But it’s nice to get out occasionally, right? And the Peak District is a sparkling gem of the north that’s not far from Manchester’s bustling city centre, so whether you’re exhausted from working the nine to five or the nightshift, are studying hard, or just want a fun weekend away, then a daytrip to the Peaks will cure you of all of life’s stresses.
We highly recommend it.
The Peak District National Park covers 555 square miles mostly in Derbyshire, but also includes parts of Cheshire, Greater Manchester, Staffordshire, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire.
This year, the Peak District celebrates its 70th anniversary as the UK’s first National Park named in 1951.
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Fancy making the trip then? The Manc is here to help you navigate the Peaks to make sure you have the best weekend away, with no car necessary.
We’ve outlined five simple walks, so you can get out there and enjoy the stunning views.
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Of course, it wouldn’t be a Manc’s guide to a northern staycation without thinking of the weather, so we’ve made sure our plans for you are waterproof, and they’re both cheap and easy too, so pack some scran, whack on your walking boots, and become at one with nature.
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Preparation & How to Get There
First things first – getting there.
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Trains leave Manchester Piccadilly Station to Edale – which is a village right in the heart of the Peaks – every hour, so you’ll want to get a Manchester to Sheffield train on the Hope Valley line, where tickets range between £11.50 – £12.20 for the full 45-minute journey
Even more convenient, there’s one map that covers all our five walks.
OL1 Peak District (Dark Peak Area) is your lifeline, and you can get your hands on it either via Amazon or, if paper isn’t your thing, go to your App store to OS Online App or ViewRanger App, and all the routes will be on there.
Ready, set, let’s walk.
The 5 Walks
Take your pick.
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Grindslow Knoll
Edale from Grindslow Knoll / Credit: Wikimedia Commons
There are two options when walking Grindslow Knoll.
Option A is a four mile walk taking between two to three hours that’s steeper and an occasionally rockier ascent at times but is shorter overall, and then there’s option B, which is five and a half miles that takes half an hour longer than the other, but is a a more gradual route via Ringing Roger.
Both routes lead to a 360° view at the summit of Grindslow Knoll.
Gradually descend, meeting with the Penine Way and back to Edale.
Mam Tor via Black Tor
Mam Tor via Black Tor / Credit: Pixabay
This is absolute cracker of a walk with stunning views and also easy on the knees.
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Spreading across two Tors and across the back of the Great Ridge, this walk takes between two and a half to three hours and is a sum total of five miles.
Hiking up Back Tor is optional as it’s harder as the route goes up and down.
Kinder Scout via Grindsbook Clough
Penine Way, Kinder Downfall / Credit: Flickr
This is a bit of a longer one to really reset yourself after a tough week at work.
A wonderful eight mile walk taking between four to five hours, many seasoned Peak-goers crown this their favourite walks.
Kinder Scout is the highest point in the Peaks, so it’s definitely worth the trek as you can see all across the land and it even has a waterfall. It’s also circular, leaving the village past the Nags Head (some people might just end there), and then over the bridge leaving the tiny village behind you.
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Or you can go the other way round and finish up by the Nags Head – your choice.
Kinder Scout via Jacob’s Ladder
Peter Nook Wood and the River Kinder / Credit: Wikimedia Commons
This is a must-walk route because it covers two major Peak District locations – the highest point in the peaks, Kinder Scout, and Jacob’s Ladder.
Known as ‘the Beautiful Steps to Kinder Scout’, Jacob’s Ladder is a set of stone steps cut into the hillside, leading up to the Kinder Plateau, and the eight to 10 mile route follows the start of the Pennine way to an aesthetic packhorse bridge, which marks the start of Jacob’s Ladder.
Mam Tor via Jacob’s Ladder and Rushup Edge
Penine Way, Edale from Kinder Scout / Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Mam Tor is one of the most popular places to visit in the Peak District and this walk combines it with a loop via Jacob’s Ladder and Rushup Edge.
From Rushup Edge, there are beautiful views towards Mam Tor and then you cross to the Tor before slowly descending back to Edale – it’s a long but gentle walk of 10 miles taking between four and five hours.
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Take your time and enjoy the views, because the Peak District’s got a lot of them.
Now, we think it’s time for a well-earned pint, right? We’re spoiling you for choice with the two finest pubs in Edale.
Pick one or go to both – no one’s driving, remember.
At The Rambler Inn, there’s hearty meals that are locally-sourced and served in the warmth by friendly and attentive staff, a large beer garden to make the most of on a nice day, and a wide range of real ales, traditional ciders, whiskeys and sprits at the bar.
A proper country pub with sturdy furniture and thick upholstery, The Rambler Inn is a cheap, cheerful, and welcoming sight after a long stomp the Peaks.
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The menu is extensive with a great range of vegan or vegetarian option, and famous for its gluten free fish and chips.
Why not try their breakfast and stay in one of the cosy rooms overlooking the mountains?
The Old Nags Head
The Old Nags Head / Credit: The Old Nags Head
Stone walls, exposed beams, and an open fire make up the interiors of quintessentially-British The Old Nag’s Head, so pull up a chair, grab a pint, and soothe your feet in the against the crackling flames.
No messing about, this pub fills your hungry stomach with meat feast pizzas, BBQ pulled pork smothered fries, and any sandwich filling you can think of, from roast beef to halloumi, red pepper, and sweet chilli.
Slushie cocktails are now available here too – so you can’t go wrong.
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Featured Image – Pixabay
Kids & Family
Stockport’s dedicated live music festival for people with complex needs is back for 2026
Danny Jones
A music festival designed specifically for people with complex needs and learning difficulties is returning to Stockport for 2026.
Marking more than half a decade of this important push for accessibility across the local and live entertainment sector, we couldn’t be prouder to hear stuff like this coming out of Greater Manchester.
Created by the Stopfordian-born charity, Pure Innovations – which has various arms, from their multiple cafes across the region, to Pure College in the town centre, events like this and more – this particular initiative is celebrating its sixth edition this year.
But it certainly doesn’t run itself, and it takes a lot of time and effort, not to mention truly admirable levels of commitment from volunteers, to put this thing on; with that in mind, we’re doing our little bit.
Whether it be helping spread the word, getting involved with sponsorship, volunteering yourselves, or offering other kinds of contributions on the day, it all goes a long way.
The organisation as a whole has been around for more than two decades now, and some of us and you may know it well (this particular writer used to work there as a teen, in fact), and their now annual ‘Access Festival’ has become a much-anticipated date on the calendar for so many.
Emily, who has overseen the festival’s growth for more than five years now, said in a statement to The Manc, “After going to a festival a few years ago, I realised that it wasn’t just the music that stayed with me; it was everything around it.”
She went on to add: “The excitement beforehand, choosing what to wear, planning the day, and then sharing photos and memories afterwards. It made me realise that many of the people we support at Pure had never had that experience.
“Access Festival is a space where everyone feels comfortable, included and able to enjoy themselves. For most people, going out to a gig or a festival is no big deal, but for many of our clients, this is the highlight of their year, a chance to connect and simply enjoy live music.”
Highlighting the charity’s long-standing commitment to ensuring that people with learning difficulties, autism and other disabilities are not denied access to everyday experiences, they’re now calling on fellow nearby businesses to help bring the festival to life.
We spoke to Emily and the rest of the team when we visited Pure’s in-house kitchen, bakery and workshop earlier this year – safe to say this is the kind of stuff that warms the cockles.
Taking place at Stockport’s Guildhall, the one-day festival is a powerful example of the difference Pure can make in their clients’ lives, supporting them to live full, independent and connected lives, with several securing paid employment thanks to skills and support gained during their time with the team.
Designed specifically for adults with learning disabilities, autism and other complex needs, the Access Festival creates a space where people can enjoy live music, socialise and celebrate in a way that works for them, something lots are sadly still routinely excluded from.
With live music, DJs, not to mention plenty of singing and dancing, karaoke, raffles, plenty of food and drink, not to mention serving as a key social outlet, it matters way more to many of these attendees, carers, families and local organisations than you’ll probably ever know.
It’s grown from a small passionate project hosting around 30 people to a heartwarming local event that now welcomes more than 300 guests every year, and it’s only getting bigger and better as time goes on.
Whether you want to help out or go along for yourselves, you can register for Access Fest 2026 on Friday, July 17, right HERE.
Manc actor Max Beesley shares touching moment with his dad after latest Hollywood role
Danny Jones
Greater Manchester-born actor Max Beesley has shared a heartwarming story from when he first got into acting, not to mention how he tried to repay the support since day one by his biggest fan, his dad, more than three decades later.
A familiar face in British film and television over the years, the now fully fledged Manc movie star has booked some of the biggest gigs of his career of late.
Having gone from appearing in UK classics like Looking For Eric and landing parts in the Sky drama Jamestown back in 2019, to appearing in Guy Ritchie’s The Gentlemen TV series and more recently Netflix’s Hijack with Idris Elba, he’s becoming a more recognisable face not just here in the North.
But there was a time when becoming a full-time actor was just a pie in the sky dream of a Burnage boy who fell in love with films – all thanks to his father’s fantastic taste in movies…
As the now 55-year-old actor wrote on social media: “1992. South Manchester. I watched a film, turned to my dad, and told him I was going to New York to become an actor. No agent. No contacts.
Just a flight and a plan. He didn’t laugh. He said, ‘Go for it, son.’ Thirty-four years later, he came to the Jack Ryan set. Best mate I’ve ever had.”
He also went on to credit another key name in the caption, adding, “The coach who helped me then and still today is the queen of acting, the best in the business in my opinion: Sheila Nieves Gray. Life-changing techniques and tools. I love you too, Sheila.”
Gray – who has been running an acting school from NYC since 1990 – was evidently one of the first people Max met when he arrived in the States, and clearly had a huge impact on his professional life.
You just have to love stories like this; we still remember watching shows and thinking he was a standout.
These two BBC and Sky One (remember that?) cult hits are among his best-known TV appearances.
After working with her all that time ago, his career has been on a gradual climb ever since, and while you could argue he’s had multiple ‘breakout’ roles, his progression feels very much like slow and steady wins the race; good things come to those who wait, and all that.
As for his dad, Maxton Beesley Sr., it sounds like he couldn’t have been named after and raised by a more supportive parental figure than any stereotypical, model dad you’ll see in the movies.
Having also starred in the second Gentlemen spin-off flick, Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre (starring Jason Statham, Hugh Grant, Aubrey Plaza and more), this latest project is the second feature-length adaptation of an existing streaming service hit, with John Krasinski’s Jack Ryan now on the big screen.
You can see the trailer for Jack Ryan: Ghost War down below.
His last two jobs were both Emmy-nominated – let’s see how this one lines up against them.
Dolly Busby -
20th October 2021 
