Manchester's best beer gardens

Blackjack has grown from a small operation to one of the foremost craft beer suppliers in the area, with a portfolio of over 40 cask ales. They’ve transformed the site, which has the look of a mechanic’s garage, into something eminently more hospitable and with a beer garden fresh with the smell of herbs growing through the walls

Inside, it’s a standard upmarket pub. Light and airy, with lots and lots of wood. Outside, there's an absolutely fantastic beer garden on the banks of the canal. It's like being in the countryside...

A recent refurb has revived this iconic city centre bar and café, which is nicely positioned within the Deansgate railway arches, with a quiet beer garden at the rear, away from the stresses of the city

One of the finest pubs in Ancoats has a small beer garden which resembles something out of Edward Scissorhands...

Chorlton's Dulcimer is a warm and friendly drinking spot with a shaded garden out back where you can enjoy a fine ale or some of their tasty food

Despite being better known for its entertaining line up of live performance and its owner, Paul Heaton, this lovely pub also has a sweet cobbled beer garden for a spot of the outdoors

The original Georgian exterior hides plenty of surprises contained within this marvelous Northern Quarter pub, not least of which is a small but perfectly formed beer garden

Apart from the wooden floors, a log fire and a piano in the corner giving the place an old-fashioned feel, there's a place to sit outside and take in the fresh (ish) air

So, what's with the name? Adjacent to the pub is 'Dukes Lock' which is the 92nd and final lock on the Rochdale Canal. And what's more, the outside space makes for a fantastic spot in the summer too

One of the most used outdoor beer gardens in the city centre sits slap in the heart of Spinningfields