Castlefield Viaduct in Manchester, the lush National Trust site built up on a disused railway viaduct, has announced plans of night time activity this winter.
The beautiful parkin the sky will be inviting visitors to see the urban green space by nightfall.
There’ll be a free Lantern Lates series where the park will transform into a ‘magical, sparkling grotto’.
Visitors can climb up to Castlefield Viaduct, the huge industrial landmark that has views right across Manchester city centre, and savour the winter wonderland created for the coming season.
It’s before the National Trust project closes for a few weeks in the new year for work to refresh the gardens for spring and summer.
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The viaduct itself has been abandoned since 1969, until the charity revealed plans to turn it into a sky park similar to New York’s High Line.
The temporary urban garden has attracted thousands of visitors and the National Trust is now fundraising to secure a permanent future for the project, which is currently closing in September 2024.
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Along with the Lantern Lates series, Castlefield Viaduct’s other night time events will include a Winter Garden Tour, where guides will explain the stories behind winter plants like holly, ivy and mistletoe.
Castlefield Viaduct has a series of night time events including a Lantern Lates light trail. Credit: David Bewick/National Trust.
And at the end of it all there’ll be a Cosy Corner, a relaxing spot with books, boardgames and crafts.
The Cosy Corner will be built at the far end of the Castlefield Viaduct park, where huge windows look across the overgrown and untouched section of the old railway bridge.
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Castlefield Viaduct is the ideal spot to escape all the madness of the silly season and non-stop parties going on in the city below.
It’s open all the way through winter until Saturday 2 January (except Christmas Day and Boxing Day), with free entry. You can book morning tours on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, or take a wander after 12.30pm on those days or any time on Wednesdays, weekends and bank holidays.
Lantern Lates at Castlefield Viaduct
17 November 2023 – 1 January 2024, 3.30pm – 5pm | Free – Drop-in
As the nights draw in Castlefield Viaduct transforms into a magical, sparkling grotto.
From 3.30pm to 5pm every day, drop in to wander along the light trail and visit the garden in the sky in a different way. It’s the perfect time for a moment of rest above the busy city, take in Greater Manchester’s 21st century skyline and maybe even spot a bat or two.
Get out of the busy city streets and join Castlefield Viaduct for a tour around some festive flora.
Nature has long associations with this time of the year from holly and ivy to mistletoe and chestnuts. Your guide will tell you the stories behind some of the winter plants on the viaduct and introduce the beauty of winter in the garden.
11 December 2023 – 1 January 2024, daily | Free – Drop-in
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Warm up and chill out… After a walk through the winter garden take some time out in the Castlefield Viaduct Cosy Corner.
This December the visitor building will be transformed into a relaxing spot with books, board games and easy crafts plus the spectacular views of the wild viaduct and Castlefield below. Take a break from the rush, settle in with a good read or simply watch nature go by.
The viaduct is a temporary project from the National Trust and due to permanently close after summer 2024. To help secure a future for the project and help the garden grow, you can make a donation or give one as a gift? Click here to give direct to Castlefield Viaduct.
Featured image: David Bewick/National Trust
Travel & Tourism
Olicana Park – The log cabins near Manchester that capture apres-ski magic all year round
Daisy Jackson
Roaring fires, bubbling hot tubs, stunning views, and even pairs of skis strapped to the walls – but this isn’t the French alps… it’s Yorkshire.
Olicana Park is a beautiful holiday park right on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales, just an hour’s drive from Greater Manchester.
Here, scattered around the banks of the River Wharfe, you’ll find a collection of luxury wooden cabins, traditional cottages, and classic static caravans.
But for us, it really is all about those cabins, which capture all the best bits of the apres-ski culture loved by snow-worshippers, all year round.
In winter, you can whack on your own log burger and cosy up on the sofas with a glass of red wine and a good book, while in summer you can throw open the bi-fold doors and sit out with a cocktail on your own gigantic roof terrace.
Each cabin has its own theme that plays in around the tasteful decor, which usually involves incredible wooden beams and stone floors.
The one our friends at The Hoot stayed in had an apres-ski theme, from the subtle (vintage wooden skis and piste markers used as wall art) to the clever (an old chair lift that had been turned into patio furniture).
The luxury apres-ski cabin at Olicana ParkA sauna inside the cabinThe view from your own terrace
There’s a huge hot tub perched on your own private decking too, where you can soak in the warm water while watching the river burble past at the end of your own driveway.
Upstairs in this particular cabin were two enormous double bedrooms with modern en suite bathrooms, one of which also had an enormous terrace attached with a view down to the river.
And then – wait for it – the cabin also came with its own sauna. Talk about luxury.
If you can’t tear yourself away from your own space, each cabin has a kitchen that’s perfectly kitted out with everything you need to whip up a tasty tea (or, if you’re like us, a cheese board for dinner).
Lunch dishes at Hamilton’s the on-site restaurant at Olicana ParkBreakfast at Hamilton’s the on-site restaurant at Olicana Park
But if you do venture out, there’s an on-site restaurant called Hamilton’s, where you can dig in to fresh salads, gyros, and burgers, and when you come back in the next morning you can feast on a menu of banging breakfasts and brunches.
Olicana Park actually used to be a traditional caravan park, but has been given some serious TLC since the new owners took over in 2016.
It was this team who decided to split the park into zones, with four cottages in one, five luxury cabins in another, and 29 static caravans in the third.
The cottages and cabins were all refurbished or constructed from scratch using British suppliers and local tradesmen.
The living rooms in an Olicana Park cabin. Credit: The Hoot Leeds
It’s just a short stroll from Addingham village, and that’s only a short bus from the bustling town of Ilkley, which itself is only a short train ride from Leeds.
That means excellent pubs, restaurants and cafes within easy reach, as well as gorgeous countryside walks like a riverside amble to Bolton Abbey.
Surrounded by a plethora of long walks and country pubs, Olicana Park really is a perfect gateway to the Yorkshire Dales, and if you’re looking for something to kick off holiday season then we couldn’t recommend it more.
You can get 10% off your June holiday at Olicana Park with the code “THEHOOT”.
Whitworth Locke hotel review: This historic Manchester building is home to one of the city’s most beautiful hotels
Abbie Bartlett
Set in a beautiful 19th Century building in Manchester’s civic quarter, Whitworth Locke aparthotel is right in the middle of all the action.
As someone who works in Manchester but lives over in Leeds, this hotel couldn’t be more ideal for me. Less than 10 minutes from both Piccadilly and Oxford road train stations and St Peter’s Square Metrolink station, the ease of getting to the hotel set off my stay to a flying start.
While the beauty of the building is astonishing, it’s almost one of those hidden gems you might miss if you weren’t looking.
Nestled in between the two sides of the building a stunning conservatory marks the main entrance with comfy seating outside I imagine to be an absolute sun trap when Manchester’s weather decides to be kind to us.
As you walk through the glass-roofed bar to get to reception you literally can’t help but be in awe. New York architects, Grzywinski+Pons, embraced the cotton mills’ original features and designed a space to show off bricks and pillars but softened them with pastel paints.
A stunning conservatory marks the main entrance. Image: Whitworth Lockethe glass-roofed bar with cobbled floors. Image: Whitworth Locke
The bar area has an inside-outside feel, cobbled floors and covered in plants with light beaming in from all angles. Even if I wasn’t spending the night, I could see myself spending the afternoon enjoying some cocktails in this space.
I immediately had a cheery welcome as I approached the reception to check in, which I think really does make all the difference. I was asked about my day, if I needed any help finding my way around Manchester (actually incredibly useful for someone who gets lost as much as I do) and talked through all of the hotel amenities.
The hotel hosts a large gym, perfect for yoga, which is free to use over your stay but I opted out as I wouldn’t have the time. There’s also a lovely coffee shop, Foundation Coffee, serving breakfasts, toasties and of course a lovely cup of joe.
The main attraction though, in my eyes, is the free to use co-working space which takes up a huge part of the ground floor. Happily being used by throughout my visit, the Wi-Fi was great, the seats were comfy and although it was busy, it was nice and quiet.
A large seating and working area.Comfortable king-sized beds.
Now let’s get onto the rooms, I had the privilege of trying out one of the suites and what a treat it was. Rooms are decorated with blush pink and pastel green with brass finishes, very chic and brings almost a holiday feeling even on a rainy day in Manchester.
It’s not all about style though, there’s a fully-equipped kitchen with a huge fridge, lovely comfortable king-sized beds and loads of space to unpack your things. An added touch that really made me feel special was the hand written note hoping I enjoy my stay along with a bottle of red wine and chocolates. Safe to say, you know the way to my heart Whitworth Locke.
The fully-equipped kitchen.
My handwritten note and bottle of wine.
Overall, I woke up feeling very refreshed from a good night’s sleep and even more so after a long waterfall shower. It was really easy to check out, they even looked after my luggage for the day, and with the great location I was out and on a train to my first meeting of the day with pure ease.
The moment we’ve all been waiting for, let’s talk money. Double rooms are from £99 in low season, and from £199 in high. Competitively I think it is good value for money, the facilities and location matched with the service and cleanliness there isn’t really anything I could knock.
If you’re after a really central Manchester stay with a lovely team and a super cool aesthetic, you won’t go wrong with this one. Book your stay here.
Daisy Jackson -
6th December 2023 
