I DON’T have a telly these days but somehow I still watch Coronation Street three times a week – such is the extent of my addiction to the longest running soap in the world.

I moved to Amsterdam for a year and took my addiction with me, forced to use less than legal measures to get my fix of the gritty Northern TV staple.

I’m not a typical soap fan by any measure – the only other telly I watch these days is the rather more bloodthirsty Game of Thrones – but I’ve probably not missed an episode of Corrie in decades.

The strong, solid characters coupled with an often wicked sense of humour and quality scriptwriting mean the show – which has now been running for more than 50 years – has earned its place in my heart.

So, when I was invited to tour the Corrie set, my response was predictably enthusiastic and in the run-up to the event I became consumed with the questions I had harboured for years – how does wheelchair-bound Izzy get in and out of buildings? Is the hole Fred Elliott fell down still there? Would I be able to rearrange the letters on Tyrone and Fizz’s fridge?

Looking forward to visiting the gift shop for all the Corrie-themed tat my heart could desire, I jumped on a train to Manchester and checked into the Novotel Manchester Centre along with hordes of welly-clad festival goers in town for the Parklife event.

The smart, modern hotel is ideally placed in the centre of the lively city with most of its attractions within walking distance.

Our executive room was scrupulously clean, well decorated and complete with coffee maker, complementary water, dressing gowns, slippers and posh toiletries. The shower was pleasingly powerful and the bed ridiculously comfortable.

The hotel’s staff were professional, if not warm, and quick to respond to our small quibbles (said dressing gowns and slippers were missing at first but soon brought up to our room) and breakfast was adequate for anyone’s needs – whether you fancy a healthy yoghurt, full English or a go at the make-your-own-pancake machine.

Almost reluctantly leaving our comfortable room to brave the torrential Manchester rain, we headed out to find the famous cobbles.

The Quay Street set has been opened as a temporary tourist attraction now that Corrie has moved to its new MediaCityUK home, where the set has been lovingly replicated.

The final scenes at Quay Street – which was home to the soap for 53 years – were filmed last December and since then, the set has been visited by thousands of fans.

At the door, you’re given a souvenir crew pass and introduced to a predictably enthusiastic guide whose job it is to usher you through (a bit too quickly) a 45 minute tour that takes in everything from costumes to murder weapons.

The tour begins in the Green Room, where Corrie’s cast members relaxed and learned their lines between scenes.

You’re then led down a corridor of dressing rooms - several of which have their doors left tantalisingly open – to the wardrobe department where iconic costumes worn by Corrie favourites including Betty, Roy, Kirk and Julie are on display. Carla’s wedding dress, as made by Hayley, can also be seen in all of its glory.

A video montage in a darkened theatre helps to build atmosphere before the tour carries on to Stage One –the true home of Coronation Street and the place in which all of the show’s interior scenes were filmed.

This is arguably the most interesting part of the tour, containing as it does several interior sets and a host of exhibits.

However, our guide ushered us through in record time, giving us little opportunity to peruse the sets and items on display.

That said, we still got chance to marvel at the tininess of the Platt’s house, admire Carla’s elaborate furnishings and take in iconic objects like Deirdre’s massive glasses and Hayley’s colourful coffin.

Taking a brief pit stop in the cosy booths of the nation’s best known pub, the Rovers Return, was pleasingly surreal – though a complementary pint might not have gone amiss.

The grand finale of the guided tour sees us serenaded with the comfortingly familiar, if dirge-like theme tune before being cast out upon the famous cobbles.

Speaking of comfortingly familiar, Coronation Street itself inspired no great excitement, just a sense of being at home.

Wandering along the cobbles, taking in The Kabin, Underworld and Roy’s Rolls felt as natural as walking down my own street – though there were slightly more faces pressed up against windows than is generally acceptable in everyday life.

There are photo opportunities aplenty for today’s selfie-obsessed tourist – you can pose outside the Rovers, in Gail’s back garden, at Street Cars or even in front of the long-abandoned butchers shop once owned by the irreplaceable Fred Elliott.

The tour, which runs until Saturday, October 4, is a must-do for any true Corrie devotee. It makes a great afternoon’s entertainment – even if the giftshop is absolutely rubbish, with not a decent fridge magnet in sight.

To book a place, visit ticketmaster.co.uk/coronationstreet.

• Best rate using the Novotel Summer offer is £66.50 based on two people sharing a double room. This does not include breakfast.

• Best unrestricted rate is £95.00 based on two people sharing a double room. This does not include breakfast.

• Best available rate including breakfast based on two people sharing is £115

http://www.novotel.com/gb/home/index.shtml