In just a few weeks, the next batch of young and beautiful Love Island contestants will be moving into the villa – but you can get your own taste of the hit reality show right here in the north west.
The Secret Garden glamping experience in Lancashire has a series of pods, lodges and yurts, each one kitted out with luxury touches inspired by the ITV series.
The spaces are decorated with flowers, fairy lights and neon signs, with extra details like outdoor TVs, underfloor heating and en suite bathrooms.
Guests can gather around the fire pit – real Love Island style – lounge in hammocks or perch on swings in their own decked area.
The Secret Garden glamping experience in Lancashire, just outside Manchester. Image: The Secret Garden
There are even outdoor bars and al fresco kitchens, just like the real deal, except all set in 2.5 acres of woodland.
Five-star glamping enterprise The Secret Garden has featured on Celebs Go Dating, Hot Tub Brits and Four in a Bed since launching.
Image: The Secret Garden
The hospitality business has just unveiled its latest accommodation, The Glade, which they say is perfect for the ‘ultimate girls night away’.
You can watch Netflix nestled between the trees or help yourself to chilled drinks aplenty from the outdoor bar area where amenities include an ice machine and huge cooking area.
The glamping experience is less than an hour from Manchester. Image: The Secret Garden
Complete with a bright pink rope swing and hammock, this is glamping like you’ve never seen it before.
Each private tent has a luxe-cosy atmosphere with velvet pastel sofas, floral headboards and plants everywhere, from the ceiling to the floor, all proudly parading the pink colour scheme.
There’s a marble floor with underfloor heating and floor-to-ceiling flower walls in the bathroom.
For more information, including how to bag yourself a night at The Glade, visit The Secret Garden website.
Featured Image – The Secret Garden
Things To Do
There’s a 13-seat, BYO-beer bike you can ride around Manchester
Daisy Jackson
Who’s in the market for an incredibly silly, quite boozy, bit different activity in Manchester? Because we’ve got just the ticket.
The Manchester Beer Bike is a 13-seat bicycle/tram/bus hybrid contraption thing (not its official name) which you can now rent for rides around the city centre.
If you’ve never seen one of these before, essentially you can all your mates sit around a bar, except you’re on saddles, and your feet are on pedals.
Imagine a tandem bicycle, but the size of a small van and with space for a dozen people, and you’re on the right lines.
We took the Manchester Beer Bike out for a spin, so if you’ve been curious what’s in store, let us break it down for you.
Your experience kicks off at The Trading Route at St John’s, which is the official pick-up point for this tour.
Which is handy, because the bike is BYO-booze, and The Trading Route is a proud stockist of Manchester Union Lager, among other drinks from its on-site shop.
Once you’ve gathered up your beverages, it’s on to the bike itself, where you can perch yourself on a saddle or (if you’re lucky) sit on the bench at the back and make your mates do all the hard work for you.
And it is, actually, surprisingly hard work when you’re going uphill. You’ll be grateful for your cans of beer, let’s put it that way.
Your experience is led by a driver who’ll keep you on track and make sure your own playlist is blasting from the Bluetooth speakers on board.
Manchester Union Lager aboard the Manchester Beer BikeNothing but happy, smiling (and tipsy) faces.Credit: The Manc Group
The route the Manchester Beer Bike takes heads up Peter Street from St John’s, passing landmarks like the Albert Hall, the Great Northern Warehouse, the Midland Hotel and the Central Library.
Then it takes a turn onto Portland Street and loops through a section of Chinatown, before heading back along the other side of the Manchester Art Gallery and Manchester Town Hall.
Then it’s down Deansgate, with the towering Deansgate Square skyscrapers in front of you, before you turn back down towards St John’s.
Along the way, you WILL hold up traffic, and you will get honked at – but you also find a lot of people laughing at you, and it’s kind of nice to spread such joy on your afternoon jaunt.
It’s a wheelie good laugh, promise… Find out more and book your spot HERE.
Five free places to watch Wimbledon on the big screen in Manchester this summer
Danny Jones
It’s grass court season, folks, and as a truly music and tournament-filled summer kicks into fifth gear, we’re making a civilised foray into the all sporting action with Wimbledon, which got underway at the end of June– and we’ve got the perfect places to watch every second here in Manchester.
Us Mancs love sports of pretty much any discipline, it practically makes up the fabric of our city, and in this case, that just so happens to be breathable white cotton or perhaps poly-blend suitable for running around and swinging a racket in.
On a serious note, everyone loves watching tennis for at least this one fortnight during this time of year, and with a record number of British players competing in the tournament right now, there’s all the more reason for you to tune in.
So, all that being said, here a five free, largely family-friendly places to watch Wimbledon 2025 on the big screen here in Manchester city centre.
Where to watch Wimbledon 2025 in Manchester for free
1. Tony Wilson Place – First Street
First up, rather fittingly, we’re returning to one of our go-tos whenever Wimbledon rolls around these days: the big temporary lawn laid out over on the big square at Tony Wilson Place. A sun-trap with deck chairs and plenty of places for food and drink around you – what more could you ask for?
The ever-thriving First Street complex has been paving the way for free social listening/watch parties here in Manchester, especially when it comes to utilising public open-air spaces, and it’s sure to be backed once again for this year’s Women’s Euros too. Trendsetters, they are.
Heading over towards Castlefield direction and the emerging area known as New Jackson, next on the list of free places to watch Wimbledon in central Manchester is Deansgate Square, where property developers Renaker have set up a special dedicated section for a jam-packed summer of sport.
Simply called ‘Screen on the Square’, the viewing zone not only sits in the shade of the city’s now skyline-defining towers but also catches plenty of rays throughout certain periods of the day. This space will also be doubling up (if you’ll pardon the pun) as a free outdoor cinema throughout the season.
Entertainment of all forms over at The Residences.
3. Courts Club – St John’s
From the outskirts of Deansgate to the area’s newest addition, the thriving St John’s district has the perfect home for all things court-based, with a free outdoor screen whilst the sun is out and another big project inside the venue, where you’ll also find plenty of food and drink options.
Courts Club has genuinely started realising its potential as a genuinely popular social hangout as well as being a bar, pub quiz destination, food spot and places to enjoy a rally or shoot a few hoops. Not unlike First St, the faux beach and lawn layout is ideal for a laid-back Wimbledon watchalong.
Heading out of the city centre for a spell – though only a tram ride away – the waterside viewing zone at the similarly titled ‘Screen on the Docks’ over at Media City is back for summer 2025 with a wide range of live sport, including cricket, F1 and, yes, Wimbledon.
Situated on the steps right next to the old harbour area, turned home of Greater Manchester mainstay, Box on the Docks, there are all kinds of entertainment to catch for free. Make sure you check their socials for the regular schedule even after the tournament is over.
5. The Lawn Club
Finally, the last one on this list isn’t necessarily a free viewing area; however, we’ll confess to having wandered in here and taken in the big screen without getting so much as a water before. Also part of the Shiko Group, like Courts, The Lawn Club is exactly as on brand as it sounds.
Located in Spinningfields just a short walk from St John’s around the corner, the bottomless brunch favourite once again has a big screen out on the artificial garden terrace out back. That being said, you might as well give them your custom and grab a Pimm’s while you’re at it.
Best of luck to all our UK stars taking part in Wimbledon this year, and we hope these Manchester venues and their big screens serve as an ace place to watch the games with Hawk-Eyes…
Daisy Jackson -
13th May 2022 
