Changes

1) Catch a bus to Whythenshaw (the 101, 104 or 105 from Piccadilly Gardens in the city centre. Just ask the driver to shout for you at the Wilbraham road junction if you're unsure where to get off) and get to Princess Parkway, this is the start of the M56. From here you can head to the M6, better if you are heading south since you are a few junctions south then if you was on the M602. here you will see a petrol staton immediatley befor the slip road, I've always had a quick ride from here, mainly for drivers filling their cars up, and a bus stop in front of you for cars to pull over safely.EDIT: Dec 2016. This seems to refer to the Texaco gas station pretty close to the sliproad to the motorway. When I approached drivers there I was sent away by a member of staff

2) You don't necessarily need to be on the M56. There are a few good spots on the A5103 (Princess Parkway) so depending on where you start from in Manchester you could head to any one of these. I walked down the Wilbraham Road heading west and turned left (south) onto the A5103. 50m further is a Shell petrol station with fairly good flow. Although some of this will be local traffic, a lot is also continuing onto the M56 and then M6. If you don't want to wait around at the garage itself, there is a good bus stop just before so you could try some road hitching here. It took 10 minutes getting a ride out to the M6.EDIT: Dec 2016: There is no Shell petrol station close to this spot (anymore?), at least I couldn't find one.

Both of these descriptions are describing 3) There is this bus stop [http://goo.gl/maps/18TYs]. It really is a great place to get south from; I've used it six times and have never had to wait more than 1 hour 15 - but it usually takes much less. One time it only took 90 seconds to get a lift as far as Birmingham. 4) After trying unsuccesfully to get a ride from the positions mentioned above, I walked to a bus Stop at the A560. It is located between two roundabouts, a bit before the roundabout leading on to the M56. There is an exit for an industrial estate in front of the bus stop whitch a decent amount of space for drivers to slow down and drive over, where I stayed to wait for a driver. Only took me 5 minutes to get a ride all the way to Birmingham. The Buses 104 and 11A can get you all the way there. Position on Google Maps: [https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Altrincham+Rd%2FThe+Open+University+(Stop+D)/@53.3986785,-2.2665459,19z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x487bad6463c5b26b:0x81d1ba219aa014a1!8m2!3d53.398636!4d-2.2656613].