Top five literary nights out in Manchester

1. The Castle Hotel 66 Oldham Street

A Northern Quarter institution, The Castle Hotel hosts regular spoken word nights, including Tongue in Cheek this Thursday, and serves up a delicious – and potentially dangerous – pint of scrumpy

2. Gorilla 54/56 Whitworth Street West

Gin was F. Scott Fitzgerald’s drink of choice, so don your flapper dress and drink like it’s 1920 at Gorilla’s Gin Parlour

3. The Art of Tea 47 Barlow Moor Road

For a more subdued affair, get off the beaten track and head to The Art of Tea in Didsbury to spend an evening perusing their selection of second-hand books and sipping tea – or something stronger

4. Peveril of the Peak 127 Great Bridgewater Street

Named after Sir Walter Scott’s novel, this cosy traditional pub boasts a good selection of real ales and can be recognised by its distinctive tiled exterior

5. Hardy’s Well 257 Wilmslow Road

If you don’t want to stray too far from Fallowfield, pay a visit to Hardy’s Well, an honest, no-frills pub, with a verse by local poet Lemn Sissay painted on its outside wall