Netflix’s smash-hit fantasy series The Witcher dropped its second season just before Christmas – and a lot of it was filmed not too far from Greater Manchester.
The first instalment of The Witcher, which stars Henry Cavill, was filmed all over Europe.
But Covid travel restrictions forced the cast and crew to keep their locations a little more local for season two.
It meant that many scenes of the epic fantasy, which follows mutated monster hunter Geralt, were actually filmed just up the road from Greater Manchester.
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Thankfully, there are plenty of magical locations up north.
Viewers will have recognised parts of the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales and other parkland as they are taken on a journey around the medieval-inspired landmass known as the Continent.
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Rydal Cave in The Witcher. Credit: Netflix
Film crews spent a lot of time in the Lake District, even having to winch people and equipment down into the caves at Hodge Close Quarry to shoot.
Eagle-eyed fans of the show quickly recognised another Cumbrian location – the familiar stepping stones and water pools of Rydal Cave.
The amazing man-made cavern is between Ambleside and Grasmere and Joey Batey even braved stripping off for a dip here in episode seven.
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Blea Tarn in The Witcher. Credit: Netflix
One of the most jaw-dropping backdrops in season two of The Witcher is also only a couple of hours from central Manchester.
The impressive Blea Tarn, with its backdrop of the Langdale Pikes, popped up in the series.
Film crews at Gordale Scar. Credit: Netflix
Moving on from The Lake District, crews then headed to Yorkshire and spent three days filming scenes at Gordale Scar.
The dramatic limestone gorge has 100 metre-high cliffs and two huge waterfalls, and is said to have inspired the writer William Wordsworth as well as famous artists such as J.M.W. Turner and James Ward.
Fountains Abbey in The Witcher. Credit: Netflix
The Witcher’s production designer Andrew Laws said: “We began to explore Yorkshire a lot more deeply and found some just absolutely extraordinary locations up there.
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“The Lakes area afforded so many variations without being too spread apart.”
The series also used Plumpton Rocks, a man-made lake near Harrogate, and the ancient Fountains Abbey, for some scenes.
Featured image: Netflix
Feature
The inflatable floating obstacle course you can splash around on near Manchester
Daisy Jackson
There’s a giant inflatable floating obstacle course less than an hour from Manchester, where you can slide, jump, and fall straight into a lake.
At Wild Shore Delamere, you can tackle obstacles like monkey bars, the ninja-jump, the tyre run, and a giant 3.8 metre-tall inflatable tower, all floating on the surface of the picturesque lake.
The adventure hub opened back in 2019, offering families a chance to play on Delamere Lake, or try new watersports right here in the North West.
Let’s head to that inflatable Aqua Park – even as a full-grown adult, this is one of the silliest afternoons you can imagine.
Squeeze yourself into a wetsuit then launch yourself into the lake, ready to clamber all over a course that is essentially a gigantic floating bouncy castle.
The trickiest part is managing to stay on your feet as you slip and slide your way around the course in your 50 minute session – but really, where’s the fun in staying on your feet?
Monkey BarsThe Ninja JumpThe Tyre RunThe Figure EightFeatures of the Aqua Park at Wild Shore Delamere
While you’re on the lake, you can also try other activities like the Ringo, which whips you up and down the water on a huge inflatable, while the operator seems dead-set on flinging you off.
As well as the inflatable Aqua Park, there’s the Aqua Chimp ropes course for the more gymnastic types, plus wakeboarding, paddle boarding, and open water swimming.
Wild Shore Delamere has also added a new sauna this year, which overlooks the water – you can enjoy contrast therapy, switching from the warm sauna to the lake itself.
Wetsuits and life vests are included, so all you need to pack is a swimsuit, towel, and a bit of reckless abandon as you crash beneath the surface.
Paddle boards at Wild Shore DelamereThe sauna and cold plungeThe RingoAqua Chimp
Family behind Salvi’s launch new concept, weeks after iconic restaurant closure
Daisy Jackson
Just weeks after the closure of its iconic, 16-year-old Italian restaurant in the Corn Exchange, the family behind Salvi’s have revealed a brand-new concept.
And this time, the reins are being handed over to the next generation.
Salvi’s founder Maurizio Cecco has helped to shape Amò, but it’s all the brainchild of his daughter, Sienna.
Sienna will run the business out of a unit up on Deansgate Mews, serving fresh pasta dishes, pizza sandwiches, tubs of tiramisu, and two-for-£10 spritzes.
The deli aspect of the original Salvi’s has been carried over to Amò too – you’ll find shelves almost to the ceiling filled with Italian pasta, wine, olive oils, pistachio spreads, and more.
Sienna has grown up in restaurants, with her parents launching Salvi’s when she was just two years old.
She said she wants the space to be a livelier, fresher version of the Italian restaurant that has been so loved by Mancs for so many years.
Sienna outside AmòFresh pasta dishesInside Amò by Salvi’sTheir viral frozen crema di caffeLemon granitaInside Amò by Salvi’sTiramisu pots
Amò, which is Neapolitan slang for ‘my love’, will have loads of fresh Italian dishes, including arancini, gnocchi, and hearty pasta plates.
At lunchtimes, guests can order from a £10 lunch menu, with dishes changing daily depending on the best produce the kitchen can get – it could be a pizza sandwich with proscuitto and tomato, a spicy pasta, or a gnocchi bake, always served with your choice of soft drink.
With its position on Deansgate Mews, Amò basks in the sunshine at lunchtimes.
And while it’s definitely a different concept to the original Salvi’s, Amò looks set to carry the family’s Italian food legacy into its next generation.
Daisy Jackson -
21st January 2022 
