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Tough Mudder returns to Manchester this summer – and it’s tougher than ever

They’re ‘raising the bar’ at Heaton Park.

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 28th April 2023

Tough Mudder is set to make a massive return to Greater Manchester this summer, promising an even tougher course. 

With a tougher course and updated obstacles to tackle, the legendary race will be back at Heaton Park on 15 and 16 July.

Tough Mudder is designed to challenge people of all ages and abilities, including a one-mile Lidl Mudder event geared towards children. 

For the grown-ups, there are two lengths of obstacle course to choose from – a 5km with 13 obstacles, and a 10km with 20 obstacles. 

Iconic Tough Mudder obstacles include Everest, where runners pull each other up a greased 13′ quarterpipe; Arctic Enema, where you’re plunged into icy water; and the Mudderhorn, a huge 40ft netted A-frame to climb up and over. 

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Tough Mudder is coming back to Manchester
Tough Mudder is coming back to Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
Tough Mudder is coming back to Manchester
Tough Mudder is coming back to Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group

Pushing people to their limits and asking them ‘How much can you handle?’, it’s an absolute haven for fitness enthusiasts and adrenaline junkies alike. 

Whichever course you choose, you’re guaranteed two things – a lot of mud, and a lot of action.

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There’ll be events right across the UK this summer, including Europe’s Toughest Mudder in the Midlands on 24 and 25 June – a 12-hour run, through the night, battling both obstacles and the elements. This is a race that’s not for the faint-hearted.

Tough Mudder will even take a trip across the pond to the USA, where there’ll be the World’s Toughest Mudder event – 24 hours of non-stop action and obstacles that’s truly for the elite and ‘people with a death wish’ – at the True Grit Ranch in Texas. 

You can see the full event calendar and get your place booked at toughmudder.co.uk

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Full Tough Mudder 2023 events

6 and 7 May – Culden Faw, London 

3 and 4 June – Drumlanrig Castle, Scotland

24 and 25 June – Belvoir Castle, Midlands, including Europe’s Toughest Mudder

15 and 16 July – Heaton Park, Manchester

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29 and 30 July – Broughton Hall, Yorkshire

12 August – Badminton Estate, South West

9 and 10 September – Cholmondeley Castle, North West

23 and 24 September – Holmbush Estate, South

4 and 5 November – True Grit Ranch, Texas – World’s Toughest Mudder

Featured image: Supplied

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The incredible new lantern trail around a northern theme park with Yorkshire pudding wraps, boozy hot chocolates, and more

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant Land of Lights Gulliver's World

Yorkshire pudding wraps and boozy hot chocolates are just some of the festive treats on offer at an incredible new lantern trail.

In case you haven’t heard, Land of Lights has now opened at Gulliver’s World in Warrington, and it’s transformed the much-loved North West theme park into an immersive winter wonderland for the Christmas season – with 12 “vivid dreamworlds” full of dozens of gigantic lanterns inspired by animals, mega monuments, and wonders of the natural world to marvel at.

As the sun goes down and the nights draw in, visitors are now able to explore an amazing array of light installations as they walk all around the park.

More than 7,000 individual lanterns and hundreds of thousands of LED lights create the spectacle.

Having been already enchanting families since it opened at few weeks back now, Land of Lights is a first-of-its-kind attraction for the area, and it’s arrived in Warrington after it was held for the first time ever at Gulliver’s Land down in Milton Keynes last year, and proved to be a smash-hit success that was visited by thousands.

The award-winning work of the Zigong Lantern Group – with more than 100 people involved in the production process, and it taking six months to design, manufacture, and artistically finish – Land of Lights seems to already be garnering rave reviews.

But those aren’t just down to all the show-stopping lanterns and light installations.

That’s because visitors also have the chance to tuck into a feast of festive-themed street food and drinks all throughout the festival too.

Yorkshire Pudding Wraps at Land of Lights at Gulliver's World
Yorkshire Pudding Wraps at Land of Lights at Gulliver’s World. Credit: The Manc Group
Toasted marshmallows at Land of Lights at Gulliver's World
Toasted marshmallows at Land of Lights at Gulliver’s World

As you make your way around the illuminated park, you can grab everything from freshly-made and generously-filled Yorkshire pudding wraps, and an impressive selection of handmade churros, to authentic German sausages and bratwursts, and a winter-warming lineup of tipples and soft drinks like mulled wine, beer, and boozy hot chocolates.

Not only that, but there’s also Lagado’s Restaurant & Grill located on site too, which offers up a wide range of sit-down meal options inside its warm restaurant on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays of the festival.

As we mentioned, the event looks to have been proving pretty popular in the short time since it’s opened, with positive reviews coming in thick and fast.

One glowing review reads: “We visited Land of Lights at Gulliver’s world, I have to say it’s breathtaking, much more than what I imagined, well worth the money, definitely recommended.

“Like stepping into a fairy tale, it’s an amazing experience. You have hot food and drink, different gadget shops during the trail, it’s an instant stress relief after a bad day. Parking is free.”

Read more:

Land of Lights is now open at Gulliver’s World in Warrington, and is running right through to 25 February 2024 – with tickets already on sale and prices starting from only £12.

Find out more and grab tickets here.

Featured image – The Manc Group

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You can win a luxury Manchester apartment worth £350k for just £4.99

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson You can win a luxury apartment in Manchester in a £4.99 competition.

We all know that Manchester’s property scene has gone wild in the last few years – so the chance to own your own furnished luxury apartment for only £4.99 sounds almost too good to be true. 

But it’s really happening, with a new competition where the top prize is a two-bedroom apartment right in the city centre. 

The stunning flat overlooking Angel Meadows, valued at £350k, could be yours for only £4.99. I know. Unreal. 

This InstaWin competition is going to allow one lucky winner to live mortgage-free in Manchester, with all the best bits of our brilliant city centre on the doorstep. 

If the winner doesn’t want the apartment, there’s a £250k cash alternative up for grabs, transferred directly into your bank. 

And 2,000 runners-up will receive prizes worth £170k in total, with top prizes of £10k tax-free cash. 

So back to that pad. Tucked in the beautiful new NOMA quarter, the flat is inside the Meadowside development, a short walk from Manchester landmarks and green space.

Inside the luxury Manchester flat you could win
Inside the luxury Manchester apartment you could win

You’ll be a 10-minute walk from Manchester Victoria and not much further from the Manchester Arndale, as well as cultural landmarks like Manchester Art Gallery and the Central Library. 

You’ll also have brilliant local pubs like The Marble Arch and The Angel right outside, and food hotspots like Mackie Mayor and Ramona just a short walk away. 

The dog-friendly apartments come with residents-only amenities including free tea and coffee in the lounge, a top-quality gym and yoga space. 

It’s within The Gate building in the £235m residential development of one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments. 

All apartments feature a video door entry system, a concierge service, CCTV, lockable bike storage and more.

Elite Competitions will also give you £10,000 worth of furniture. 

Communal space in the two-bedroom flat you could win
Communal space in the two-bedroom flat you could win
The gym at the Manchester apartment, which is off Angel Meadows
The gym at the Manchester apartment, which is off Angel Meadows

If the lucky winner chooses to rent out the flat, they can expect to bring in about £2,500 per month in rental income. 

Elite Competitions will cover all fees and stamp duty on the property. 

To be in with a chance to win the £350k apartment for only £4.99, you just need to purchase a ticket here. 

If your number(s) match any of the InstaWin prizes, you’ll become an InstaWinner, and will be entered into the main draw for the apartment. 

The more tickets you buy, the greater the chance you’ll have to win, and you can win more than one prize if multiple numbers match InstaWin prizes. 

You can have a maximum of 10,000 entries into the competition to win a Manchester apartment 

The draw takes place on Sunday 31 December at 3pm. 

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Find out more and enter the competition here. 

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Featured image: The Manc Group

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