Despite many of our Christmas parties and plans getting cancelled, December was expensive.
If you’re also looking at your post-festivities bank balance and panicking that you’ll have to spend January in hibernation, think again.
Greater Manchester is great at delivering amazing things to do, completely free of charge.
From walks to cultural fixes to, erm, petting goats, there’s loads you can do without spending a penny.
Our ultimate aim is to get you out the house but keep the pounds in the pocket.
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Walks
Winter walks are unbeatable – getting all chilly and then defrosting in your local with a pint or at home with a hot chocolate.
After the indulgences of a week of roast dinners, cheese boards and Baileys, a country walk is a good way to clear out the cobwebs.
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To keep it simple, we propose three easy walks through Manchester’s stunning parks.
Fletcher Moss, Didsbury
Fletcher Moss in Didsbury. Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Fletcher Moss is the king of parks in Manchester with avenues of evergreen trees, waterfalls, rock gardens and ponds.
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A beautiful stroll along the River Mersey forms part of the many walks available here, or you can take a left and head through the Stenner Woods.
The village of Didsbury is only a five-minute walk from the park for a post-walk hot chocolate.
Tatton Park, Knutsford
Tatton Park. Credit: National Trust
Tatton Park is one of the UK’s most complete historic estates. It is home to an 18-century mansion, 50 acres of gardens and a 1,000-acre deer park.
A walk in the in the deer park is completely free and well worth it.
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Less than an hour drive away, Tatton Park is extra special for early morning risers – the view is unmatchable when the sun comes up over the park.
Reddish Vale Park, Stockport
Reddish Vale. Credit: Geograph
Reddish Vale is quiet, peaceful and filled with wildlife, like birds of prey including kestrels, sparrowhawks and buzzards.
A huge lake sits in the middle of the park, with the massive viaduct standing overhead.
It’s reported the coffees and fresh brownies they sell from The Coffee and Bean Dream van are the best in Manchester (we can neither confirm nor deny).
One of the best things about winter is that you don’t have to stay up late to watch the sunset – it’s still going down at about 4.30pm.
A cracking sunset is very underrated and doesn’t cost a penny.
Here are some of the best spots in the north west to see the sun go down.
Alderley Edge, Cheshire
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Watching the sunset is a great free thing to do in Manchester. Credit: Geograph
Watch the winter sun sink beneath Greater Manchester with an unrivalled view of Stockport and the outer-boroughs.
It’s stunning and definitely worth the visit. There are so many ledges to sit and watch the sunset from.
It’s a great place to sit after an afternoon walk and maybe bring a picnic if you’re feeling crazy.
Chorlton Water Park, Chorlton
Credit: Wikimedia Commons
A lakeside sunset – doesn’t get more romantic than that, does it?
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Picnic benches are by the play area so the little’uns can tire themselves out before bed and you can enjoy a lovely evening by the lake.
Parking by the lake is available and it’s really simple to get to.
Heaton Mersey Park, Stockport
Credit: Geograph
This treasured green space in Manchester always looks beautiful in the winter months.
The park is a bowl and so you can sit back and watch a sunset very comfortably. We would recommend this one for a long sit in with the sunset – but wrap up warm!
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Salford Quays, Salford
Credit: Geograph
We present to you a cityscape sunset – different to the previous more nature inclined settings, but the sun looks the same from anywhere.
Easily accessible via tram or bus, it’s a simple but rewarding outing watching the sunset with loved ones and at Salford Quays you can do this overlooking the waterways.
Werneth Low, Tameside/ Stockport
Werneth Low. Credit: Flickr
Werneth Low is a hill just outside of Manchester and forms part of the Pennines – don’t worry we’re not sending you up a mountain, it’s an easy ascent.
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It’s a great spot to walk the dog with excellent views of Manchester. After the sun sets fully, Manchester city lights up and sparkles. You can sit and enjoy a free light show.
Feed farm animals
Feeling like you’re lacking that animal influence in your life? There’s some just down your road and they’re awaiting your visit.
Heaton Park Animal Centre, Manchester
Heaton Park Animal Centre in Manchester is free to visit.
The centre is home to a selection of farm animals including cows, pigs, goats, alpacas, ducks, hens and geese plus rabbits and guinea pigs.
Located in the 640 acre grounds of Heaton Hall, both grounds and hall have retained many of their original features.
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It’s free entry and the closest car park for the animal centre is accessed from the St. Margaret’s Road entrance, or you could get the Metrolink to Heaton Park.
Pets Corner, Longford Park, Stretford
Credit: Longford Park Pets Corner
Pets Corner is part of the Friends of Longford Park group, a great little initiative that welcome donations in exchange for a free visit.
You could sponsor your favourite animal for £3 to £4 a month. Equally important are food donations.
Animals like to eat cabbage, tomatoes, lettuce, sweetcorn, parsnips, swede, carrots and broccoli. Whatever you didn’t eat this Christmas could be given to a tiny little rabbit.
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Museums
Great Manchester Police Museum, city centre
Credit: Geograph
Materials dating back to 1981 have been preserved and tell the history of policing in Greater Manchester.
Staff are also on hand to discuss policing and how it has evolved in the community. It is also an 1879 Police Station, which has original cells and an 1895 Magistrate Court.
They have official and personal records – which is a great resource to learn about the history of policing in Manchester.
Surprisingly Stockport has a long history of hat-making. We didn’t know much about this either but it’s a really interesting visit on a rainy afternoon.
The museum is set over two floors and includes interactive exhibits, including a hatting factory floor with Victorian-style machines.
There’s also more than 400 hats on display.
Science and Industry Museum, city centre
Manchester has contributed so much to modern science and industry, and you can explore just a fraction of that at the Science and Industry Museum.
It’s home to interactive exhibits, and loads of objects and stories that chart 250 years of world-shaping discoveries and innovations that began here.
Featured image: Science and Industry Museum / Longford Park Pets Corner
Things To Do
A huge festival dedicated to tequila and mezcal is coming to Manchester this month
Daisy Jackson
Manchester’s first-ever Mezcal and Tequila Festival is taking place this month, filling Manchester Cathedral with tastings, masterclasses, cocktails and street food.
The massive event will see the Grade I-listed building transformed into an agave spirits tasting floor, featuring more than 100 varieties of premium tequilas and mezcals from some of Mexico’s best producers including El Jimador, Ojo de Tigre, El Sueno, Los Arcos, Del Maguey, Cazcabel, Komos, Nixta, Tapatio, El Tequileno, Tiempo and many more.
Festival-goers will be able to gain exclusive insights into the craftsmanship behind these spirits, sampling (responsibly, of course) from dozens of stands.
All samples, plus a limited-edition clay tasting copita, will be included in the ticket price – there’s no token system here and no extra charges for samples.
The new Mexican-inspired drinks festival only debuted in Glasgow back in Spring 2023 but it unsurprisingly went down an absolute storm – after all, what’s not to like a big festival full of booze?
Bartenders will stir up cocktails at the bespoke cocktail bar while the crowds are kept fed by delicious street food, including Mexican-inspired Taco Or Don’t, previously featured at the British Streetfood Awards.
And it’d be remiss of you to leave the festival empty-handed when you can take a taste of Mexico home from the exclusive bottle shop provided by Drinkmonger on site (with discount tokens included in the ticket price).
A tequila and mezcal festival is heading on Manchester. Credit: Supplied
Colin Campbell, one of Copita’s co-founders said: “We’re really excited to be bringing Copita to Manchester. It’s gone down brilliantly in Glasgow the last two years so we felt now was the right time to take it on the road and we couldn’t think of a better place than Manchester to head to next!
“It’s a really easy-going event with a great atmosphere, lots of local street food, shopping and music, so whether you’re an aficionado or a casual sipper we’re confident you’ll have a great time.”
The Copita Mezcal and Tequila Festival will be at Manchester Cathedral on Saturday 14 September.
Three Horseshoes – the spa where you can relax on the beach from the Peak District
Kristen MacGregor-Houlston
Well, it’s been a year already and it’s only just September. There’s been riots, elections, celebrity breakups, it has been A LOT and I’m knackered. With so much going on in the world and trying to find time to eat, sleep, socialise, clean the house and remember to breathe, we all deserve a little escape to unwind.
Less than an hour from Manchester sits the wonderful Three Horseshoes Hotel & Spa, where you can relax in a spa, AND kick back in an award-winning pub all in one place.
With a whole host of treatments to choose from and their waterwheel room with an ice cold plunge pool, sauna and steam room, all with an extra dose of history, it is the perfect place to relax your mind and muscles.
On arrival, the staff are incredibly welcoming, a sense of calm ripples through the space making you feel instantly relaxed.
Our room wasn’t ready just yet so we were guided into the spa space and handed fluffy towels and robes to relax in.
There is a fun ‘service button’ when you want a drink or something to eat and everything is brought to wherever you’re relaxing.
Outside are a number of comfy seats to recline in and there is a hot tub pool to relax in.
On our visit the weather is warm and the sun is shining intermittently, perfect for sitting outside.
We could order breakfast, lunch and cocktails to the spa (which we did, obviously) and it feels like such a treat. Everyone feels like a VIP.
Ham hock and fondue sandwichBlue cheese and mushrooms on toast
We indulged in a ham hock and fondue sandwich, and blue cheese and mushrooms on toast from their light bites section, both of which were delicious. The cocktails were divine and there was plenty to choose from and spoil yourself with.
The spa has a giant water wheel which harks back to the building’s history and heritage and doubles up an one of the initial ‘treatments’ as part of the experience.
Guests are encouraged to go through a cycle of cold and hot experiences, starting with a drench from the water wheel, before moving into the stone bath steam room.
There is a jazzy contraption that lifts hot stones and dumps them into cold water, flooding the room with steam to help relax your muscles.
Inside the spa at the Three Horseshoes hotel in Leek. Credit: The Manc Group
After 15 minutes of heat you then jump (probably don’t actually jump, it is slippy) into the ice cold plunge pool, which as you might have guessed, is freezing.
I lasted significantly longer than my other half but it was definitely a battle after being so warm.
They have the Farmers Sauna which is delightful post plunge pool. All of the spa spaces are designed with the history of the building and area in mind which makes the space feel extra special.
We had the opportunity to try out the Beach Hut experience which replicates a sunrise to sunset to give you a heavy dose of vitamin D while you relax in the nice warm sand without fear of being harassed by seagulls.
The beach hut experience in the spa at Three Horseshoes. Credit: The Manc GroupThe beach hut experience in the spa at Three Horseshoes. Credit: The Manc Group
Being by the seaside in the middle of Staffordshire is an odd experience for the senses but we really enjoyed it. We also both had a mixed massage and facial, where we talked through our skin type needs and then lay back and let the masseurs knead our backs like bread dough.
Our room was incredibly cosy. We had a four-poster bed and I’d let the team know that it was our wedding anniversary so they made the space extra special.
We had a gorgeous little hot tub in our private garden which was perfect to relax in before going across to the pub for dinner.
Bedrooms at Three Horseshoes. Credit: The Manc GroupA private hot tub with a hotel room. Credit: The Manc GroupThe Three Horseshoes country inn. Credit: The Manc Group
The Three Horseshoes country inn is an award winning restaurant with loads to choose from and the products are all sourced locally. There are stunning views of the Staffordshire peaks for you to enjoy while you dine.
In the winter it will be the perfect spot to sit by roaring fires and getting cosy with pals.
You can get a roast every day of the week between 12-2 and all day on a Sunday which sounds ideal to me.
We had to try their famous sponge pudding which was delicate and fluffy, served with gallons upon gallons of custard. Their limoncello tiramisu was the perfect balance of tart and sweet (and a little bit boozy). Breakfast is also served here buffet style, which is how breakfast should always be served in my humble opinion.
So if you’re looking for a reason to escape the rat race, then the Three Horseshoes in Leek is the place for you.
Dolly Busby -
31st December 2021 
