The most popular walks in Britain have been named, and several of them are right here in the north west.
It’ll come as a surprise to no one that the stunning green space that surrounds Greater Manchester has featured heavily on the list.
From the beautiful vistas of the Lake District to the rugged ridges of the Peak District, we’re very spoilt for choice with our nearby countryside up north.
In fact, it was a northern beauty spot that came top of the list of Britain’s most popular walks, which was created by Ordnance Survey and Ramblers UK.
And although most of the walks featured are pretty remote from our massive home city, you can get to a lot of them within a couple of hours’ drive.
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The new partnership between OS and the charity was created ‘to celebrate the joys of walking in the British countryside and encourage more people to keep fit and healthy’.
Data was collected from the OS Maps app, which many of us will be familiar with – it helps walkers to discover beautiful trails all over the country.
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It found that Brits have been returning in our droves to rural locations rather than urban ones, reversing the trend observed during the coronavirus pandemic.
The Great Ridge in Castleton, Peak Disctrict. Credit: Unsplash, Michael Cummins
Langdale Pikes in the Peak District. Credit: Ian Cylkowski, Unsplash
Of those rural locations, those in the top spot included gruelling hiking challenges, picturesque countryside strolls, and loops around medieval landmarks.
Coming out on top was the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge, which encompasses Pen-y-Ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough and is a popular – but challenging – day out from Manchester.
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Also in the top 10 walks in Britain was a Lake District trail between Grasmere and the Langdale Pikes.
The Great Ridge, a walk with jaw-dropping views between Edale and Castleton in the Peak District placed sixth, and is the most accessible from Manchester – you can even get the train to it.
And just across into North Wales is Cloceanog Forest near Ruthin.
Nick Giles, MD for OS Leisure, said: “We are thrilled to work closely with the Ramblers UK to encourage more people to experience our wonderful countryside first hand, and inspire a healthier and more active nation.
Walkers taking on the Yorkshire Three Peaks challenge, which has been named Britain’s most popular walk. Credit: Gary Butterfield, Unsplash
“Our latest route data tells us people are walking further than before. Not only does this demonstrate the growing popularity of walking, it also highlights the positive impact that it is having on walker’s physical and mental well-being.
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“During the Covid-19 pandemic we saw an increase in people using OS Maps to discover new walks and places to visit in their neighbourhoods. It’s great to see more people starting to use their new found love of the outdoors and begin to venture further and explore the many wonders of Great Britain. We are seeing our walking route data show the similar hotspots to the pre pandemic locations with National Parks topping the list.”
He added: “We are committed to working alongside the Ramblers UK to empower more and more walkers to lead healthier, more fulfilling lives.”
Ross Maloney, CEO of Ramblers UK said: “The Ramblers and OS share a passion for helping people enjoy the outdoors, and together we recognise the incredible value of Britain’s paths, tracks and trails. Our new partnership will champion walking and help more people from all backgrounds access the outdoors, enjoy it safely and see the many benefits of making walking part of everyday life.”
Britain’s Top 10 most popular walks
The Yorkshire Three Peaks, North Yorkshire
Start: Horton-in-Ribblesdale car park
Distance: 38.5km
Time: 12hr 10mins
Difficulty: Moderate/Hard
Map: OS Explorer OL2
Bottom Wood Route, Chiltern Hill, Oxfordshire
Start: Dashwood Arms car park
Distance: 8.25km
Time: 2hr 20 mins
Difficulty: Easy
Map: OS Explorer 172
Grasmere to the Langdale Pikes, Lake District National Park, Cumbria
Start: Broadgate, Grasmere
Distance: 18.5km
Time: 6hr
Difficulty: Moderate
Map: OS Explorer OL7
Cloceanog Forest, Ruthin, Wales
Start: Bod Petyral Picnic Site, Cloceanog Forest
Distance: 11.8km
Time: 3hr 30 mins
Difficulty: Moderate
Map: OS Explorer 264
Wanderlust Way, near Grimsby, Lincolnshire
Start: Bradley Woods car park
Distance: 33km
Time: 8hr 47mins
Difficulty: Easy
Map: OS Explorer 284
The Great Ridge, Castleton, Derbyshire
Start: Back Street, Castleton
Distance: 10.1km
Time: 3hr 14mins
Difficulty: Moderate
Map: OS Explorer OL1
Surrey Three Peaks Challenge, (Box Hill, Holmbury Hill, Leith Hill), Surrey
Two Greater Manchester towns have been named in The Sunday Times’ best places to live
Thomas Melia
Esteemed UK newspaper The Sunday Times’ has published its list of the ‘Best places to live in the UK 2025’, and it features two Greater Manchester boroughs.
Us Mancs didn’t need anymore clarification to know that where we live is incredible but we’ll always take it, especially when the compliment is coming from none other than The Sunday Times.
The publication revealed its annual guide of ‘Best places to live 2025’ which featured more than 70 different locations throughout the nation.
Although we may have been pipped to the top spot, Greater Manchester is featured not once, but twice, which is pretty impressive.
Claiming the victory this year is the market town with a name as pretty as its surroundings, Saffron Walden, which is only 15 miles from Cambridge.
The locations were ranked through a number of key categories including transport, house prices, broadband, schools and a new addition, mobile signal.
All the contributors to the full list acknowledge the obvious missing puzzle piece,food, and we know if this was factored in a few more Greater Manchester locations may have nabbed the ‘Best places to live’ honour.
The first Greater Manchester based entry is The Heatons, a hotspot nestled between the city centreand the city of Stockport, which is actually four neighbourhoods – Heaton Chapel, Mersey, Moor and Norris.
These areas are home to living history in the form of the iconic century old Savoy Cinema and lots of open green spaces.
Food may have been missed off The Sunday Times’ list but it certainly didn’t go a miss on ours.
Mossley has been named on The Sunday Times Best Places to Live list. Credit: Instagram, @ariadneexploresThe Heatons also made the list. Credit: Instagram, @fourtheheatons
The second spot which managed to grab the title of ‘Best places to live 2025’ is Mossley, a town packed to the brim with cosy cottages, blissful walks and a close-knit friendly community.
It’s not too far from Dovestone Reservoir and the Peak District National Park – when you’ve got all this greenery on your doorstep you’re bound to be in a good mood.
Our friends over in Leeds at The Hoothave lots to cheer about as Ilkley, Hebden Bridge, Easingwold and Ripon all got a mention.
You can find out the full rundown on all the spots up and down the country that have been selected as part of ‘The Sunday Times’ Best places to live for 2025′ HERE.
Greater Manchester unveils latest vision to bring local rail under the Bee Network
Danny Jones
Mayor Andy Burnham and fellow local leaders have unveiled the latest plans behind the vision to bring the Greater Manchester and nearby train links under the Bee Network.
For starters, the plan is to add a total of eight rail lines to the ever-growing public transport system.
Posting the latest schematic on social media this Friday, the Greater Manchester Mayor celebrated the unified tap-and-go service for buses and trams at the start of the week and has now ended it by sharing the next steps with the 10 boroughs.
We started the week by integrating buses and trams into a single tap-and-go system.
The update is in response to the UK government’s ‘A Railway Fit for Britain’s Future‘ reform bill, the national consultation of which is well underway and closes to local authorities and the public at large on Tuesday, 15 April.
The overall aim is for Greater Manchester to reach an agreement with the government in devolving power to Mayoral Combined Authorities when it comes to the planning and developing of local infrastructure and train services.
Put simply, the goal is to achieve local responsibility and accountability for rail travel as the city-region looks to continue establishing its own ‘London-style’ public transport framework (i.e. the Oyster card which is valid for buses tubes, local railway and so on).
In addition to this, they are hoping to make new arrangements for funding, fares and services through the Railway Bill, which would hopefully see rail fares in and around Greater Manchester, as well as neighbouring areas like parts of Cheshire and Derbyshire, fall under the Bee Network cap.
Once again, this regional push is a reaction to the country’s various rail companies’ continuing struggle to provide both affordable and reliable train travel.
Sub-quality rail services in the North, especially, are a big driving force behind the plans to loop train travel into the Bee Network.
Detailing a three-phase plan to carry out these city-region specific changes as the Labour Party looks to establish Great British Railways – a new body bringing track and train together – local authorities are already working closely with the Great British Railways Transition Team (GBRTT).
Speaking on the masterplan, which culminates in a full ‘Bee Network Rail by 2030, Burnham has dubbed it “a once-in-a-generation opportunity to rewire how the railways are run”, and one that can set a standard for other areas up and down the country.
The Mayor went on to add: “We’re already delivering change in Greater Manchester and have seen the positive benefit that greater local control and accountability for our tram, bus and active travel has had, with increasing numbers of people getting on board – but rail is the missing piece of the jigsaw…
“A Bee Network fare cap – including rail – would mean that people commuting into the city at peak times from Glossop could pay a cap of around £14 including return train travel as well as trips on buses and trams.
“Devolution is working for people in Greater Manchester, but we know that many other areas are at different stages of their journey […] We know the government share our ambition to restore confidence and get more people choosing the train, and we’ve been really encouraged by our conversations so far on how things can be done differently.”
Daisy Jackson -
6th July 2023 
