Clubs in Manchester

I am coming over to the UK on 24, 25 ( Wed Thur) of April for a work trip to Manchester but will be free in the evenings and am looking for any clubs who may train on those nights that I may be able to join. I don't know yet where exactly I will be staying but if any clubs in the area who would be willing to let me train with them could provide information about training times, locations or links to their websites, I would be very grateful.

I am not that experienced (44, two years judo and a yellow belt) but always willing to learn and would welcome any opportunity and responses.

Many thanks.

I'd recommend Sale Judo club with Tom and Riaz on a Thursday - nice technique there and you wont get bounced.

http://www.salejudo.com/

You've got a tram to more or less outside the leisure centre from the city centre and plenty of buses from other parts of the city.

If you do go to Sale say Gus says hello !

Wednesday night I believe is the Manchester university club night - good fun with Steve Pullen :

http://www.clubs.manchester.ac.uk/judo/index.php

They are also easily accessible from Town or more or less anywhere else in Manchester.
You've also got Urmston Judo club on a Thursday - a great club but very competitive and quite advanced - I wouldn't recommend it for a beginner.
Feel free to drop me a PM when you know where you're staying and I'll let you know the best way to get to these clubs from where you're staying.

Thank you Gus, that's brilliant.

I am a bit late here I think, but Steve Pullen's clubs are VERY good. Cheadle on a Tuesday, Manchester Uni on a Wednesday, Urmston on a Thursday.

If you would be so kind again Gus I have more details of the trip that raise a few questions.

We are actually staying in the Premier Inn in Bury(Knowlseley Street, but the purpose of the trip is to vist three education establishments over the three days. These are Oldham Sixth Form College on the Wednesday and Hopwood Hall College on the Thursday (the Friday visit doesn't matter as we are then flying back to Guernsey that evening).

The days are quite full and as such we are not due to finish on the Wednesday until 16:30. I believe it is an 18:30 start at the Manchester Uni Judo Club. Would I be able to make this in time and am I best going direct from Oldham Sixth Form College rather than going back to our hotel and then to the club? If this is the case, is it also easy to get from the club back to our hotel? We have cars booked but there are 10 of us visiting so I will probably have to rely on buses or trams (which is not a problem) as I cannot take a car away from the others.

I am not worried about the Thursday session as we finish the day at 16:00 and I beleive the judo session at Sale doesn't start until 20:15 which should give me plenty of time.

I appreciate that I am asking alot from you and thank you for any information that may help.

gyjudoka wrote:If you would be so kind again Gus I have more details of the trip that raise a few questions.

We are actually staying in the Premier Inn in Bury(Knowlseley Street, but the purpose of the trip is to vist three education establishments over the three days. These are Oldham Sixth Form College on the Wednesday and Hopwood Hall College on the Thursday (the Friday visit doesn't matter as we are then flying back to Guernsey that evening).

The days are quite full and as such we are not due to finish on the Wednesday until 16:30. I believe it is an 18:30 start at the Manchester Uni Judo Club. Would I be able to make this in time and am I best going direct from Oldham Sixth Form College rather than going back to our hotel and then to the club? If this is the case, is it also easy to get from the club back to our hotel? We have cars booked but there are 10 of us visiting so I will probably have to rely on buses or trams (which is not a problem) as I cannot take a car away from the others.

I am not worried about the Thursday session as we finish the day at 16:00 and I beleive the judo session at Sale doesn't start until 20:15 which should give me plenty of time.

I appreciate that I am asking a lot from you and thank you for any information that may help.

Short version :

Getting back will not be a problem - you have trams from Manchester to Bury till after 11pm - getting there could take a while but you can make it - take a good book.

Tortuously Long version :

Well Bury/Oldham are North and the University is South Manchester . To be honest the buses are going to be a bit of a of a trek from Oldham to the armitage centre in Fallowfield - you'd have to change in the Piccadily (Manchester town centre), but you could ask if theres a fast bus from Oldham to Piccadily, and looking at the map you are probably best off trying to get a bus/train direct from Oldham to Piccadily (Manchester centre)rather than going back to Bury (though if you have a lift back to Bury you can use the trams which are fast and efficient) :

http://goo.gl/maps/Nkha8

You could get the tram from Bury to town centre and then a bus.
Either way you will need to change in Manchester Piccadily - please note if you get the train from Oldham it is a 5 min walk from Piccadilly or Victoria train station to Piccadily gardens - Piccadily train statipon and Piccadily gardens are 2 different places ! Buses from Oldham will probably drop you off a 5 min walk from Piccadily gardens as well.
The bus from the Piccadilly gardens (town centre) to the Armitage centre (Man uni club) takes about 25 mins (anything that goes down Wilmslow rd - I suggest the no.43 bus from Piccadily gardens right in the middle where the tram drops you off) - you need to get off at the fallowfield campus (Owens park) where Wilbraham rd meets Wilmslow rd - the Armitage centre can be reached by walking through the campus.

So

Piccadily (where you will need to change for Sale and Armitagecentre / Uni club) is here :

http://goo.gl/maps/7SyNr

Armitage centre is here :

http://goo.gl/maps/jmrmh

no 43 Bus will drop you off here :

http://goo.gl/maps/QxrvR

(Owens park stop, Fallowfield)
The tram from Bury to town centre takes about half an hour (cant remember - check):

http://www.metrolink.co.uk/tramtimes/Pages/default.aspx


The no 43 Buses back to town from Wilmslow/Oxford rd run very late - and the last tram to Bury from Piccadily seems to be at 11:49 pm so you should be fine.


Sale is much simpler the tram goes to Piccadily and then from Piccadily to Sale :

http://www.metrolink.co.uk/Documents/Services_Map_June2012.pdf

- then its just 3 minutes walk from the Tramstop to the leisure centre.


You could also look at trains from Oldham to Victoria in Manchester centre - cant remember if there is any or not..(Piccadily gardens bus/tramtop is about 10 min walk from Victoria).

Maybe I should be a Judo tour guide....

Have fun and dont forget to say hello from Gus at Sale - or to Steve Pullen if you meet him ! Expect sarcasm and humour from Steve Pullen on the offchance he remembers me.

That is absolutely brilliant Gus and thank you so much for going so above and beyond what I was expecting. This is why I love judo so much, the fantastic community who are willing to help each other out. Not only will I say hello from Gus at Sale but I shall absolutely sing your praises and try and drum up some business for your judo tours venture