The Wheel of Manchester

Super expensive and very short ride. The glass panels of our cabin were dirty and could not see anything through them. The personnel was rude

George Washington Gale Ferris is of no relation to George Washington of US presidential fame. He did, however, invent the Ferris wheel, inspired by the resident water wheel at the farm where he grew up. Water wheels on farms, that makes me think of this very cute scene from The Wizard of Oz.
… I can’t figure out if that’s an actual water wheel or not. But heck, just look at Toto! I’m sure that wonderful little dawg inspired my father to buy our own Cairn Terrier.
I digress. Ferris wheels, when in a theme park, are usually that thing you go on to wind down from whatever horror has just given you whiplash or chipped your teeth by throwing your head into the ironically named safety bars, but something to experience as a standalone ride? Hmm… not sure how this would work, to be honest.
The wheel is one of those structures that has become such a part of the landscape, we Manchester residents don’t really think about it that much. But at night when it’s all lit up and the air is crisp and cold, it adds a great deal of atmosphere to that area just behind Selfridges, around The Triangle and near those rickety little city centre pubs.
I was once lucky enough to have a superb view out of my apartment. From the little cosy nest on Chapel Street I could see Spinningfields in its entirety and the Arndale Centre lit up at night. (I also had a beautiful church right in front of me, but I’m only including that to reminisce.) So when friends visited Manchester and after plenty of wine and good food in Tampopo suggested that we try the wheel, well, it wasn’t all that spectacular. Sure, I got to see the top of The Triangle and indeed realised that it’s shaped like A Triangle, but if they wanted really outstanding views they could have built it a leeeeeeeettle higher.
I’ve also been spoilt, as not only have I sat in a friend’s apartment in The Dreaded Hilton (that Beetham tower is responsible for the strange whistling sound you hear all over Manchester when it’s particularly windy) and seen literally the whole of the city from a great height, but I’ve been to Calgary in Canada, where their observatory tower enables you to see both the city AND the Rocky Mountains, and even has a glass floor where you can stand and feel like you’re suspended above everything. Of course we adults step onto that with great caution. I couldn’t help but giggle when a delightful little chubby baby was practising their crawling techniques and crawled right onto the glass deck, oblivious to the insanity below them.
However, the friends greatly enjoyed it and even bought the accompanying offered souvenirs. Thus, I shall second what Sarah-​Anne and Alison have said — superb for kids I’m sure, and also for newbies and tourists, but for us resident Mancunians there isn’t much of a novelty factor. Perhaps if there were a bunch of waltzers or a corkscrew rollercoaster nearby, we’d appreciate it more. Now THAT’S something Exchange Square could do with… *ponders*.

There is not much that can be said about this ‘attraction’ not much positive anyways.
For what you get, it is expensive, for what you see it is dissapointing unless you subscribe to Corporate AirCon Units Weekly. When the wheel reaches its apex you suddenly realise that the roofs of Manchesters shopping venues are actually not something you ever really wanted to see.
If you look down you get a nice view of Shambles Square, and you realise that the money you and your comrades in ‘wheel riding adventures’ handed over willingly, could have been better spent else where.
If you are up there on a good day you look into the distance past strangeways prison into the distant hills of greenery, and think I’m not shopping or drinking or eating in town I’m on a giant wheel if I wanted to try and see lovely view I probably should have gone to the countryside for a more guaranteed achievement. Or alternatively you look the other way and think, hmmm the Hilton tower is alot higher than this I wonder if there’s anyway to get in there and get some proper views.
If you are like me and you think to yourself, gosh I wish I knew what was up there, please get your phone out if the need is immediate, or if you can wait till you get home load up google earth and you realise you don’t need to see what’s up there.

Good thing to do with people visiting. I wouldn’t pay full price though. If you go on their website you can get buy one get one free

I like the way it looks like. No really, I do. But in the same time annoys me so badly. I feel like we’re trying to imitate the London Eye, and I think Manchester is so much better anyway, that you don’t need anything from down south to prove that. So a tiny wheel in the middle of the town is a no in my opinion. I mean the view might be nice, it might be romantic to be up there when it’s raining but still, I believe you can go in Portland Tower for instance and look over the windows for free and get the same view. That will be even better. I’ve been in The London Eye, and I loved it really. Really nice view, excellent photos you can take. But Manchester should not have a wheel. We have better things, like The United Stadium for instance.
Anyway, I don’t fancy going for a Sunday walk in town and then in the wheel. Pointless in my opinion. But I’m sure some visitors love it.

I’m sorry. Why are people saying this is good? Have they never been to London? Seen the London eye? This is nothing more than a Ferris wheel.
Its £6.50 for adults, and still £4.50 for children. It lasts for 12 minutes. This works out at over 50p per minute.
And all you get to see is Manchester.
No.

I remember flicking through the local paper when the news broke of the Manchester Wheel; we were all urged to get down to Manchester ASAP as the structure was going to be a temporary affair, and the experience was not to be missed. That was about five or six years ago now, and it’s still standing.
Maybe it’s this initial temporary intention for it’s unfortunate placement of the Manchester vistas the top views of the big olé wheel provides. Like many of those who take a ride on the Wheel, they feel a tad cheated when their experience consists of the top of Harvey Nicks and the Arndale Centre, it simply isn’t big enough, which is a bit of a strange thing to say considering most people think in it’s current location it’s too big, and some will go as far as saying it’s an eyesore.
If it was a bit bigger and managed to creep over the tops of some of the larger buildings so that whence at the top those enthusiastic tourist types, or just general interested in the sweet city folk could take in Manchester and be happy to pay the £6.50 as opposed to feeling like they’d been ripped off for their 15 minute ride then maybe everyone would be feeling a little less cheated. On the other hand, it’s a bit of fun, something to do, and it’s a nice tourist attraction money generator for the city. Some might say by looking up at the wheel you can tell you’re not going to be able to see up and beyond, so it’s just purely an experience of going around on a big wheel.
Yeah the views are alright, but there are better places the wheel could have gone, and there are better places to go, like Kirsten said, that are view friendly and space friendly too. But it’s something different, and for that I’m a teensy bit more grateful than I normally am.

What’s with all the hating on the Wheel? Sure, it’s not as big as the really big one down in London, obviously. But it’s a big wheel. Everyone likes big wheels, right?
You get pretty good views from the wheel over Manchester, though Kirsten is totally right, the views from the Hilton Hotel are way better and you can spend your money on a cocktail.
But I think as a slightly cheesy but perfectly good date the wheel is fine. Buy a half-​bottle of sparkling wine from M&S, sneak it on to the wheel and have a fun 20 minutes of cheesy date-​ness on the Wheel of Manchester.

The wheel, I don’t like it. Its Manchester trying to be something its not. It ain’t as big as the London wheel and it ain’t got anything special to distinguish it from being a smaller wheel, such as getting you soaked or something.
For me the wheel is a physical manifestation of a teenage girl of 13 wearing a skirt far to small for her. You don’t do it, I wouldn’t let my daughter out onto the street looking like that and neither should Manchester council continue to support this. You just don’t do it. Okay I’ll talk a bit more about what the wheel is actually like, yeh theres a nice view but its a rip off. There you have it, an honest and impartial view of the wheel.

I must admit that the first time I went on this wheel, I was on a date. It was a long time ago, and all I remember is that it was dark and pouring down outside, and the view from the carriage was blocked by the condensation. At £5 each (we were students) I think we wished we’d have gone to the cinema or had a couple of drinks.
The second time I went on the wheel was with the boyfriend, his Mum and his Grandma to celebrate my boyfriend’s graduation. This time it was a rare sunny day, which allowed us to point out various points of interest to Mum and Grandma, although at £26 for the four of us this was not a cheap 10 minutes. Having just looked at the website, it would’ve been a little bit cheaper if we had booked online.
If money is no object and you’re a first time visitor to Manchester then I’d recommend the wheel. Otherwise, go up to Cloud 23 in the Hilton where you’ll be able to get better views of the city and you can spend your £6.50 on a cocktail!
On a positive note, the wheel is marginally better than its sister in Birmingham!

In my first year of Uni, I was housed in the dubious Owens Park, on the top floor of the even more dubious OP tower. Whenever I tell people that, they wince and say «ooh, you poor thing, the fire alarms!» but for me, the abiding memory of that year is the view I had from my window. 18 floors up, facing the city centre, my view was pretty much the best. I watched them build Beetham Tower, I could identify certain curry houses on Rusholme by their distinctive neons, and at night I would smoke out of the window and watch the wheel go gently round, all the while wondering why they’d build a big wheel here?
Of course, a trip to the website of the Manchester wheel’s parent company shows that there are also wheels in Birmingham and Middlesbrough, so it seems that there are no standards. Now, I know, I was just talking about how much I loved that view, and now I’m blasting the Manchester wheel for offering just that, a view. But honestly, from the middle of the city centre, at the wheel’s not-​that-​impressive height, there’s not a whole hell of a lot to see, especially not for the £6.50 that an adult ticket costs.
The day I went on the wheel was, like most days in Manchester, overcast and a bit drizzly. We went on the wheel at my grandmother’s request. She’s American, so she loves doing touristy things like that. Even she, with her telephoto lens and unwavering enthusiasm for all things Brit, thought that the wheel, or rather the view it gave us of the city centre, was wholeheartedly dull. Apart from the cathedral, which is lovely from above, there’s nothing to see but dull office blocks and tiny people.
The reason I loved my OP view, was that I could see everything. I could see the Trafford Centre’s gaudy emerald dome, and the City stadium. And the city centre, slap bang in the middle of my window, was beautiful because I couldn’t see the details. The wheel of Manchester doesn’t give you a stunning city-​scape, it gives you an idea of Manchester’s general city centre layout, and where to find a big car park. The wheel of Manchester looks beautiful from 3 miles away, 18 storey up, but unless you’re wandering round aimlessly with an elderly American to disappoint, I’d advise you to steer clear.

Yes I have been on the Wheel, and yes it was an experience of sorts! the main reason being was that my 3 year old son provided the entertainment… he had seen the wheel several times and had admired its size looming up above us, on at least 5 separate days out in town, I asked if he would like to go on, each time he pulled his chin into his chest, drew close to me as if to hide from the wheel and with a slight whine would reject the idea. But to my surprise on another day he actually said yes, I gave him no time to change his mind and before he could say «Lightning McQueen» I had secured us 2 tickets — £1 for him as he was under 3, and £6.50 for me, we were deposited in our own capsule. As we rose into the sky, and as the realisation that we were going to keep rising dawned on him, it imposed a reaction out of him that I found seriously comical and cute… he clamped a death grip on me and my bag thinking that we may fall through the glass walls. Anyway, I soon distracted him by pointing out how small everything was while looking down, and how the people had turned into ants (now he was laughing) we counted the buses, and pretended we were birds flying! As we alighted, his ftrst words were «let’s do it again»
So, I think it is a great treat for children, albeit expensive weighed up against the amount of time you get to spend on it (roughly 10 — 15 minutes), if you have 2 children over 3 and 2 adults you can purchase a family ticket for £18. I see it as an idea for something to do an a first date to break the ice, or for tourists who would like to see the roof of the Arndale centre??? As an adult, I did enjoy getting to see the cathedral from above and the few other buildings of interest from the wheels position… but apart from that, I saw no thrill in looking at Manchester from that angle.

The Wheel of Manchester… or The Manchester Eye as most people call it, this is Manchester’s big wheel in Exchange Square, a now permanent feature thanks to sponsorship by the Manchester Evening News.
So is it worth bothering with?
If you’re new to Manchester, yes. If you’re not new here and you’re wondering if you’re missing something… not really.
I’ve been on it twice now, once for a date (how cheesy) and the second time with my younger sister (who loved it by the way, it’s quite good for kids).
It’s pretty expensive really, £6.50 for a adult (£5 student) and £4.50 for a child, all it does is go round three times and due to the location, you don’t actually see all that much! Sure you see over Manchester’s building but you can’t make out what many of them are! And the view does seem to be blighted by cranes!
Maybe do it the once if you’re bored.