Well, it’s been a year already and it’s only just September. There’s been riots, elections, celebrity breakups, it has been A LOT and I’m knackered. With so much going on in the world and trying to find time to eat, sleep, socialise, clean the house and remember to breathe, we all deserve a little escape to unwind.
Less than an hour from Manchester sits the wonderful Three Horseshoes Hotel & Spa, where you can relax in a spa, AND kick back in an award-winning pub all in one place.
With a whole host of treatments to choose from and their waterwheel room with an ice cold plunge pool, sauna and steam room, all with an extra dose of history, it is the perfect place to relax your mind and muscles.
On arrival, the staff are incredibly welcoming, a sense of calm ripples through the space making you feel instantly relaxed.
Our room wasn’t ready just yet so we were guided into the spa space and handed fluffy towels and robes to relax in.
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There is a fun ‘service button’ when you want a drink or something to eat and everything is brought to wherever you’re relaxing.
Outside are a number of comfy seats to recline in and there is a hot tub pool to relax in.
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On our visit the weather is warm and the sun is shining intermittently, perfect for sitting outside.
We could order breakfast, lunch and cocktails to the spa (which we did, obviously) and it feels like such a treat. Everyone feels like a VIP.
Ham hock and fondue sandwichBlue cheese and mushrooms on toast
We indulged in a ham hock and fondue sandwich, and blue cheese and mushrooms on toast from their light bites section, both of which were delicious. The cocktails were divine and there was plenty to choose from and spoil yourself with.
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The spa has a giant water wheel which harks back to the building’s history and heritage and doubles up an one of the initial ‘treatments’ as part of the experience.
Guests are encouraged to go through a cycle of cold and hot experiences, starting with a drench from the water wheel, before moving into the stone bath steam room.
There is a jazzy contraption that lifts hot stones and dumps them into cold water, flooding the room with steam to help relax your muscles.
Inside the spa at the Three Horseshoes hotel in Leek. Credit: The Manc Group
After 15 minutes of heat you then jump (probably don’t actually jump, it is slippy) into the ice cold plunge pool, which as you might have guessed, is freezing.
I lasted significantly longer than my other half but it was definitely a battle after being so warm.
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They have the Farmers Sauna which is delightful post plunge pool. All of the spa spaces are designed with the history of the building and area in mind which makes the space feel extra special.
We had the opportunity to try out the Beach Hut experience which replicates a sunrise to sunset to give you a heavy dose of vitamin D while you relax in the nice warm sand without fear of being harassed by seagulls.
The beach hut experience in the spa at Three Horseshoes. Credit: The Manc GroupThe beach hut experience in the spa at Three Horseshoes. Credit: The Manc Group
Being by the seaside in the middle of Staffordshire is an odd experience for the senses but we really enjoyed it. We also both had a mixed massage and facial, where we talked through our skin type needs and then lay back and let the masseurs knead our backs like bread dough.
Our room was incredibly cosy. We had a four-poster bed and I’d let the team know that it was our wedding anniversary so they made the space extra special.
We had a gorgeous little hot tub in our private garden which was perfect to relax in before going across to the pub for dinner.
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Bedrooms at Three Horseshoes. Credit: The Manc GroupA private hot tub with a hotel room. Credit: The Manc GroupThe Three Horseshoes country inn. Credit: The Manc Group
The Three Horseshoes country inn is an award winning restaurant with loads to choose from and the products are all sourced locally. There are stunning views of the Staffordshire peaks for you to enjoy while you dine.
In the winter it will be the perfect spot to sit by roaring fires and getting cosy with pals.
You can get a roast every day of the week between 12-2 and all day on a Sunday which sounds ideal to me.
We had to try their famous sponge pudding which was delicate and fluffy, served with gallons upon gallons of custard. Their limoncello tiramisu was the perfect balance of tart and sweet (and a little bit boozy). Breakfast is also served here buffet style, which is how breakfast should always be served in my humble opinion.
So if you’re looking for a reason to escape the rat race, then the Three Horseshoes in Leek is the place for you.
Ryanair introduces immediate £500 fines for ‘unruly’ passengers
Emily Sergeant
Ryanair is majorly clamping-down on passenger conduct by introducing a new immediate fining system.
In a bid to get onboard conduct to an acceptable level, Europe’s largest budget airline has today confirmed (12 June) that it has introduced a £500 fine for disruptive passengers whose unruly behaviour results in them being offloaded from the aircraft.
The airline – which prides itself on being one of the most ‘punctual’ in the continent – says passengers expect to travel in a ‘comfortable and stress-free environment’ that’s free from ‘unnecessary disruption’ caused by a tiny number of people travelling onboard the aircraft at the same time as them.
Ryanair has introduced immediate £500 fines for ‘unruly’ passengers / Credit: Wikimedia Commons
While it’s no secret that passenger disruption is a problem that’s increasingly affecting the airline industry as a whole, Ryanair says it’s ‘committed’ to tackling unruly behaviour for the benefit of its passengers and crew.
The company intends to continue to pursue disruptive passengers for civil damages, but at a minimum, they will now be issued with a £500 fine immediately.
“It is unacceptable that passengers are made suffer unnecessary disruption because of one unruly passenger’s behaviour,” a Ryanair spokesperson commented as the fines were announced today.
The airline says it’s committed to tackling this for the benefit of its passengers and crew / Credit: Pxhere
“To help ensure that our passengers and crew travel in a comfortable and stress-free environment, without unnecessary disruption caused by a tiny number of unruly passengers, we have introduced a £500 fine, which will be issued to any passengers offloaded from aircraft as a result of their misconduct.
“While these are isolated events which happen across all airlines, disruptive behaviour in such a confined shared space is unacceptable.
“We hope that our proactive approach will act as a deterrent to eliminate this unacceptable behaviour onboard our aircraft.”
Featured Image – CCNull
Travel & Tourism
Travel warning issued as more than 100,000 people head to Parklife 2025 this weekend
Emily Sergeant
Parklife 2025 kicks of a thrilling summer of musical events in Manchester this weekend, but attendees should expect disruption.
Manchester‘s major music festival will once again be taking over Heaton Park this weekend (15 and 16 June), with headliners Charli XCX and 50 Cent, alongside other huge names and festival favourites like Jorja Smith, Bicep, Peggy Gou, Rudimental, Confidence Man, and countless others.
But with all the action, of course, comes the annual travel warning.
That’s right, just as we’ve come to expect every year, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) is urging anyone attending Parklife, or anyone travelling around the Heaton Park area, to ‘plan their journeys’ by public transport ahead of time, and allow plenty of time for travel too.
Not only are around 110,000 people expected to make the journey Parklife this weekend, but there’s also events on at Co-op Live and Old Trafford too, so it’s all making for a busy weekend on the transport network.
TfGM wants festivalgoers to use trams and dedicated shuttle bus services to get to and from Heaton Park as much as possible to avoid disruption, and it’s also advised to pre-purchase travel tickets on the Bee Network app to make the process smoother too.
Anyone planning to get the tram to Heaton Park should travel from Victoria station, according to TfGM, as this will help safely manage the demand for transport and allow trams to run every six minutes.
Both Heaton Park and Bowker Vale stops are just minutes from the festival gates.
A travel warning has been issued as more than 100,000 people head to Parklife 2025 this weekend / Credit: TfGM / Parklife
Parklife shuttle buses will run from Lever Street in the Northern Quarter from mid-morning to the last bus at 4:30pm – with drop-off being right inside the festival site.
After the event, returning trams will run from Bowker Vale to the city centre until 1:30am, but the Heaton Park stop will close at 9pm. The last services from Bowker Vale to Bury will run at 12:46am on Saturday and 12:44pm on Sunday.
Return shuttle buses to Manchester city centre will run from inside the park in a temporary bus station, until the site is clear.
Anyone travelling at the weekend, but not to Parklife, can expect roads and public transport be ‘busier than usual’, TfGM admits, especially with the other events at Co-op Live and Old Trafford.
Extra staff and TravelSafe Support Officers will be ‘out and about’ across the transport network to help passengers throughout the weekend.
Key travel and ticket advice for getting to Parklife, as well as general travel advice for the busy weekend ahead, is available now at on the Bee Network website here.
Kristen MacGregor-Houlston -
6th September 2024 
