Travel & Tourism

Jet2 launches new ‘once in a lifetime’ winter package holidays to Iceland from Manchester

One to tick off your bucket list.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 1st July 2024

Jet2 has just unveiled details of its new “once in a lifetime” trips to Iceland direct from Manchester next winter. 

It’s no secret that Iceland is a country which commonly features on bucket list, and now, with holidaymakers already flocking in their thousands to book flights to this stunning Nordic destination for next winter, the UK’s largest operator of city breaks to Europe has just launched its biggest-ever Iceland programme.

Jet2 says this new Winter 2025/26 programme offers customers and independent travel agents an “unrivalled choice of departure points”, as it covers all 12 of its UK airport bases – including Manchester Airport.

More than 170 outbound flights will run across the UK between October 2025 and April 2026, and there’ll be whopping 34,000 tickets to grab.

Jet2 has launched new ‘once in a lifetime’ winter package holidays to Iceland direct from Manchester / Credit: Nicolas J Leclrercq | Tom Podmore (via Unsplash)

The programme’s run dates means trips are available at several key periods during winter 2025 and 2026, including over the October and February half terms, the Easter holidays, and even in the exciting countdown to Christmas too.

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Scheduled Monday and Thursday services operating from Manchester Airport throughout the season will run from 2 October to 8 December 2025, and 29 January to 27 April 2026.

As well as providing customers with “plenty of flexibility” when it comes to which month or period they want to travel, Jet2 says the flights are also “perfectly timed” for those are keen to get a chance at witnessing the spectacular Northern Lights in all their glory.

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More than 170 outbound flights will run across the UK between October 2025 and April 2026 / Credit: Suhyeon Choi (via Unsplash)

Customers can pick from flight-only or package holiday options within Jet2’s newly-launched Winter 2025/26 programme.

Package options with Jet2CityBreaks direct from Manchester to Keflavík International Airport, near Reykjavik, include a guided Northern Lights Tour, flights with Jet2.com, 22kg hold luggage, transfers to and from the airport, and a choice of 3 and 4-star hotels in central Reykjavik, all for a deposit as little as £60 per person.

On top of this, you can also add a choice of excursions to the South Shore, Golden Circle, and Blue Lagoon to your package.

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Find out more and book on the Jet2 website here.

Featured Image – Jet2

Travel & Tourism

Thousands of elderly and disabled people to get free 24-hour bus travel across Greater Manchester

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Hundreds of thousands of elderly and disabled people in Greater Manchester are set to benefit from round-the-clock bus travel for free.

Currently, as part on an ongoing pilot scheme, people with a Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM)-issued concessionary travel pass have free unlimited travel on Bee Network buses between 9.30am and midnight during the week, and all day on weekends and public holidays.

The rule was lifted in August on a trial basis for a month, meaning older and disabled residents in Greater Manchester had access to unlimited free bus travel any time between the allocated hours.

During the August trial, more than 100,000 journeys were made by older and disabled people – with up to 6,000 people a day making use of the pilot.

But now, after proving to be a huge success, the pilot is being extended even further, so that 400,000 eligible residents will now get free bus travel 24-hours a day, seven days a week, starting from 1 November.

As well as free early-morning bus travel, during the trial starting in November, eligible residents will be able to board the Bee Network’s night buses for free too.

TfGM says allowing concessionary pass holders to travel at any time will ‘better connect’ them to healthcare, leisure, and retail opportunities.

“The last trial in August was a brilliant success, which saw more than 100,000 journeys made by our older and disabled people before 9.30am,” commented Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham.

“We are now carrying out this second trial, at a busier time of year, to see whether we can safely remove the restriction permanently and help our older and disabled people to get to work, go shopping, and get to medical appointments.

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“We want the Bee Network to be the best public transport system possible and this means it needs to support all of our residents and communities to make the journeys they need to make and use the bus more.”

Featured Image – TfGM

Travel & Tourism

Dunham Massey – The corner of Greater Manchester with unbeatable autumn landscapes and one of nature’s great spectacles

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Dunham Massey in Autumn. Credit: James Beck

Dunham Massey is one of the North West’s proudest gems, a National Trust site that’s home to both a magnificent Georgian manor house and a beautiful deer park.

But there’s something to be said for the way it comes into its own as autumn rolls around, when the grounds are blanketed in red and orange leaves and a mist lies low over the lawns.

This is a perfect spot to escape into autumn properly, with a perfect mix of heritage, fresh air and scenery (as well as a pumpkin spice latte in the cafe afterwards).

As we creep further into the autumn months, autumnal bulbs will begin to bloom in the Winter Garden, leaves will rustle underfoot, and bright colours will transform the landscape.

When we hear ‘Dunham Massey’, most of us will think of the resident herd of fallow deer who still graze on the grounds of the former medieval deer park.

Those who explore the park on foot this autumn may catch a glimpse of breeding or ‘rutting’ season, one of nature’s great spectacles, where the bucks fight for their pick of the does.

Expect these amazing beasts to be roaring and bellowing at each other and showing off their fully grown antlers, with the bucks parallel walking and sizing each other up – and potentially clashing over the nearby females.

The best time to see the deer rutting at Dumham Massey is early in the mornings, when the park is quiet.

Also honouring the deer is the Stags in Bradgate Park sculpture, a silver masterpiece dating back to 1855, which was previously believed to have been lost forever and melted down.

Deer resting on the lawn at Dunham Massey. Credit: Arnhel de Serra
Deer resting on the lawn at Dunham Massey. Credit: Arnhel de Serra

Now back on display at Dunham Massey and reunited with the silver collection, it portrays two rutting red deer stags and was commissioned by George Harry Grey, 7th Earl of Stamford in an act of love and rebellion.

It was a symbol of locking horns with the Cheshire society that shunned him over his marriage to Catherine Cox – a woman who was considered beneath him by Victorian high society.

The silver centrepiece was crafted by royal goldsmiths and was seen as a masterpiece at the time, going on to be exhibited at the London International Exhibition of 1862 and the Paris Exposition Universelle of 1867.

Elsewhere at Dunham Massey this autumn you’ll find the unique ORIGIN deep listening art installation, which connects visitors to the mansion and gardens through sonic landscapes and visual artistry.

Designed to soothe and rejuvenate, ORIGIN explores the powerful themes of life’s cycle and the human connection to nature.

Dunham Massey is accessible by public transport, with regular buses running from Altrincham and Warrington.

And you can claim 10% off in the ice cream parlour, cafe and restaurant when you show a valid bus ticket.

Find out more about Dunham Massey and what’s on offer this winter HERE.

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Featured image: James Beck

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