Millions of train tickets for journeys across the UK are now up for grabs with up to 50% off as a popular nationwide sale is back.
With the UK Government‘s ‘Great British Rail Sale’ having just made its highly-anticipated return this morning, this means that passengers will now have from today (23 January) up until 29 January to claim half-price discounts on a huge range of selected Advance and Off-Peak rail tickets.
Over a million discounted tickets are available in this week-long sale to destinations all across England and Wales, as well as on cross-border trips into Scotland too.
Tickets will be redeemable on journeys taking place between 30 January and 15 March 2024.
Millions of train tickets are now up for grabs with 50% off / Credit: gov.uk | National Rail
The price of a ticket from Manchester to Leeds, for example, would usually set you back roughly around £8.60, depending on destination stations, but with the 50% discounts on offer through the ‘Great British Rail Sale’, that very same ticket is now available for just £4.30.
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A ticket from Leicester to Sheffield is usually a standard price of £7.30, but this week, you can book your journey in advance for just £3.60.
The first Government-organised ‘Great British Rail Sale’ took place back in 2022, and apparently saw passengers save around £7 million on rail tickets, as well as having encouraged around 70,000 adults who had not travelled by train since the COVID-19 pandemic to hop on board, according to the Department for Transport.
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Get up to a huge 50% off train tickets in the Great British Rail Sale!*
The Government says it’s decided to bring back the ‘Great British Rail Sale’ to kick off this new year as it’s “committed” to helping families with the cost of living, working with the rail industry to boost tourism, encouraging sustainable travel, and also to connecting friends and families across the UK.
“The return of the Great British Rail Sale is good news for passengers,” Transport Secretary, Mark Harper, said as the sale launches today.
“With discounts on more than a million tickets, there’ll be plenty of opportunity to connect with friends and family and explore great destinations across the country, and I hope passengers make the most of this sale and choose to travel by rail.”
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Discounts are part of the returning ‘Great British Rail Sale’ / Credit: Network Rail
Sale tickets have now started to become available online.
If you want to get your hands on them, the Rail Delivery Group has a central webpage to help customers find the best deals here, but tickets can also be found on all ticket retailer websites for journeys taking place between 30 January and 15 March 2024.
Only a limited number of tickets are available, and no further sale tickets will go on offer once sold out, so you’ll need to act fast.
Featured Image – gov.uk
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Police appeal after woman is killed by driving wrong way down M62 near Rochdale
Emily Sergeant
Police have issued an urgent appeal after a woman has sadly been killed while driving the wrong way down the M62.
At around 11pm yesterday (11 July 2026), officers from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) we were called to reports of an incident where a grey Nissan Juke had collided with a grey BMW X5 between Junction 21 and 22 of the M62, near Rochdale.
It is believed the Nissan was travelling in the wrong direction on the eastbound carriageway prior to the collision, police have confirmed.
The driver of the Nissan – who is said to be a woman aged in her 50s – suffered serious injuries following the collision and sadly died at the scene, while the driver and passengers of the BMW were only treated for minor injuries.
No arrests have been made at this time in relation to this incident, GMP said.
An investigation has been launched and the Serious Collision Investigation Unit are now appealing for anyone who may have witnessed the incident to come forward.
They are keen to speak to anyone who may have dashcam or CCTV from the area in the moments leading up to the incident.
Can you help? Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 0161 856 474, quoting log 4349 of 11/07/2026, or by using the ‘report tool’ or LiveChat function on the GMP website – www.gmp.police.uk.
Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Featured Image – Geograph
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Beaches close to Manchester that you don’t need to drive for hours to reach
Danny Jones
Now, when we’re lucky enough for the sun to hit big and hard in and around the North West, it’s common for people to start searching ‘beaches close to Manchester’, and that’s exactly why we’re here – you’re welcome.
Ian Brown of The Stone Roses famously said, “Manchester has everything but a beach”, and while he’s technically right, we are lucky enough to be close to a fair few.
Whether it’s down the other end of the Mersey, over near our friends in Yorkshire, or up in nearby Cumbria, you can get to plenty of beaches and/or similar settings that are roughly 90 minutes or so from Greater Manchester.
Let’s not waste one more single second of sunbathing time, shall we?
The top 10 best beaches near Manchester
1. Urmston Beach – Trafford
First up, we’re going with the only kind of beach in the 10 boroughs that comes to mind: Urmston Beach, not far from the nearby Meadows, Ashton-upon-Mersey, Sale and other parts of Trafford and the surrounding areas.
It may only be a little one and more of a stony/gravely affair as opposed to the boundless white Belize (let’s be reasonable now), but it’s still a beloved local attraction perfect for a day out with family, friends, or if you just need some time to yourself near the water with a good book.
— Monica NAUGHTON Crimmins (@MonicaCrimmins) April 18, 2021
2. Gaddings Dam – Todmorden
Heading over to West Yorkshire now and the town of Todmorden in Calderdale, Gaddings Dam is a surprisingly intimate slice of sand next to a Victorian reservoir, with the embankment serving as an ideal spot for a mini beach day.
Less than an hour away by car – and not too awkward to get to by train, either – it still feels like a bit of a hidden gem unless you’re from closer to the region yourself, where plenty of people flock over the year; it’s also dubbed ‘Britain’s highest beach’, but we will warn you that it’s fairly remote with no real facilities.
The first of a few from our Northwestern cousins and football rivals down the river, many of you already know and love Formby Beach, but for anyone who hasn’t tried it before, it’s well worth the short journey up the M62.
You can also get there by rail as fast as an hour and 20 minutes if you time the right service, and once you’re there, you’ll see why so many make a regular pilgrimage to see the sand dunes and pinewoods frequented by red squirrels. Great parking and dog-friendly – no-brainer.
4. Ainsdale Beach – Southport
Not too far from Formby and further along the same Sefton coast, a criminally unsung alternative is Ainsdale Beach near Southport, which boasts great facilities and family-friendly activities such as swimming, watersports and the nearby nature reserve.
It’s another one that’s super easy and affordable to get to on public transport; they even hold a Blue Flag award for top-notch conditions when it comes to water, safety, environmental education, conservation and all-round coastal management.
Next on the list from our specific ‘Mer-seaside’ selection (you can have that one for free) is arguably the other best-known one besides Formby: Crosby.
Just five miles from central Liverpool, lots of people visit not only for the sands but also for laid-back leisure at The Bus Yard Bar, and striking public open-access installations like Sir Anthony Gormley’s Another Place, known colloquially as the ‘Iron Men’. Well worth seeing for yourself if you haven’t before.
Moving over to West Kirby on the Wirral, this picturesque part of the peninsula promises more than 300 metres of reasonably soft beaches, more Liverpudlian sand dunes and its stunning Marine Lake.
One of the best things to do here is wait for low tide when you can walk out to the Hilbre Islands nearby – but please, as always, be safe and responsible whenever you’re doing anything like this.
Also in roughly the same vicinity – though this one is technically in the town of Wallasey within the wider Wirral borough – New Brighton Beach certainly does a decent job of living up to the name.
It’s renowned for various landmarks including the recognisable lighthouse, shops and street art in and around the Victoria Quarter and along the promenade, not to mention the Floral Pavilion, Fort Perch Rock, ‘The Mermaid Trail’, restaurants, bars and MUCH more. There’s even a pirate, yes, pirate ship.
You can really make a full weekend out of this one.
A similarly Victorian-era seafront setup can be found in the affluent area of Lytham, known not only for its popular music festival but also for golf courses, a historic Georgian Hall and, of course, the beach.
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The sands themselves are almost as luxurious as the area itself, and it’s probably one of the most ‘golden’ surfaces you’ll find in this part of the world – perfect for a game of bat and ball. With buses, trains and driving routes all clocking in at just over an hour, it’s an ideal option for a day out.
Our penultimate pick is – surprise, surprise – the iconic seaside town and home of the Pleasure Beach, Blackpool, where we’ve enjoyed so many memories throughout our childhoods, adolescence and well into adulthood, too.
Whether you just want really good fish and chips, a stick of rock, foot-long sausage butties on sub rolls, a go on the Grand National ride, or actually want to walk down from the seaside and onto the beach itself, it may never have become the ‘Las Vegas of the North’, but there’s still plenty to entertain you.
For instance, they’ve got a brand new live music festival that should draw extra crowds moving forward.
Last but not least, it’s definitely more of a lakeshore than a traditional beach, but you’ll still see plenty of people treating it like the latter, especially during a heatwave.
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You don’t need to be told how lovely it is to spend time travelling up in the Lakes, but if you’d rather a scenic trip up to Cumbria to enjoy the stunning vistas whilst lying on your back, soaking in the rays and maybe dipping your toes in a few slightly smaller bodies of water, this tourist hotspot is a great choice.
There’s a resident parkrun event, watersports and boat hire available, an aquarium close-by and plenty of other stuff to do besides pretend you’re on a little holiday.
Here’s hoping we’ve given you a few decent suggestions when it comes to beaches near Greater Manchester, and if we’ve missed any off the list, please do let us know in the comments.
We’re sure you will, as always.
Meanwhile, if you’re happy to stay within the region but still fancy a taste of waterside leisure sometime soon, how do you fancy hopping in a canoe?…
Emily Sergeant -
23rd January 2024 
