Travel & Tourism

Rivington Brewing Co – The beautiful country walk that ends at a taproom with stunning views

The prettiest pint in the North West.

Daisy Jackson - 31st July 2026

After a long afternoon of trudging through the countryside in whatever weather conditions the North throws at you, there’s nothing quite like the reward of a crisp pint.

And on a particularly beautiful walk right on the outskirts of Greater Manchester, we stumbled upon a taproom that might just provide the best drinking background in the region.

Let’s start with the walk details.

If you haven’t yet been exploring the trails and paths around Rivington, you’re missing out on a real stunner of a hike.

There are countless loops you can do around the area, providing the best bits of all countryside settings.

You want woods? They’ve got em. A nice flat walk beside a body of water? Rivington’s got it. A decent uphill trudge ending in absolutely stunning views? Yep, that’s here too.

A highlight of this corner of the North West is the Rivington Terraced Gardens, which will try to transport you to Italy and Japan all while only just stepping outside Bolton.

These 100-year-old gardens were created by the Lord of Leverhulme and inspired by his travels, and have been carefully restored in recent years by teams of volunteers.

Walking around the footpaths and flights of steps you’ll stumble upon a hidden Japanese Garden, lakes, waterfalls, bridges, sculptures and caves, ending up at the top of Rivington Pike with panoramic views.

From here, you can keep going along to Winter Hill for arguably even more impressive views, or start to loop back down the hill to the water’s edge, passing Liverpool Castle as you go.

And here is where the beer comes in.

If you pass through the village of Rivington itself and walk along Horrobin Lane which crosses the two reservoirs, you’ll find yourself at the Rivington Brew Co Tap.

This is huge taproom is a haven for modern craft beer, with absolutely loads of brews to choose from and a can fridge if the 20-odd taps don’t have what you fancy.

There’s plenty of cosy spaces inside the fairylight-strewn converted barn building, but the beer garden is the star of the show.

There are views from here right across the water and all the way to Pigeon Tower and Winter Hill, with plenty of space for big groups.

And dotted all around the outdoor area are a rotating selection of street food traders, serving everything from pizza to burgers to cakes.

In situ currently, you’ll find Bun Chicken Bun, who are serving up a menu of 24-hour-brined crispy chicken, as burgers, tenders, Caesar salads, and loads more.

They’ve also got pots of mac and cheese that will give you such a long mozzarella cheese pull, you’ll have to stand up to snap it.

AND they’re doing loads of loaded fries, other sides like corn ribs, and incredible chicken gravy.

Across the courtyard you’ll find Margo’s, serving New York-style pizzas on charming checkerboard plates.

These brilliant thin and crispy slices come topped with everything from fried chicken (a collab with Bun Chicken Bun), blue cheese and buffalo sauce; to parma ham, fresh rocket and balsamic.

And completing the trifecta of street food traders is Meld (devastatingly, not open the day we visited), which is bringing great burgers and tacos to Rivington Taproom.

They’re also serving what I think might be Greater Manchester’s first beer garden small plates, like king prawns in gochujang butter, burrata and peach toast, and padron peppers.

If you’re looking for a belting Saturday afternoon activity, this is absolutely the one.

You can look a walk in the area that suits your ability here.

Read more

• Beautiful Greater Manchester walks you can get to using public transport
• There are two pubs in Stalybridge holding Guinness World Records – for opposite reasons
• Iconic old Manchester boozer named the best pub in the UK

Featured image: The Manc Group