Off the Cobbles, Invisible Cities tours

Carmel Smickersgill, Tours & Activities Editor

Book now

Off the Cobbles Tour

1 May-31 July 2020
Date
Time
Session Features
10 Jul 2020
12:13 am-12:15 am
17 Jul 2020
12:13 am-12:15 am
24 Jul 2020
12:13 am-12:15 am
31 Jul 2020
12:13 am-12:15 am

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

Off the Cobbles
Emma Boileau
Book now

After taking a brief hiatus and moving their work online, Invisible Cities Manchester is back in the real world, offering their personal and heartwarming tours to Manchester citizens. As well as tour guide Laura’s Powerful Women of Manchester tour, Danny is back with his Off the Cobbles poetic account of living with homelessness.

Invisible Cities are an international social enterprise that train people who have experienced homelessness to become tour guides of their home cities. Danny is a poet and social activist, who shares his poetry from the published anthology Off The Cobbles, as he takes you through the streets of the Northern Quarter. You’ll visit crossroads, buildings and unsuspecting beauty spots that hold particularly poignant memories from that time in his life.

Danny tackles difficult and complicated issues, in an articulate and graceful manner

His connection to the geography of the city is very personal and comes with an often insightful take on recent civic developments. One of Danny’s strengths as a tour guide is tackling difficult and complicated issues, in an articulate and graceful manner.

Throughout the tour Danny reads his well crafted poetry, artistically combining the places you visit with eye opening anecdotes. It’s definitely a highlight of the tour and something that sets him apart form any other guide.

The relaxed nature of Off the Cobbles allows you to drift out of the everyday and lose yourself in Danny’s version of Manchester, where hope and past suffering coexist with beauty.

Where to go near Off the Cobbles, Invisible Cities tours

Side view of mixed race business colleagues sitting and watching presentation with audience and clapping hands
Theatre
Burnley Youth Theatre

Burnley Youth Theatre is a vibrant youth arts organisation based at our purpose built venue in Burnley, Pennine Lancashire.

Bar pub 3
Leeds
Restaurant
Arcadia Ale House

Arcadia Ale house is a sports bar located in the Headingly area of Leeds with a range of drinks offers throughout the week.

Restaurant
Leeds
Restaurant
Pasta Romagna

Pasta Romagna is a family owned, independent restaurant in the heart of the city centre. Bringing you homestyle Italian cuisine since 1982.

wine bar 2
Leeds
Restaurant
Farrands

Farrands is an independent bar located in the heart of Leeds city centre, specialising in a range of fine wine, beer and specialist cocktails.

Restaurant
Leeds
Shop
George and Joseph Cheesemongers

George and Joseph is Leeds’ only specialist cheesemongers, serving some of the city’s best cheese from its home in Chapel Allerton since 2013

Wine bar
Leeds
Restaurant
Wayward Wines

Selling natural wines since before it was cool (well, 2017), this tiny suburban wine house is so much more than just a bar.

Beer shop
Leeds
Shop
Caspar’s Bottle Shop

Independent craft beer and spirits den Caspars Bottle Shop is a quirky Chapel Allerton favourite that doesn’t take itself too seriously.

Dry Dock
Leeds
Restaurant
Dry Dock

Dry Dock has carved out a reputation as a fixture for students and locals alike over the last thirty plus years

Manchester
Bar or Pub
The Rat & Pigeon

A slice of alternative Manchester in pub form, down a grotty, gritty backstreet and with a disgusting name. What’s not to love?

Manchester
Restaurant
Butter Bird

Butter Bird is a newly opened casual but stylish restaurant in Ancoats, based around the very delicious concept of tea-brined chicken.

Asmara Bella
Manchester
Restaurant
Asmara Bella

Eritrean & Ethiopian Restaurant in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, serving up traditional food from the Horn of Africa.

What's on: Activity

TourCity Centre
The Tour of Uninteresting Objects

This walking tour led by Jonathan Schofield, takes the time to stop and appreciate the under-rated elements that make up this city.

From £20.00
Foggy trees in Alexander Park, Hulme.
Walking TourManchester
Alexandra Park and Whalley Range Tour

Take a walking tour of both Alexandra Park and wider Whalley Range, uncovering the tales that lie within its mighty buildings, its churches and its people.

From £20.00
Until
ActivityManchester
Film Course: French New Wave at HOME

Coinciding with the release of Richard Linklater’s film Nouvelle Vague, this HOME course offers an accessible overview of one of cinema’s most influential movements.

From £65
Truly Madly Brutal - Jonathan Schofield Tours
TourManchester
Truly Madly Brutal

Explore the fascinating history of Brutalism in Manchester, while also exploring the movement’s wider intentions and ideals.

From £20.00

Culture Guides

A pair of white angel wings displayed against a dark, black background. The lower parts of the wings are stained with vivid red, resembling blood splatter.
Theatre

This month’s theatre highlights span dystopian classics, political thrillers and bold new opera.

Music

From underground festivals showcasing emerging talent to global icons unveiling new work, here are our latest live music highlights.

Food and Drink in the North

Spring is coming, at some point. As for now, it’s cold and grim so take our advice and shelter in a nice warm restaurant, pub or bar.

Exhibitions

From monumental to minutiae, this month’s exhibitions trace power, care and community across galleries big and small.

Emily Lloyd-Saini as Grace in Space and Harrie Hayes as Lieutenant Strong in Horrible Science
Family things to do in the North

Whether you’re after storybook theatre, museum wanderings or illusion-bending play spaces, there’s plenty to keep curiosity ticking through winter and beyond.

A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night
Cinema in the North

There's no shortage of great films out at the moment, whether you're looking for the latest blockbuster, that hot arthouse flick fresh from Cannes or a cosy classic.