You really don’t have to travel far from Manchester to find yourself surrounded by rolling hills and lush fields. It’s one of the best things about living here.
And without even leaving Greater Manchester, you can find yourself in a land full of postcard-perfect villages, twisting country lanes, and cosy pubs – this is, of course, Saddleworth.
You’ll find glassy reservoirs, chocolate box villages, canals teeming with life, sweeping landscapes and bags more character here.
From Uppermill with its trendy high street full of bars and restaurants, to Delph nestled right down in the valley, there’s something to catch your eye.
We’ve been back over to Saddleworth to put together this handy guide to its best restaurants, things to do, cafes, bars, and loads more.
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Food and drink
Greene’s BistroAlbion Farm ShopGrandpa Greene’s
Albion Farm Shop and Cafe – This charming spot is worth the drive over to Saddleworth on its own. Food miles are pretty much wiped off the plate, with almost everything made on site with ingredients from Saddleworth. Expect seriously hearty farmer’s breakfasts, plus sandwiches on freshly baked farmhouse bread, giant burgers, rag puddings, cakes, and pies.
Grandpa Greene’s – Grandpa Greene’s ice cream is so legendary that during lockdown (when people were restricted to takeaways only), the queues forming outside literally stopped traffic. Their luxury ice cream pops up in restaurants all over the north west, but at its picturesque home on the canal you’ll find the full range of flavours, as well as pancakes, afternoon teas, and sandwiches.
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Greene’s Bistro – From the same team as Grandpa Greene’s comes Greene’s Bistro, converting an old public toilet block in Uppermill into a beautiful, sun-soaked cafe and restaurant. Here they’ve really expanded their savoury offering, with huge brunches, massive hot sandwiches, small plates, loaded fries, and flatbreads.
The Old Bell Inn – Not only is it home to a record-breaking selection of gin, The Old Bell Inn is also a properly decent country pub. We’re talking top-notch Sunday roasts, pies and puddings, steaks, burgers and hand-cut chunky chips.
Kobe – Bang in the middle of Uppermill’s bustling high street, Kobe is the spot to come for fantastic coffee, epic sandwiches, and hearty brunches, all served in a beautiful space filled with natural wood and plenty of light. They’ve even got a huge dining space out the back with a retractable roof for sunnier days.
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Kobe in Uppermill, SaddleworthThe Old Bell Inn pubDelph in Delve, Saddleworth
Weaver and Wilde – Arguably some of the best coffee in the region is being brewed at Weaver and Wilde – it’s roasted down the road then made with milk from a dairy herd grazing on Saddleworth grass. You can grab brunch, lunch and cakes here as well as your caffeine fix. Over in Greenfield, they also have Blackbird & Wilde (currently closed for a refurb), which is the go-to spot locally for pizza.
Diggle Lock – Diggle Lock is one of the hottest hangouts in the north west, never mind in Saddleworth, turning an old textile mill into a daytime restaurant and pantry store. The team is focused on serving up ‘city centre sophistication’ in the beautiful countryside, with a menu of massive brunches and sandwiches, excellent coffee and cocktails. You can even order dog-friendly sides, like peanut butter or black pudding, for your pooch.
Delve – The team from Diggle Lock last year branched out into Delph, opening a gorgeous neighbourhood bar and bistro in an old bank. On the ground floor it’s all dark wood and cosy, while upstairs is a pretty brunch space with huge windows. The menu is packed full of small and big plates with highlights like a Dutch puff (it’s basically a baked pancake/sweet Yorkshire pudding with lashings of pistachio on it), loaded croissants, and gochujang halloumi.
The White Hart – For a pint with a view, The White Hart at Lydgate is arguably the best in the UK. This brilliant gastropub has earned plenty of critical acclaim for its food, but it still keeps the cosy community spirit of a village pub (complete with real ales, a roaring fire, and a lengthy wine list).
Shopping
The Old Cobblers in GreenfieldThe Old Cobblers in GreenfieldLauren Beth Medical Aesthetics & Beauty
Uppermill in particular is an absolute hive of independent business, from local produce to clothing to gifts, and 10/10 charity shops.
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There’s Authentic, which describes itself as a treasure trove of artisan products; Puddleducks, which sells beautiful children’s clothing; and ‘slow fashion’ boutique Suki’s Wardrobe.
You can pick up wines and spirits from Saddleworth Wine Vault or squeeze into the lovely Towpath Book Shop, sandwiched into a tiny building on the high street.
The Reclamation Room is a vibrant creative space and cafe for the community, where you can buy art from local artists straight off the walls.
Over in Delph, we’re very excited to see the doors to The Frostery Living’s store open, with a space filled with homewares and other lifestyle bits from the best makers across the UK and Europe.
Then another must-visit across in Greenfield is The Old Cobblers, which sells natural wine, craft beer, great coffee and a range of locally-made gifts, with no corkage should you want to neck your bottle of wine on the seats outside.
If you’re wanting to go out dancing into the wee small hours, you’ll probably need to head a bit further towards Oldham town centre.
Having said that, the pubs here are usually buzzing into the evening, and Muse in Uppermill is open past midnight (with cocktail deals, DJs to go with your Sunday roast, and some occasional celeb spotting).
On the last Sunday of every month, the Off The Rails Comedy Club pulls up at The Royal George in Greenfield.
When it comes to accommodation, you’re spoilt for choice.
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Two beautiful Airbnbs in Saddleworth. Credit: Airbnb
You can stay in several of the aforementioned pubs – like the Old Bell Inn and The White Hart – or rest your head in one of many beautiful cottages around Saddleworth.
This converted barn, complete with huge arched window, wooden beams, and loads of outside space, is pretty special too.
Culture
The canals in UppermillDovestone Reservoir in Saddleworth
In a corner of Greater Manchester as picturesque as this, the great outdoors really is the best place to spend your spare time.
You can take a leisurely stroll or cycle along the many waterways, walk the perimeter of Dovestone Reservoir, or tackle the more challenging beauty spot above it (but be careful on this one, as more than a few walkers have come into trouble on the route).
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The Yanks weekend is usually a staple of Saddleworth’s cultural calendar, transporting the area back to the 1940s complete with entertainment, costume, vehicles and a parade.
You’ll also find a jazz festival, a blues festival, an art week, a traditional Rushcart and loads more things going on throughout the year.
Saddleworth Museum & Gallery is well worth a visit, and Uppermill Library is housed in one of the most beautiful buildings in the area.
Property
Considering how beautiful and green Saddleworth it, there’s still a lot of relatively affordable property to be found (especially when you compare it to leafy suburbs like Altrincham and Didsbury).
According to the Land Registry, the average property price over the last year was £295,405, with the majority of homes sold being terraced houses.
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On the market currently you’ll find something at all ends of the budget spectrum.
Transport
Of all the villages in Saddleworth, Greenfield is the one that’s best-served by public transport.
The Transpennine Express train from Manchester to Huddersfield stops off here fairly regularly.
For the rest of Saddleworth, you’ll be reliant on buses to get around, like the 350 bus which helpfully weaves its way through Greenfield, Uppermill and Delph – and even stops right outside the Albion Farm Shop and Cafe.
Featured image: The Manc Group
Feature
Gig review | Catfish at Heaton Park, Manchester – are the Bottlemen properly back?
Danny Jones
10 months on from their last gig and more than a year since they officially ended their hiatus, Catfish and the Bottlemen finally returned to Manchester for a sold-out show at Heaton Park, and while the reviews online have been mixed, we had a blast heading back to the fields again.
Making their Manc comeback just hours before this year’s Parklife Festival got underway, the beloved Welsh band had stirred lots of worry leading up to the day itself and, in truth, even in the moments leading up to (and after) their stage time.
Apart from their huge headline slot at Reading and Leeds, 2024 was the year of cancellations and controversy, so their fans had plenty of reason to be concerned. Nevertheless, we had faith and kept our spirits high, especially with the weather holding out.
Local legends and indie rock veterans James certainly helped on that front, delighting both die-hards watching from up on the hill and younger gig-goers who may have only heard a few of the big hits like ‘Sit Down’ – though they certainly didn’t heed that message, there was merely jumping up and down.
Some great computer-generated imagery backdropped the set.We watched this thing like a hawk.You can read our recent interview with them HERE. (Credit: Audio North)
Once the main support act had wrapped up their pretty perfectly timed set, we’ll admit, standing on that grass felt like an eternity, especially considering Catfish had us waiting an extra 15 minutes beyond their expected arrival at Heaton Park.
You could call it fashionably late, but in this case, it saw several people around us uttering, ‘they’re not coming on any time soon’, and some even beginning to walk off.
However, they did eventually arrive just over a quarter of an hour past schedule, and the eruption of cheers from the crowd and a fair few screams from those nearest the barrier signalled what summed up the entire night: we were just so happy to have them back.
We’ve heard people debating the sound quality and taking issue with parts of Van’s performance, but we’ll just leave this here and let you decide for yourselves:
One thing’s for sure: the energy was immaculate from start to finish.
From kicking things off with ‘Longshot’ for a limb-worthy intro, to hearing a fully acoustic version of ‘Hourglass’ as the lead singer stood alone on the dramatically lit main stage, soon to be followed up by a plethora of Parklife acts, we’d wager you they’ll remain a tough act to follow all weekend.
Other highlights included an entire park’s worth of people belting every word to ‘Kathleen’, ‘Fallout’, ‘Pacifier’ and pretty much every track they played, as well Van having the crowd repeat the chorus of ‘Cocoon’ as he hung up his guitar from the stand to deliver an ice-old mic drop.
We would’ve loved to hear a fuller set filled with the extended live versions of ‘Oxygen’, ‘Heathrow’ and ‘Glasgow’ too, especially given how many sections of pure instrumentation felt like they were going to transition into another track, but you can’t have everything, I guess.
Inflatable crocodiles and cracking flagsCredit: The Manc GroupEyes and arms wide openWe’re here to urge you not to be drawn in by TikTok reviews – as far as we’re concerned, Catfish were made to headline Heaton Park.
Sure, there might have been a few minor fluffed vocal notes and slightly over-lengthy solos here and there, but after all, it’s a rock show: we want a bit of mess.
The same goes for Van McCann himself, too; we worry that people are starting to forget what a proper rockstar is, and we’re not talking about contriving some kind of Hollywood lifestyle, but certainly getting lost in the music and trashing your guitar so hard that your face is draped in nothing but hair and sweat? Absolutely.
All in all, we think Catfish and the Bottlemen‘s massive outdoor show at Manchester’s Heaton Park and de facto ‘comeback after the last comeback’ was a triumph and even when they’re not absolutely 10/10, they’re still bloody good value live.
As for the question of ‘are they back?’ We think so and certainly hope that ‘Showtime’ wasn’t just released as a way of signalling fans to come along for one last ride before the final curtain call.
Gig review | Lionel Richie leaves Manchester dancing on the ceiling after Co-op Live debut
Thomas Melia
American multi-hyphenate Lionel Richie paid Manchester a visit last night and gave the 23,500 fans in the crowd all of his ‘Endless Love’.
Richie needs no explanation, being a household name, this artist had the crowd in the palm of his hands as soon as he stepped foot onto the stage, just like he has been doing since he burst onto the music scene over 50 years ago.
When you’re about to watch a legend strut his stuff in various tailcoats ‘All Night Long (All Night)’, you know you’re in for a mini workout.
We tried out Co-op Live’s Backstage Club before the show to fuel up with a pizza and grab a drink to ensure that we could dance ‘All Night Long (All Night) as much as the main man himself.
‘Breezy like a Sunday Morning’.Soaking up the fun at Co-op Live’s Backstage Club.You really do get the VIP treatment.Credit: Audio North
As well as boasting an intimate area with music history covering all four walls, this location had a photobooth, pool table, its own merchandise vendor and a live band.
For tonight’s show, it was only right that the band soundtracking Co-op Live’s Backstage Club were aptly named The Pennies and the signature drinks were equally fitting, ‘Say You, Say G&T’ and a cocktail offering labelled, ‘Breezy like a Sunday Morning’.
Glasgow solo star Brooke Combe – a favourite of ours from past Neighbourhood Festivals – gave the crowd our first taste of music for the night, playing highlights of her debut album ‘Dancing at the Edge of the World’, which only dropped back in January.
Her songs ooze soul, from the infectious ‘Shaken by the Wind’ to the instantly catchy ‘The Last Time’ and fan favourite, ‘Are You With Me?’. Combe’s stage presence was nothing short of contagious.
It’s no surprise, really, considering she’s already practised and perfected her craft at Glastonbury back in 2022 among countless other massive slots. Make sure you catch her the next time she’s in Manchester.
The legendary performer knew he had to kick things off in true Lionel Richie style, it’s only obligatory that he opened the show with his greeting-titled hit ‘Hello’.
Lionel welcoming fans with ‘Hello’ and being greeted with equally impressive roars from the crowd.Richie slowing it down for a moment, performing Commodores classic, ‘Easy’.Credit: The Manc Group
As the chorus approached, the American superstar hailed “Hello” and the audience immediately exclaimed in synch, “Is it me you’re looking for?”.
Social media might’ve been non-existent when the performer first reached our ears, but this didn’t stop Lionel Richie from inadvertently turning last night into a mini ‘Throwback Thursday’ playing his 1977 Commodores swooner ‘Easy’.
If you had told me that Lionel Richie would directly address me and my brother mid-performance, I would’ve laughed in your face, but last night the star adopted the both of us. Life complete.
The American singer came up the catwalk, soaking up all the cheers and love from the Co-op Live crowd, and then pointed directly at me and my brother and gave us a little shoutout.
Before playing the anthem that is ‘We are the World’, Mr. Richie expressed, “Alright, I’ll just tell ‘em” before admitting to the whole arena, “These are my cousins right here”.
I guess when we sang “Hello, is it me you’re looking for?” earlier in the show, it really was me (and my brother) he was looking for.
Getting called 'cousins' by @LionelRichie was not on our 2025 bingo card, but it has made our entire year. 😭💀
Just like his opening track, the final slot also has its fixed placement in Richie’s setlist; of course, that song is none other than the essential party number, ‘All Night Long (All Night)’.
Richie recites the line, “We’re going to party, Karamu, fiesta, forever”, and the crowd understood the assignment as by the time he sang, “Come on and sing along / All night long”, everyone was up.
This tune is nothing less than cathartic, and for the five minutes it played, everyone was side-stepping, swaying, singing, dancing, not a single inhibition in sight.
Lionel Richie might know his way around writing smash hits and commanding a crowd, but it’s the audience’s joy for the music that made this concert such a special night.
Did we tell you? Lionel Richie called us his cousins.Richie amidst a flurry of flashlights from the Manc crowd.Credit: The Manc