An enormous 300km walking trail around Greater Manchester has got the go-ahead and is set to be fully operational within two years.
The GM Ringway has been awarded a £250,000 National Lottery grant, which will allow a new long-distance trail to be established right on our doorsteps.
The route will make use of existing footpaths and parks, and will connect the beautiful countryside in the north west with tourist attractions and heritage landmarks.
It all splits down into 20 stages, and every section is designed to be accessed by public transport.
Spanning all 10 Greater Manchester boroughs, the GM Ringway will pass more than 40 Grade I and Grade II*-listed buildings, 13 museums, 57 conservation areas, 18 local nature reserves, 14 ancient monuments and parts of the Peak District.
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Attractions along the route include Bramall Hall in Stockport, Haigh Hall in Wigan; the Imperial War Museum in Trafford and Blackstone Edge Roman Road in Rochdale.
Peel Monument in Bury. Credit: Supplied
The GM Ringway will split into four broad sections, each one made up of five one-day stages.
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They’ll be the Southern Start-up (almost totally traffic-free route from the city centre to the Peak District, along waterways and green spaces), the Exhilarating East (the hills above Stockport, Tameside and Oldham), the Noble North (challenging stages connecting the peaks and valleys of the Pennines with Rochdale, Bury and Bolton) and the Western Wind-Down (the wetlands, mosslands and canals of Wigan, Trafford and Salford).
The Heritage Fund grant will pay for signposting and an improved app and website so that everyone can enjoy the trail.
There are plans to launch a trail passport, which could offer discounts to visitor attractions, pubs and cafes along the route.
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It’s estimated that 30,000 people will walk part of the route every year.
The groups working on the GM Ringway are countryside charity CPRE and walking charity The Ramblers.
A network of 200 volunteer ‘footpath guardians’ will also be recruited and trained to look after the trail and get involved in community events.
Debbie McConnell, chair of CPRE Lancashire, Liverpool City Region and Greater Manchester said: “The GM Ringway project is truly innovative and could act as a blueprint for other city-regions. Here in the north west, we’re fortunate to have a wealth of heritage and natural beauty on our doorstep and we want more people to get out and discover it.”
Margaret Manning, chair of Greater Manchester and High Peak Area Ramblers said: “The grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund is just fantastic as it will enable us to make the GM Ringway project a reality, which is so exciting. The GM Ringway will open up opportunities to collaborate with local community groups, charities and partners in the health, heritage and environmental sectors on trail-related events and activities.
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The map of the GM Ringway
“We also hope heritage sites and hospitality businesses will benefit as visitors discover them on foot. The grant will allow us to establish this wonderful trail as a long-term asset for the region.”
Andrew Read, GM Ringway Project Lead, said: “Our core aim is to connect even more people with our local nature and heritage. We know there are proven health benefits that come from moving more and from spending time in nature.
“We’re particularly keen to enable those currently under-represented in the walking community to enjoy Greater Manchester’s incredible landscapes and heritage sites, especially those living in deprived areas, young people, those with disabilities or long-term health conditions, and different ethnic and faith groups.
“We believe that, as people explore Greater Manchester’s rich landscapes and history, it will increase their appreciation of and pride in their local area.”
For more information and news on the GM Ringway, including route maps, visit GMRingway.org.
Featured image: Supplied
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The full lineup and extensive programme for Manchester Film Festival 2026 has been revealed
Danny Jones
The full lineup for this year’s Manchester Film Festival (MFF) is now out, with some well-known names and hotly anticipated projects set to be screened this year.
MMF 2026 looks to be one of the most extensive and exciting projects yet; spread across multiple venues once again, we can’t wait for the city go full-on cinephile.
With 52 feature films on the roster, including nine UK debuts and eight fully-fledged world premieres, this is going to be well and truly blockbuster – pun intended.
Yeah, Cannes, Venice and Toronto are cool, but having one right on your doorstep is way better.
The MFF26 programme is LIVE!
Featuring some of the best and boldest new cinema from the UK and around the world, book your tickets now to Manchester's biggest celebration of cinema https://t.co/6eRXJpkwmvpic.twitter.com/arIVqxl51k
Returning this coming March and spread over the course of 11 days, the latest edition of Manchester Film Festival is the biggest the city centre has seen to date.
Featuring everything from locally made short films from Greater Manchester and the wider North West, to bigger but still ‘small’ budget independent movies, there’s something for everyone.
Obviously, indie flicks are the lifeblood of this event, but there’s still plenty of A-listers connected to MFF26. For instance…
Actors featured this year:
Adam Driver, Charlotte Rampling, Vicky Krieps and Cate Blanchett (Father Mother Sister Brother)
Angelina Jolie (Couture)
Callum Turner and George Mackay (Rose of Nevada)
Charli XCX (Erupcja)
Jason Isaacs (Honey Bunch)
Josh O’Connor (Rebuilding)
Kit Connor (One of Us)
Mads Mikkelsen (The Last Viking)
Tom Hardy (Rhino)
It remains to be seen how many of these famous faces will be in attendance, but the annual film fest always manages to secure a few.
For instance, with Kit Harrington (Game of Thrones) bringing his directorial debut, Psychopomp, we’re keeping our fingers crossed that we’ll see Jon Snow in the flesh.
As you can see, the 2026 edition is being hosted across five different central and varied locations, including big screen cinemas like Odeon, as well as HOME on First Street and even the home of Factory International, Aviva Studios.
Speaking ahead of the start date, festival director Neil Jeram-Croft said: “We are incredibly proud to present the programme for the 12th edition of Manchester Film Festival, which marks our biggest and most ambitious year to date.
“This year’s line-up brings together an exceptional range of films and filmmakers, with screenings taking place across more venues than ever before, reflecting both the growth of the festival and the appetite for independent cinema in the city.
“We are especially looking forward to welcoming filmmakers from across the UK and internationally, as well as welcoming back our brilliant volunteers, whose support is vital to bringing the festival to life.
“We can’t wait to welcome audiences this March for ten days of powerful storytelling, standout premieres and inspiring conversations.”
Once again, the BAFTA and BIFA qualifying festival and its accompanying awards ceremony will take place between 19 and 29 March 2026; early bird passes have already sold out, but you can grab your general admission tickets right HERE.
Featured Images — Publicity pictures (supplied via Manchester Film Festival)
Things To Do
Sounds From The Other City releases 2026 lineup with 100+ acts playing on 17 stages across Salford
Emily Sergeant
More than 100 exciting artists are set to perform on 17 stages dotted across Salford this spring.
In case you hadn’t heard, 2026 is the year Salford is celebrating 100 years since it was first declared its own city, and to celebrate such a monumental occasion, the popular Sounds From The Other City (SFTOC) festival has now released its full lineup ahead of its return on the early May Bank Holiday weekend.
Salford’s long-running independent festival of new music is known for its genre-spanning showcase of new artists from across the UK and beyond.
This year’s festival is curated by some of the most exciting promoters, record labels, radio stations, magazines, and tastemakers in the North.
Music lovers will get the chance to see artists in a wide range of independent venues and unconventional spaces across the city – with 17 stages around Chapel Street and The Crescent, from pubs and churches, to concert halls and galleries.
Artists announced today include the uncategorisable masked provocateur Lynks, South African ‘future ghetto funk’ trailblazer Moonchild Sanelly, Manchester-based artist jasmine.4.t, who has recently been named BBC 6 Music Artist of the Year 2025.
Other artists to look out for include Grey Lantern, FaT OuT, ambient pop artist Pollyfromthedirt, genre-straddling South London six-piece, Blue Bendy, South London trio ashnymph, and Manchester quartet Pyncher.
The Sounds From The Other City festival has released its 2026 lineup / Credit: Breige Cobane (Supplied)
One of the undeniable highlights of the lineup is that the spiritual home of the festival, Islington Mill, will be programmed day and night by the legendary Band on the Wall, multi-award-winning Reform Radio, Manchester’s infamous queer day-rave BENT, and the LGBTQ+ POC collective Swagga, with performances from Sorvina, Renee Stormz, and Chimpo.
“This year, we’re shining a spotlight on Salford’s independent venues and the selectors in the North who shape our programme,” commented Emma Thompson, Co-Director of From The Other, as the lineup was announced this week.
“Giving these organisations the space to showcase the artists they champion is vital, not just for discovering emerging talent, but to recognise how important these spaces are for our scene.”
Sounds From The Other City 2026 takes place on Sunday 3 May, and tickets go on sale this week – with Early Bird ticket access available to mailing list subscribers from tomorrow (Thursday 29 January) and the remaining tickets going on general sale from Friday 30 January.
Prices remain unchanged from 2025 with tiers at £30/35/40/45, and you can get tickets when they go live here.
Daisy Jackson -
3rd November 2022 
