Travel & Tourism

Travel advice issued for the Manchester Christmas Markets 2024 as millions descend on city

It's the big one!

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 8th November 2024

Travel advice has now been issued ahead of the Manchester Christmas Markets, with millions of visitors expected to attend the attraction over the coming weeks.

The arrival of the wooden huts and festive teepees signals the start of the Christmas season for the city, with the smell of sizzling sausages and mulled wine in the air.

Every year, the Manchester Christmas Markets attract around nine million visitors from around the region, the UK and beyond.

It’s arguably the biggest visitor attraction in the North West and can get busy – and that often trickles over into the roads and public transport.

So Transport for Greater Manchester has now shared a bit of travel advice to help you soak up all those lovely festive vibes without sitting in a traffic jam.

The Bee Network is the most convenient way to get around, with fast, frequent and later services running whether you’re Christmas shopping, at your work party or just enjoying all the city centre has to offer.

There are also discounted tickets for families – a group of one to three children with one or two adults are able to enjoy unlimited off-peak travel on any bus for £9, or make use of the full Metrolink network over an entire weekend (from 6pm on a Friday until last services on a Sunday) for £9.50 (now available on the Bee Network app). 

In comparison, four hours parking in the city centre is on average £13.46.  

As for car journeys, they’re expected to take on average 20% longer around the city centre in the lead-up to Christmas, especially at the weekends.

Those who do drive are encouraged to use one of the Park and Ride sites across the Metrolink, bus and train network.

TfGM has stressed that you can use Starling Bank bikes to nip around town itself, as well as the many tram and bus stops.

And the V1 and 36 bus services – connecting Manchester with Leigh and Bolton via Salford – now operate 24 hours a day, meaning you don’t have to worry about missing the last bus home.  

TfGM’s Chief Network Officer Danny Vaughan, said: “The opening of the Christmas Markets means the start of the festive season for many people, as the countdown to the big day begins and everywhere gets much busier for a few weeks. 

“It can be a hectic time of year, but choosing the Bee Network and leaving the car at home is a smart way for people to save time and money, keeping more cash in their pocket for shopping, nights out and festive treats. 

“There is a great range of affordable tickets on offer, including for families. So, get on board with us to take the stress out of things by making your journey as reliable, comfortable and affordable as possible.  

“Our frequent bus and tram services can avoid you sitting in traffic and stressing over finding somewhere to park, and for short journeys consider cycling, walking or wheeling – it is often the quickest, healthiest and most cost-effective way to make your journeys.” 

The Manchester Christmas Markets are open from Friday 8 November until Sunday 22 December.

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Featured image: The Manc Group

Travel & Tourism

Andy Burnham reveals plans to build underground tram and train line in Manchester by 2050

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant Underground train

Andy Burnham has announced some ambitious long-term plans to build an underground tram and train line in Manchester.

As Greater Manchester sets its sights on a new era of economic growth, on the way to becoming a ‘second city’ to rival any other on the planet by 2050, Mayor Andy Burnham shared the city region’s blueprint for a ‘greener, fairer future’ this week – with underground transport plans being right the heart of it.

Mr Burnham says his vision for the next decade is to create a ‘thriving’ city region where everyone can ‘live a good life’.

At the launch of The Greater Manchester Strategy 2025-2035 this week, the Mayor announced everything from plans to build thousands of new homes, including social housing, to intentions to transform the region’s technical education system through delivery of the Greater Manchester Baccalaureate (MBacc), and more.

Andy Burnham reveals plans to build an underground tram and train line in Manchester / Credit: TfGM

But it’s public transport where it seems some of the most significant changes are set to be made before 2050 arrives.

The Mayor revealed plans for new bus routes, tramlines, and train stations to connect ‘thriving communities’ across the city region with an integrated lower-cost transport system that’ll help more people get out and access new opportunities. 

Construction of a tram stop to service new homes at Victoria North will also start by 2028, it has been confirmed, while work to bring Metrolink to Stockport – which has already been announced to huge support – will begin by 2030.

Two commuter rail lines will join the Bee Network next December as well, with another six joining by 2028. 

The headline-grabbing announcement, though, has to be that Mr Burnham has also announced plans to unlock ‘transformative’ investment in transport infrastructure, so that by 2050, Manchester Piccadilly has an underground tram and train station with a high-speed rail link to Liverpool.

He’s also looking to boost regeneration of the surrounding area, effectively making it ‘the Kings Cross of the North’.  

“We’re the UK’s fastest growing economy and stand on the cusp of what I believe could be our best decade since the Victorian era,” commented Mayor Andy Burnham, “and our task for the next decade is to build a platform for success for all our residents.

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“Our vision is ambitious, but in my eight years as Mayor, I’ve learned that, when we pull together, there’s nothing we can’t achieve.

“There’s a long and proud tradition of collaboration in Greater Manchester. Devolution has turbocharged that and now we’re ready to deliver a new model of growth where no one is left behind.”

Featured Image – Maria Lupan (via Unsplash)

Travel & Tourism

Mélange by Red Hall is a jewel in the crown of Bury’s burgeoning hospitality scene

Danny Jones Danny Jones Mélange Red Hall review Bury

We recently had the pleasure of staying at the understated and most definitely underrated Red Hall Hotel over in Bury, and got to try their stunning new Mélange restaurant while we were at it.

Now, we say underrated not because it hasn’t received glowing reviews in the past; the AA-star hotel has enjoyed plenty of plaudits over the years and currently averages 4.5/5 from over 900 reviews.

However, what we will say is that the food now being served from this quaint little outpost located in the tiny hamlet of Walmersley, just on the border of Ramsbottom (regularly voted one of the best places to live in the UK), is well worth more than the hotel’s three-star rating on it’s own.

Not only did we have the pleasure of staying in this charming little village getaway, but we were treated to a whopping 11 courses, followed by a morning meal, for a truly wonderful bed and breakfast vibe with all the added luxury of a Kayak Awards and 2021 Tripadvisor Travellers’ Choice-winning destination.

red hall hotel review bury
The Mélange restaurant at Red Hall Hotel
melange restaurant bury
Such a striking room when you first walk in.
Credit: The Manc Group

The first thing that struck us about the local favourite venue is that, despite being located beside Manchester Road, once you’re inside, it’s a quiet, tranquil and calming little escape from what is already a nice out-of-the-way escape from the bustle of the city and even Bury town centre.

Even if not, how inviting the actual Mélange restaurant itself is definitely will; the golden sign glistening from the soft white dangling bulbs immediately catches your eye, and then you walk in to see the big conservatory and almost orangery-esque windows, with sloped ceilings and lots of light.

You get just as warm a welcome from the staff as well, which is a feeling maintained throughout your entire dining experience, as they really do communicate that sense of comfort whilst “drawing from mamma’s childhood memories and unforgettable holidays” through the food.

Speaking of which…

Mélange – which quite literally translates to ‘a mixture’, often even hinting at things that don’t usually fit together – promises a fusion of British and Mediterranean cuisine, and delivers both familiar flavours but with plenty of contemporary punch and visual appeal.

melange menu bury
red hall bury food
Mediterranean restaurants Greater Manchester
red hall hotel restaurant
Credit: The Manc Eats

We may have begun our meal with something as simple but satisfying as a mini round loaf of bread freshly baked in a cast iron pot with some acidic, tapenade-esque chutney, along with a couple of very refreshing and lemon-forward spritzes, but it didn’t take long before we dove headlong into indulgence.

See, the trouble was the mezze: we wanted to try a little bit of something from each section of the menu, but we couldn’t help but be drawn in by starting with three selections from what was advertised as ‘small plates, big flavours’.

In actuality, what happened was a board featuring our trio of choice appeared, and the bowls that sat upon it were pretty filling on their own. It’s a good job we didn’t spring for the eye-catching charcuterie board as well, otherwise we really would have struggled to finish this feast.

We went for these naughty ‘nduja arancini, some ever-so-smoky chicken wings in a slightly spiced aioli, and quite literally the best halloumi fries you’ll ever try; we don’t know if it was the light fried batter, the perfectly tearable texture of the cheese, or the subtle hot honey dip, but they were incredible.

We also opted to try two more delicate, lighter bites to somewhat cleanse the palate – the corn and duck salad, both of which were fantastically balanced and still not skimpy on the portions either.

The point being is that, at this stage, we started to worry this, plus our main courses of maple-baked salmon (paired with the most impressively smooth and sweet potato purée imaginable), gambas al ajillo (giant black tiger prawns in garlic) and a stuffed, herbaceaous, rolled pork number might be overkill…

Perfectly soft, gooey arancini with a slight heat to them.
gambas al ajillo
You could see the quality of the prawns before tasting it.
That tweal on top alone was packed with flavour.
Light, seasonal and yet more than a few mouthfuls.

Having said that, we still found time/room for another round of cocktails – again, sticking with the spritz theme (’tis the season, after all) – and just about managed to squeeze in two desserts.

The lemon posset was just tangy enough without being too tart and was devoured within seconds, while the cheesecake with an extra dusting of pistachio on top was superb. Topping each with a thin, honeycomb-design biscuit felt like a nice little Manc finishing touch as well.

We’ll confess, a fair few belt notches were loosened throughout the duration of this meal, but we kept persevering for a number of reasons: we wanted to get a comprehensive sweep of what’s on offer, we didn’t want to waste a morsel of food if possible, and most importantly, it was stunning.

Honestly, there wasn’t so much as an average mouthful of food all night. We can’t believe it’s taken us this long to try what’s being served out of the Mélange kitchen; pair that with a brilliant breakfast and relaxing stay at Red Hall itself, and it’s up there with one of the best hotel packages in the area.

Plenty of food and drink spots help, but the great in Greater Manchester, and we can’t say where exactly we’d rank this amongst all 10 boroughs, but we firmly believe you won’t find many better all-round hospitality offerings in Bury – if, indeed, at all.

best hotels in bury
red hall hotel rooms
walks in the bury area
There are plenty of lovely day and evening walks nearby.
red hall hotel offers
Or you can just curl up content on the sun-soaked terrace.

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Featured Images — The Manc Eats

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