Ah! I was at Salford from 67-71, and for a short time lived on Albert Park Road. Salford Van Hire was just starting up on an adjacent street, and their cinema advert was a slide showing some (or maybe all) of their vans parked diagonally on the cobbles of Albert Park Road, with the greenery of the park behind them. How times have changed.
I do recall spending time at Adelphi building doing things mechanical.
I now see what you mean about the loop in the river. We had most of our lectures in what I believe became Maxwell building, looking over that area. There were attempts to get paper aeroplanes safely across onto the grass, some of which were successful.
If you are saying that you walked over the bridge and north up Gt Clowes St to reach the emporium, then I think we are very much in the same area.
Chris