Travel & Tourism

The lesser-known trick to save cash on trains from Manchester to London

£20 to London is unheard of these days.

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 16th May 2025

We all know that trains between Manchester and London can be prohibitviely expensive.

Even Andy Burnham went pretty viral for pointing out you could fly to Jamaica for less than the price of an on-peak train ticket.

But there’s a little website – totally legit – that can get you down to the big smoke for just £20.

If you’re not keen on the usual trick to save cash, which involves changing at Crewe and sitting for an hour in the world’s most boring train station, let us introduce you to Avanti’s secret site.

Avanti Super Fare is a service where train tickets only cost £20 between Manchester and London (with other fares to a number of other destinations too).

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The only catch is that you don’t know when you’re travelling – so you pay the price for your own flexibility.

How it works is that you choose your day and rough time slot of travel, be it morning, afternoon or evening.

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Then, 24 hours before departure day, Avanti will send you your actual ticket, confirming when you can actually complete your journey.

The time windows are 7am-midday for morning journeys, midday-5pm for afternoons, and 5pm-9pm for evenings – and you could be allocated any available train within those time frames.

You can also only book these between seven and 56 days in advance.

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Avanti says: “We match you to an empty seat, you get a bargain Superfare ticket on a fast and comfy Avanti West Coast train. Book at least 7 days in advance and up to 56 days before travel.

“Choose a morning, afternoon or evening departure window. Get your ticket 24 hours before you depart.”

Feel like an absolute mug for paying £150 one-way now, don’t we…

Find out more about Avanti Superfare HERE.

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Featured image: Avanti

Travel & Tourism

The luxury lakeside spa retreat an hour from Manchester with a private heated outdoor pool and loads more

Kristen MacGregor-Houlston Kristen MacGregor-Houlston Moddershall Oaks Spa Hotel

I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I stopped once this summer. Festival season hit hard, there was Oasis, the sun was shining for a good chunk of time and everyone was constantly wanting to do stuff. It was fun, but oh so tiring. So when Moddershall Oaks got in touch about a little spa retreat, who was I to say no?

Currently nominated for ‘Best Spa For Wellness’ in the 2025 Good Spa Guide Awards, and previously named ‘Experience of the Year’ at the 2022 Staffordshire Tourism and Good Food Awards, this beautiful country spa has been making waves for a number of years.

Set in 72 acres of private Staffordshire countryside, this gorgeous retreat has a lot to offer – luxurious indoor and outdoor spa facilities, new woodland pods, a newly renovated restaurant and balcony bar, and an extensive menu of spa treatments to enjoy in their cosy former farmhouse. 

The venue is also a stunning location to host a wedding reception, with a wedding taking place during our visit. The lake gives a beautiful backdrop for those all-important pictures.

It’s a warm welcome from the team when we arrive, with a tasty elderflower spritz to enjoy while we fill in our preferences for our spa treatments. We’re shown to our boutique bedroom suite, which is stylishly decorated and has a view of the peaceful green space outside.

With time before dinner, we quickly change into our swim gear and jump straight into the outdoor spa pool, nestled in the central courtyard. Here you can order drinks to the poolside, so full relaxation can commence.

A spa suite at Moddershall Oaks
A spa suite at Moddershall Oaks
There's even a spin studio
There’s even a spin studio
Moddershall Oaks gym
Moddershall Oaks gym
A sauna at Moddershall Oaks
A sauna at Moddershall Oaks
There are outdoor and indoor spa facilities
There are outdoor and indoor spa facilities
The beautiful grounds
The beautiful grounds
There are outdoor and indoor spa facilities
There are outdoor and indoor spa facilities
Dinner at The Oaks restaurant
Dinner at The Oak House restaurant
The 10m indoor pool
The 10m indoor pool

We dine in The Oak House restaurant, which has recently been renovated to an obviously high standard. The team are attentive without being overbearing and make fantastic suggestions for what to try. The menu hosts seasonal produce, with the peppered seabass being a standout. With it being my guest’s birthday, the restaurant team surprised him with a birthday pudding – a wonderful surprise.

We finished our evening with cocktails on the new balcony bar, with fantastic views of the lake and local countryside – a tranquil end to our first day.

Being the keen bean that I am, I was up early to make full use of the fitness facilities. There are classes which you can book onto through the spa reception as part of your stay, but I just made use of their modern gym, which I had all to myself for my workout. A quick sauna to relax the muscles after my session was a welcome addition to the start of my day too.

Breakfast at Moddershall Oaks takes the shape of a continental buffet breakfast, perfect for those, like me, who love a cereal salad (if you know, you know). Being in Staffordshire, I had to opt for the traditional oatcakes, which were delicious. They’re kind of like a pancake, but savoury and also like a wrap? Hard to describe but well worth sampling while you’re in the area.

We enjoyed a short session in the private heated pool, which you have to pre-book. There is even a button you can press to request drinks to be delivered to you – how much more boujee can you get?

My guest enjoyed an orange blossom oil massage, the first time they’d ever had a spa treatment in their 40 years on this earth, and they thoroughly enjoyed it. I treated myself to a triple session, with a reflexology foot massage, back, neck and shoulder massage and a facial to finish. I practically floated out of the room, I was that relaxed. I was also completely unconscious from about 8.30pm that night until my alarm went off at 7am the next morning, so something definitely worked.

Within an hour from Manchester, this lavish country spa deserves every accolade and should make its way onto your autumnal itinerary for a well deserved post-summer reset. You won’t regret it.

You can find out more about Moddershall Country Spa and book your trip here.

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Featured image: The Manc Group

Travel & Tourism

Two Trafford towns are set to see dozens of new EV charging points installed imminently

Danny Jones Danny Jones New EV charging points being installed in Trafford Borough

Two big towns on the border of Greater Manchester and Cheshire are set to see a fresh batch of electric vehicle (EV) charging points installed throughout their streets by Trafford Council very soon.

Local authorities have teamed up with engineering and infrastructure company Amey to roll out a series of new EV charging stations across Trafford, starting with Altrincham and Hale.

Dating all the way back to 2020, the collaboration with Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), the brand was tasked with helping improve sustainable travel across the area as the government body’s electric vehicle charging suppliers.

Steady improvements have been made across the 10 boroughs, but this particular update marks one of the biggest network upgrades that the likes of Alty and Hale have seen for some time.

Issuing a statement on Wednesday, 17 September, the firm – which specialises in managing, designing and maintaining complex facilities and transport infrastructure across the country – announced that they will “start the installation of EV charging points in Trafford in the coming weeks.”

It is expected that “up to 100 new public charges” will be integrated throughout the respective town centres and residential streets as the suburbs continues to push towards its sustainability goals.

As per Altrincham Today, Amey account director Anna Gornall said: “We’re excited to launch our first EV charge points in Trafford, working in partnership with Trafford Council (TC) to make electric vehicle charging more accessible to local communities.

“As the UK’s leading provider of energy transition and decarbonisation solutions, we’re well placed to use our existing expertise and resources to support TC in delivering a holistic public EV charging network for local communities.

“We’re helping residents make the switch, so everyone can plug in and power a greener Trafford.”

The country at large has various carbon-free initiatives, including the aspiration of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050; the electoral ward of Trafford itself continues to thrive in this field, having recently won environmental accolades, including 12 ‘Green Flag Awards’ this past July.

Peter Anderson, Managing Director of Transport Infrastructure at Amey, commented: “This is a pivotal moment in Amey’s energy transition strategy. By leveraging our extensive experience in whole lifecycle asset management, strong partnerships, and innovative solutions, we can deliver value for both our clients and members of the public who will use Amey’s electric vehicle charge points.

“Working with Trafford Council, we are making electric vehicle charging more accessible to local communities and helping residents make the switch to EVs.

“Amey is well-positioned to support emerging opportunities within this landscape, and we are delighted to be working with Trafford and other local authorities to provide the public EV infrastructure needed to achieve the government’s transition to net zero.”

As for Trafford Council, Corporate Director of Place, Richard Roe, went on to add: “We are delighted to be working with Amey on this project to bring more and better charging options to the people of Trafford.

“This is an extension to the current EV charging options in the borough and is great news for committed EV owners and those who are thinking about going electric.”

The incredible plans to build floating walkways over Manchester’s waterways
The new slate of EV charging points will be funded by City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements – and that’s not all…

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Featured Images — Publicity pictures (via Amey Ltd)

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