There’s another bank holiday looming and then the long, glorious stretch of summer – and helpfully, there’s a new tool in Greater Manchester to help you plan brilliant days out around the region.
You can now use a Metrolink Destination Generator which will design you your perfect day out.
You just give it an idea of what you fancy doing – like something foodie, or cultural, or musical, or sporting – and a rough borough you want to travel to, and away it goes.
You can choose free things, family-friendly things, outdoor things, to do on a weekday or weekend.
Transport for Greater Manchester’s aim is that it will help travellers stuck for ideas to get out and discover some fun days out around their local area, without needing to jump in the car or travel far.
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The Destination Generator will even tell you which stop to aim for and which tickets are the best value.
Renowned travel experts Lonely Planet named Manchester as one of its best ‘accessibility-friendly’ destinations to visit in 2023, with the city being the only UK location to make the guidebook’s annual Best in Travel list.
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Some of Lonely Planet’s recommendations, such as the Manchester Museum and Castlefield Viaduct, can be reached using Metrolink, but there are so many more hidden gems to be found across Greater Manchester.
National Trust gardeners – Castlefield Viaduct Planting – 10 June 2022
Danny Vaughan, TfGM’s Head of Metrolink, said: “Whether travelling a few stops or across the network, Metrolink is a convenient, value-for money and accessible way of getting around Greater Manchester.
“There are flexible and affordable ticketing options for all travellers, whether it’s paying as you go with contactless – never paying more than the daily cap, or making use of a one-day family travelcard which covers travel for two adults and up to three children.
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“Whatever the weather this summer, Metrolink can get you where you want to go, and if you’re stuck for ideas our Destination Generator will help you plan your trip.”
Sheona Southern, Managing Director at Marketing Manchester, said: “There are a variety of attractions across Greater Manchester for visitors to explore on Metrolink, from East Lancashire Railway in Bury, IWM North in Trafford, The Lowry in Salford, and fantastic green space in places like Sale Water Park.
“We’re delighted to work in partnership with TfGM to highlight just how accessible the region is, and we hope the Destination Generator is a fun way for visitors to uncover more of the unexpected in Greater Manchester.”
Some of the days out in Greater Manchester to be discovered:
Oldham Way Walks
Spanning a whopping 40 miles, the Oldham Way is a popular challenge for keen walkers – but if you break it down into sections there’s something for everyone, even total novices.
There are seven recommended routes, some of which you can easily get to using the tram network.
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If you get the tram to Failsworth, you’ll find yourself along a gentle section of the Oldham Way that follows the Rochdale Canal towpath.
Nearest stop: Failsworth
Pottery Corner
Tucked in in the beautiful Chorlton is Pottery Corner, a creative studio and gallery where you can paint your own pottery.
Designed to let your creative streak run wild, the studio space also offers baby imprints, clay classes, parties, and special occasions.
It’s been under its current ownership for seven years and is well worth the journey across to Chorlton.
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Nearest stop: Chorlton
The East Lancashire Railway
Train fanatic or not, the East Lancashire Railway is always a popular day out.
Slicing its way through picturesque towns like Ramsbottom and Summerseat, plus miles and miles of stunning Lancashire scenery, there are loads of different days out on offer.
Along the way you can discover real ale bars, quaint tea rooms, quirky boutiques, markets, restaurants, cafés and more.
Nearest stop: Bury
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Museum of Transport
This hugely underrated museum just outside the city centre seems like an appropriate place to visit on public transport – it’s an absolute goldmine of public transport going all the way back to 1824.
There’s an 1890s horse-drawn bus, a full-size prototype Metrolink tram, and an old Beverley’s Beers van.
It’s a bargain too – adult tickets are £5 while under 16s can go free with any paying adult.
Nearest stop: Queens Road
Portland Basin Museum
Another hidden gem, this time over in Tameside, is the Portland Basin Museum, housed within a restored 19th-century Ashton Canal Warehouse.
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The waterside, newly-refurbished heritage centre celebrates the people, events and industries, which have shaped the history of Tameside over the past two hundred years.
You can even step back in time on a 1920s street, with the sights and sounds of bygone Tameside brought back to life.
Nearest stop: Ashton-Under-Lyne
Featured image: East Lancashire Railway
Things To Do
Masters Football isn’t just back – it’s coming to Manchester
Danny Jones
The much-loved Masters Football format made its glorious comeback in 2022, and since then, it’s been steadily rebuilding an audience of passionate fans, plenty of whom you’ll find here in the sporting city of Manchester – so it’s a good job the national tournament is heading our way.
That’s right, the official English Masters Football competition is coming to 0161 later this year and will be bringing a host of legendary North West talent from years gone by to take part.
Although the full squads and their team captains have yet to be announced, former professionals from Manchester United, Man City, Liverpool, Everton, and more will be lacing back up their boots.
Manchester Masters Football 2025 lands at the equally iconic AO Arena this September.
Credit: Publicity Pictures (supplied)
For anyone unfamiliar with Masters Football, which developed a die-hard following when it first ran between 2000 and 2011, is shorter, indoor-only six-a-side footy tournament similar to futsal.
Each team will feature eight retired players, and the games unfold in a round-robin format, with each match consisting of two eight-minute halves, meaning that both sides have a little over a quarter of an hour to score enough to make it past the other.
In addition to the quicker matches, they will battle it out on a 60m x 30m pitch – the same size of an international ice hockey rink – and whoever makes it through with the highest points will battle it out in a grand final to claim the Manchester Masters title.
As you can see, players set to star this year include ex-United and City defenders Wes Brown and Joleon Lescott, as well as Liverpool and Everton strikers Djibril Cisse and Yakubu Ayegbeni.
You can see some of the best moments from the year it officially returned to the UK down below:
The Manchester edition of the 2025 English Masters Football Tournament Series arrives at the AO Arena on Friday, 5 September.
Doors will open to the venue from 6pm, with the first match kicking off at 7pm, so you better have drinks and snacks in time for bums to hit seats.
As for tickets, there’ll be two chances at early access, first for Three+ mobile members at 10am on Wednesday, 2 April and then via the venue’s presale window at the same time the following day. General admission tickets will be made available, also from 10am, the following Saturday, 5 April.
Chester Zoo opens massive ‘African savannah’, one of the UK’s largest-ever habitats
Daisy Jackson
Chester Zoo has today opened its doors and revealed a magnificent new African savannah habitat, the Heart of Africa – one of the largest in the UK.
The massive new habitat at the beloved attraction is home to dozens of African species, including giraffes, rhino, zebra, vultures and meerkats.
Chester Zoo has created a vast open savannah where guests can come across species living side-by-side, as well as new indoor habitats where you can see smaller species like never before, and habitats you can clamber inside.
The centrepiece of the Heart of Africa is the savannah, where you can see giraffes, Grevy’s zebras, roan antelopes and ostriches all roaming together across grasses and water.
As you weave around the incredible new habitat, which spans an area the size of 17 football pitches (22.5 acres), you’ll also come across several new aviaries where birds hoot, tweet and screech.
There are 31 species of bird here, including a fabulous flock of 120 greater flamingos, three types of critically endangered vulture, colourful black cheeked lovebirds, and Africa’s largest owl, the Verreaux’s eagle owl.
One of the most impressive new areas is the Hidden Savannah, where you can clamber inside a safari jeep that’s within the actual enclosure, so that you can see 10,000 locusts all around you from the driver’s seat.
This indoor habitat is also home to adorable, wrinkly little naked mole rats, who have a network of tunnels to burrow through, and other rodents like short-eared sengi and pygmy mice.
Heart of Africa at Chester Zoo, in pictures
Heart of Africa at Chester Zoo, in pictures. Credit: The Manc Group
As for the cold-blooded animals, or ectotherms, there’s Trevor the African bull frog, plus dung beetles, red spitting cobra, Ethiopian viper and pancake tortoises.
There are 15 other mammal species to encounter too, including African wild dogs, meerkats, Eastern black rhino, yellow mongoose, and dik-dik.
The Heart of Africa stands as a symbol of Chester Zoo’s continued conservation efforts across the continent, which includes combatting poaching and illegal wildlife trade.
It’s thought that the Heart of Africa will attract an additional 200,000 visitors to Chester Zoo each year while creating 30 new jobs.
Heart of Africa officially opens to visitors on Saturday 5 April – you can book zoo tickets HERE.
Daisy Jackson -
26th May 2023 
