Mancunians find reasons to be cheerful

Manchester has clinched silver in a happiness league compiled by academics at the Universities of Sheffield and Manchester. Brecknock, Montgomery and Radnor, in Powys, topped the list, but Manchester was the highest placed city in the survey.

The Times newspaper reported that other factors which impact on happiness are "climate, hours of sunshine, noise, and air pollution." It may have a reputation as a rainy city, but there's plenty to see and do in Manchester.

Visitors to Manchester can do their bit for their carbon footprint by exploring the city on foot.

Independent travellers in Manchester can explore the city on foot with a Walk Talk Tour audio walking tour. The Manchester: Then & Now mp3 guided tour costs just £5. Customers who do not have an iPod, MP3 player or know how to play music on their mobile phones can hire a MP3 player preloaded with the Manchester travel guide with the city's Visitor Information Centre on Lloyd Street, off St Peter's Square.

Discover where Britain's first symphony orchestra now calls home. Feel the new beat of the city at Deansgate Locks. Discover how an aristocrat's vision and a self taught engineer's skills helped kick start the industrial revolution - in what was the world's first industrial city. Hear about Roman Manchester and the origins of the city's name. To hear an audio extract from the Manchester: Then & Now podcast guided tour please click here.

It does a rain a fair bit in Manchester, but listeners to the Manchester: Then & Now iPod travel guide need not be put off. With a Walk Talk Tour you're in charge, so you can stop, start and replay any part of the tour as you see fit - or as the weather dictates.

There are many great free visitor attractions on the Walk Talk Tour of Manchester mp3 guided tour's route. Make the most of your tour by checking out our Where & When pages which provide information about opening times, admission charges and links to lots of the top attractions on the tour's route.

The Walk Talk Tour podcast guided tour of Manchester concludes in Cathedral Gardens, where the museum of city life, Urbis, faces Chetham's Library, the oldest free public library in the country. The Walk Talk Tour Manchester visitor guide tour is composed of commentary points. Clear easy to follow directions are provided on a separate track - along with a free downloadable map - so you shouldn't get lost.