A major road that connects Greater Manchester to South Yorkshire has been dubbed ‘the worst road in Britain’ in a TikTok which has since gone viral.
Professional tribute act Emma Wallbank (@miwallbank on TikTok) shared her recent experience of crossing Woodhead Pass while travelling to a gig last week, explaining the series of events which led to her losing out on ‘a night’s work’.
As she explains in the nearly three-minute-long rant, Emma was on the way to a gig in North Wales from Yorkshire when, unfortunately, she realised she had to cross Woodhead Pass – a.k.a. ‘where dreams go to die’ – in order to make it to her destination.
Already a lengthy route, poor timing also played a part as she just so happened to arrive when the road was undergoing a series of unannounced roadworks following a crash on Tuesday evening.
After Google Maps had already added a further two hours onto her journey, she came across a workman who informed her she’d be better off turning back around than waiting for the hold-up to clear. The absolute worst…
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While she admitted that she’d rather do a number of unpleasant, albeit hilarious things involving large animals than cross the pass, it’s not ideal when it’s basically your only route to get where you’re going.
Worse still, part of the Woodhead Pass’ notoriety is the lack of phone reception, and Emma had to mooch for 40 minutes before she could get any kind of signal to use her maps or even contact the event to let them know she wasn’t going to make it.
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As she puts it, the road is in ‘the middle of nowhere’ and your only chance of contacting another soul would be ‘by carrier pigeon’.
Despite being a bit of a favourite for truckers across the country, it would seem the road designated A628 is infamous among plenty of other drivers. One person noted how it regularly closes due to flooding and roadworks, and another said, ‘it simply shouldn’t be a road’.
One person wrote, “I once left work 3 hours early by the time I got through congestion and traffic started moving… it was my normal finish time…”, while another said they had waited more than six hours before completing the 61.48 km stretch.
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Our favourite comment and perhaps the best way to sum up most people’s experience of Woodhead Pass was the person who said, “l think Sam and Frodo would turn around if they had to go through Woodhead Pass”. Petition to rename it ‘Woodhead, you shall not Pass?’…
While it isn’t one of the top ten most dangerous or most problematic routes in the UK, it would seem plenty of people can empathise with her.
What do you reckon, is she right? Or is there somewhere else you think should be considered the worst road in Britain?
Inside Soho House Manchester as rooftop pool finally opens
Daisy Jackson
Soho House Manchester finally opened its doors to members late last year – but there’s still more to come.
The exclusive members’ club, which costs from £2,400 per year to access, faced several years’ worth of unavoidable delays as it transformed the old Granada Studios.
And even now that members can finally visit the space for networking, dinner and drinks, events, and working, Soho House isn’t actually finished.
Instead, the hotly-anticipated venue is opening in phases – the latest of which is that beautiful rooftop pool, with views overlooking the city from the top of the former television studio.
New images taken inside Soho House Manchester show several of the completed spaces, from lounges with beautiful natural light flooding through skylights, to stylish candlelit dining rooms, to gorgeous bedrooms.
In keeping with the building’s history, the Soho House design team have stuck with a premium mid-century interior, including terrazzo flooring and warm wood details, muted green and orange colour palettes, and chrome furniture.
Have a look inside Soho House Manchester:
Soho House Manchester is now open. Credit: SuppliedBeautiful interiors. Credit: SuppliedA bar space. Credit: Edvina BruzasRestaurant spaces. Credit: Edvina BruzasDetails of Soho House Manchester. Credit: Edvina BruzasMid-century details at Soho House Manchester. Credit: Edvina BruzasInside Soho House in Manchester. Credit: Edvinas BruzasNew spaces are still opening. Credit: Edvinas BruzasThere are 22 bedrooms inside. Credit: Harry Crowder
There are now 22 beautiful bedrooms up on the sixth floor, exclusively available to Soho House Members, which carry on the 1950s heritage design.
As the build continues, members will soon have access to a Soho Health Club with a gym, reformer Pilates studio, smoothie bar, and infrared sauna and steam room.
Every Soho House has a strict no-photos policy to protect to privacy of members – which means unless you fancy forking out £333.33 a month, you might never see inside it beyond the club’s official photography.
The cosy Peak District pub serving a pick’n’mix sausage and mash menu
Daisy Jackson
There’s a Peak District pub that’s turned one of Britain’s most beloved comfort foods into a full-on pick’n’mix.
Tucked away in the postcard-perfect village of Castleton, Ye Olde Nags Head is serving up a fully customisable menu of sausage and mash dishes.
We’re talking near-endless combinations of proper pub grub.
You start by choosing your sausages from a daily rotating selection (not a sentence you hear every day, but we’re into it).
Expect classics like Cumberland alongside more adventurous options like venison and mustard, or even wild boar and orange, plus a veggie sausage daily.
Then it’s onto the mash – you can go for flavours like cheese and onion, wholegrain mustard, or even black pudding mash.
Classic cumberland, mustard mash, and mushroom sauceVeggie sausage with cheese and onion mash and classic gravyTucking in
To finish? A choice of rich, hearty gravies and sauces to bring it all together, whether that’s a classic onion gravy, a peppercorn sauce, or a creamy wild mushroom sauce.
And if that wasn’t enough, you can even upgrade your bangers and mash pick’n’mix by having it all served inside a giant Yorkshire pudding.
Ye Olde Nags Head is a historic 17th-century pub, with a roaring fire in every room and cosy bedrooms upstairs.
Inside Ye Olde Nags Head pub in the Peak DistrictYe Olde Nags Head pub is near Mam Tor
It’s one of those flagstone-floored, beamed-ceilinged, mismatched-furniture type pubs that welcomes everyone in every state, whether you’re caked in mud from a hike or popping in on a coach tour.
Another of the pub’s specialties is the Derbyshire Breakfast, a hearty plate of sausage, smoked bacon, black pudding, free range egg, grilled tomatoes, field mushrooms, baked beans and fried bread.
The pub also offers takeaway breakfast butties, so you can use it for both a pre-hike stop and a post-hike pint.
Given it’s just minutes from the ever-popular Mam Tor hike, this is one pub you’ll definitely want to add to your next Peak District day out itinerary.
Danny Jones -
20th September 2022 
