shows your route through the city.

A transcript of the text of the walk is available here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/12BbWewlwxb4bZCuw6tE5Kwcq6Lapi10x/view?usp=sharing