Two nights in Manchester, two children, one wheelchair and a weekend built around doing things together.
For this chapter of Access Manchester, we based ourselves at Staycity Manchester Piccadilly in a brilliant two-bedroom accessible apartment, then headed out into the city for Bubble Planet, Race Across the World: The Experience Manchester and an evening at Freight Island.
It was colourful, competitive, slightly chaotic and very us.
I’ve already given Staycity its own review because the apartment absolutely deserved one. It gave us space to settle in properly, somewhere to come back to between plans and enough independence that the accommodation never became the complicated part of the weekend.
Read our Staycity Manchester Piccadilly accessible apartment review.
Then it was time to actually explore.
Race Across the World: The Experience Manchester and our visit to Freight Island were arranged with Visit Manchester as part of our Access Manchester family stay. As always, hosting does not determine editorial opinion.
First stop: Bubble Planet Manchester
Bubble Planet was our first proper family activity of the weekend and what a way to start.
Bright, colourful, slightly bonkers and the kind of place where you very quickly forget which one of you is supposed to be the grown-up.
We moved through room after room of bubbles, light, colour and immersive installations, with the kids racing ahead to see what was coming next and Martin and me not exactly hanging back either.
It was proper, silly family fun.
The ball pool was undoubtedly a favourite. Imagine something approaching the size of a sports hall, shaped like a giant bath, complete with an enormous character whose head, hands and feet spill out around it.
Obviously, all four of us were getting involved, swimming through the balls, burying ourselves and popping up somewhere else in the gigantic bath, and giggling uncontrollably in the process.
There was one room on our route that I couldn’t roll into because of a few steps.
Did that stop me?
Of course not.
I crawled up, Martin carried my chair behind me and I promptly flopped myself into a room full of balloons underneath a giant pink inflatable flower as tall as the ceiling.
Totally worth scuffing my trainers for!
The only thing I chose not to attempt was the bouncy castle, purely for safety reasons. Martin, meanwhile, decided this was his opportunity to recreate some childhood moves.
The ambition was there.
The landings need work.
What I particularly liked was how easy the practical access felt around everything else.
Staff took us through the step-free service entrance without any uncertainty or having to move obstructions out of the way first. There were accessible toilets, a wheelchair lift to reach one section and staff were on hand when it needed operating.
We also saw other disabled families enjoying the experience, which perhaps says something in itself.
It’s a very sensory place. Colour, movement, sound, textures and enormous installations are everywhere, so there’s constantly something happening around you without it feeling as though you’re simply moving from one photo opportunity to another.
Although, to be fair, there are plenty of those too.
At the end, the kids tried the optional VR Bubble Planet experience.
Martin and I probably enjoyed watching that almost as much as they enjoyed doing it. There’s something incredibly cute about watching children excitedly pointing at absolutely nothing while having a full conversation about a world only they can see.
By the time we left, all four of us were happy, hungry and a little bit shattered.
Brilliant.
I’d say that was a success.
That evening we went back to Staycity, ordered food in and made the most of having an apartment we could enjoy as a family.
The competition could wait until tomorrow…
Then came the competition…
Race Across the World: The Experience was probably the activity we’d talked about most before arriving in Manchester.
Inspired by the popular TV show’s format, the concept is such a good one.
The city becomes the game.
You work through clues and checkpoints, make decisions as you go and manage a race budget while trying to reach the finish ahead of the competition.
We’d already decided how ours was going down.
Oliver was with me.
Evelyn was with Martin.
Two teams and one family with absolutely no intention of being gracious about losing.
We’d booked the step-free option, the wheelchair-friendly route had been selected for us and everyone was ready.
Except our carefully planned rivalry didn’t quite make it past the starting line.
We hadn’t even started…
Our starting point was Nomad, a coffee shop in Stevenson Square, where we needed to go inside to collect the envelopes and materials for the race.
There were two sets of steps.
I couldn’t get in.
Because we couldn’t then be completely confident about what the route ahead would look like, we decided to abandon the two-team plan and complete the experience together as a family of four.
Nobody had a meltdown. The kids still wanted to race, Martin and I made the call and off we went.
But I’d be lying if I said it didn’t sting a little.
We’d spent the morning winding each other up about who was going to win. Oliver and I were supposed to be navigating Manchester together as The Dream Team, while Martin and Evelyn tried to catch us (because obviously we were going to win!).
Instead, before we’d even solved our first clue, the children had watched the plan change because I couldn’t access the starting venue.
It also meant I couldn’t independently look after Oliver and navigate our route as his teammate in the way I’d intended.
That was disappointing.
Thankfully, once we actually got started, the day became a lot more fun.
Once we got going…
And I think this part is important, because Race Across Manchester itself is genuinely good fun.
We worked through clues, raced towards checkpoints and found ourselves noticing parts of Manchester we would probably have rolled straight past on any other day.
There’s history woven into the experience too. Manchester’s industries, landmarks, street art and people become part of the game, without it ever feeling like you’ve accidentally signed up for a history lesson.
We debated answers.
We raced each other to work things out.
We became increasingly competitive despite technically now being on the same team.
The kids were completely invested.
So were we.
I’m deliberately not telling you exactly where the route takes you because that would ruin half the fun, but expect a mixture of old and new Manchester, green spaces, vibrant streets and corners of the city you might otherwise miss.
There were cobbles and uneven surfaces along parts of our route, which I managed in my wheelchair. Depending on somebody’s chair, strength, balance or mobility over uneven surfaces, a little additional route information could be useful before setting off.
For me, though, those sections were manageable.
And we were having a really good time.
There’s something lovely about exploring a city this way. You look up more. You notice what’s around you. You read things you’d ordinarily ignore.
And four members of the same family trying to agree on one clue produces exactly the kind of harmony you’d imagine.
Then came Castlefield
Later in the race, our route took us towards Castlefield Viaduct.
By this point I’d already pushed several kilometres and the children had walked the same distance.
The lift we needed to continue was out of service.
There was information at the lift explaining an alternative accessible route, but following it would have added nearly another 2.5km to our journey. At that stage of the day, that wasn’t particularly realistic for us.
We also couldn’t physically reach the next clue.
The automated game obviously couldn’t know why we couldn’t answer it, so we used the hints to get ourselves past that section and carried on.
At the time, I assumed we’d simply been unlucky and that the accessible route depended on a public lift which happened to be broken.
After the trip, we discovered that wasn’t actually what had happened.
What CityDays found afterwards
We raised our experience with Visit Manchester, who went back to CityDays for us.
Their response was really open and helpful.
They confirmed there had actually been two separate issues during our race.
At the start, unexpected venue closures and changes to opening hours meant their usual wheelchair-accessible starting options weren’t available. That was why we had ended up at Nomad despite the steps.
CityDays acknowledged that their contingency hadn’t been sufficient and said they would look at strengthening the back-up options available for wheelchair users in future.
Then they investigated Castlefield.
It turned out we shouldn’t have needed that lift at all.
A technical glitch had moved us onto the non-wheelchair route.
CityDays deliberately designs its wheelchair route not to rely on public lifts because, quite sensibly, lifts can break. The route we should have followed remained at street level through Castlefield before eventually rejoining the wider route around Liverpool Road.
Suddenly what had happened made much more sense.
And that really is the balance of our Race experience.
There were frustrating moments, but there were also lots of genuinely enjoyable ones.
We explored Manchester differently, learnt things about the city, laughed a lot, and still had a really good family afternoon.
What I particularly appreciated was what happened afterwards.
CityDays investigated rather than dismissing what we’d experienced, explained exactly where things had gone wrong and said they would look at both the technical routing issue and the contingency planning around accessible starting venues.
Visit Manchester were brilliant too, following everything up and getting us the detail we needed.
We’ve already talked about going back and doing Race Across Manchester again once those issues have been addressed.
I’d really like to.
There’s something quite positive about being able to show what happens after feedback is listened to, changes are made and an experience has the opportunity to work as it was always intended to.
So hopefully this isn’t the end of our Race Across Manchester story.
And when we do go back, I’ll update you.
Next stop: Freight Island
Later that evening, we swapped clues and checkpoints for food, board games and the arcade at Freight Island.
It had been part of our family plan from the beginning, and being just a short distance from our Staycity base made it a perfect choice for the evening.
Jen and the front-of-house team gave us such a lovely welcome.
She showed us around, explained how the venue worked and spent a good ten minutes chatting with us before we settled in.
At somewhere the size of Freight Island, that made such a difference.
I wasn’t left trying to work out which route I needed, where I could sit or which bits of the venue were going to work.
We could just arrive.
For our evening, the ground-floor food spaces, outdoor areas, arcade and accessible toilet all worked well for me. The Mezz isn’t wheelchair accessible, but we didn’t need it for anything we had planned.
The team even offered to help push me up the outdoor gradient.
Very kind, but you know me. If I can do it myself, I’m going to.
Even Martin only gets called in for reinforcements during emergencies.
But I also know how helpful and appreciated that offer can be.
The whole place felt spacious, easy to move around and very relaxed. It was a warm summer evening, the outdoor area was lit up, there was good music playing and it had exactly the kind of easy-going atmosphere we wanted.
Pizza bigger than your head
Freight Island was always going to be our family games night, so naturally we’d brought travel board games with us.
The kids went for slices from Nell’s which were genuinely bigger than their heads.
They certainly passed the taste test because even the crusts disappeared.
Martin and I went Greek with Mega Gyros. We’re always going to choose a taste of the Aegean when it’s on offer.
All the restaurants could be ordered from through a single app, so everyone could choose something different if they wanted. Food and drinks arrived at different times, which suited the laid-back atmosphere perfectly.
If you’re expecting a formal menu delivered in seamless courses, it’s not that kind of night.
It’s much more:
Graze.
Chat.
Laugh.
Repeat.
And that was exactly what we wanted.
What I liked about Freight Island for a family evening was that it felt lively without the children seeming as though they’d been dragged somewhere designed entirely for adults.
There was plenty of food choice, loads going on around us and enough space for us to sit with our games and have our own little family night in the middle of it all.
Then we discovered the arcade.
So much for an early finish.
I managed to beat Martin at yet another shoot-out game, which meant we obviously had to keep going until he’d won a game or two.
Let’s face it, my luck was never going to last forever.
The kids had great fun on the basketball machines, throwing everything they had at getting those balls through the net, before moving on to a dance-off and a bongo battle.
Which, naturally, was only ever going to end one way.
A full family Nerf-gun shoot-out back at the apartment.
Apparently, nobody was quite ready for the day to be over yet.
And after bubbles, racing across Manchester, pizza, board games, arcade battles and far too much family competition, I don’t think any of us really wanted it to be.
Those are my favourite kind of family days. A little chaotic, full of laughter and the ones you’re still talking about when you get home.
Looking back at our Manchester family break
When I think back to those couple of days, I don’t remember an itinerary of “accessible places”.
I remember the family stuff.
The kids disappearing into a giant ball pool.
Martin discovering his bouncy-castle career may be behind him.
Crawling into a room of balloons because I refused to miss out.
Oliver and me preparing for our Race team.
All four of us getting far too invested in clues.
Seeing Manchester differently because a game made us stop and look around.
Board games spread across the table at Freight Island.
Beating Martin in the arcade.
Again.
And breakfast together back at our apartment the following morning.
That’s what I’m interested in with Access Manchester.
Not creating another list of places a wheelchair can technically enter.
I want to know whether you can actually have the trip.
Can we find accommodation that works for all four of us?
Can we go out and do things together?
Can I be a step-mum, wife, teammate and embarrassingly competitive arcade opponent without access becoming the whole story?
On this trip, most of that worked beautifully.
One part didn’t work as it should have, but the response afterwards has been genuinely encouraging and hopefully gives us another Manchester adventure to come back to.
Most importantly, we had a really lovely family break.
And that was exactly what we came for.
Planning these Manchester family experiences?
Bubble Planet Manchester
An immersive family attraction filled with bubbles, colour, light and interactive installations.
Step-free access routes, accessible toilets and a wheelchair lift to one section. Some individual installations have steps or physical access restrictions, which Bubble Planet also flags in its own accessibility information.
Top tip: check the current ticket-change terms before booking if you need flexibility around your date or time.
Visit Bubble Planet Manchester
Race Across the World: The Experience Manchester
A self-guided Manchester adventure combining clues, checkpoints, city history and an in-game race budget.
Wheelchair-accessible routes are available.
Explore Race Across the World: The Experience Manchester
Freight Island
A large food, drink and entertainment destination close to Manchester Piccadilly.
The ground-floor food spaces, outdoor areas, arcade and accessible toilet are all accessible. Freight Island’s current accessibility information confirms that the first floor Mezz isn’t wheelchair accessible.
If you’re visiting as a family, check the current children’s hours before travelling as evening restrictions apply.
Where we stayed
We based ourselves at Staycity Manchester Piccadilly in a two-bedroom accessible apartment.
Read the full Staycity Manchester Piccadilly accessible apartment review.
Continue exploring Access Manchester
This family trip forms part of Access Manchester by The Inclusive Edit, looking at how Manchester works in practice for travellers who want access without compromising on quality, atmosphere, service or experience.
Explore more Access Manchester stories.
Luxury travel reviewed against the standard it sets itself.
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