Travel & Tourism

Two Greater Manchester towns have been named in The Sunday Times’ best places to live

Greater Manchester is great, pass it on.

Thomas Melia Thomas Melia - 28th March 2025

Esteemed UK newspaper The Sunday Times’ has published its list of the ‘Best places to live in the UK 2025’, and it features two Greater Manchester boroughs.

Us Mancs didn’t need anymore clarification to know that where we live is incredible but we’ll always take it, especially when the compliment is coming from none other than The Sunday Times.

The publication revealed its annual guide of ‘Best places to live 2025’ which featured more than 70 different locations throughout the nation.

Although we may have been pipped to the top spot, Greater Manchester is featured not once, but twice, which is pretty impressive.

Claiming the victory this year is the market town with a name as pretty as its surroundings, Saffron Walden, which is only 15 miles from Cambridge.

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The locations were ranked through a number of key categories including transport, house prices, broadband, schools and a new addition, mobile signal.

All the contributors to the full list acknowledge the obvious missing puzzle piece, food, and we know if this was factored in a few more Greater Manchester locations may have nabbed the ‘Best places to live’ honour.

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The first Greater Manchester based entry is The Heatons, a hotspot nestled between the city centre and the city of Stockport, which is actually four neighbourhoods – Heaton Chapel, Mersey, Moor and Norris.

These areas are home to living history in the form of the iconic century old Savoy Cinema and lots of open green spaces.

Food may have been missed off The Sunday Times’ list but it certainly didn’t go a miss on ours.

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Mossley has been named on The Sunday Times Best Places to Live list. Credit: Instagram, @ariadneexplores
Mossley has been named on The Sunday Times Best Places to Live list. Credit: Instagram, @ariadneexplores
The Heatons also made the list. Credit: Instagram, @fourtheheatons
The Heatons also made the list. Credit: Instagram, @fourtheheatons

Keep yourself fuelled with some good grub through our own, A Manc’s Guide to: The Heatons.

The second spot which managed to grab the title of ‘Best places to live 2025’ is Mossley, a town packed to the brim with cosy cottages, blissful walks and a close-knit friendly community.

It’s not too far from Dovestone Reservoir and the Peak District National Park – when you’ve got all this greenery on your doorstep you’re bound to be in a good mood.

As well as catching the attention of The Sunday Times, just 15 minutes down the road, Lily’s Vegetarian in Ashton-under-Lyne has been named one of the best local restaurants by the Good Food Guide, clearly Tameside is doing something right.

Our friends over in Leeds at The Hoot have lots to cheer about as Ilkley, Hebden Bridge, Easingwold and Ripon all got a mention.

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You can find out the full rundown on all the spots up and down the country that have been selected as part of ‘The Sunday Times’ Best places to live for 2025′ HERE.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Image: Instagram, @eddie3hundred

Travel & Tourism

You can rent your own ski chalet-style lodge – with an Irish pub in the garden

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Chalet du Lac comes with its own Irish pub. Credit: Airbnb

Nothing screams Alpine Lodge quite like a game of darts in an Irish pub, eh? And at this staycation you can have that apres-ski combo for yourself.

Oh, and your own Irish pub in the garden is just the beginning – if you rent this lodge you also get your own Tiki Bar too.

Chalet du Lac is a boutique home themed around the ski chalets of Val D’Isere in the French Alps, including oak-clad walls, sheepskin throws, and retro ski paraphernalia on the walls.

With five bedrooms for up to 10 guests, and a beautiful kitchen-living room area complete with log burning fireplace, the insides are impressive in their own right.

But the outside will really knock your socks off… even without those snowy Alpine views.

Chalet du Lac overlooks Rudyard Lake on the edge of the Peak District National Park, from a sunny south-facing terrace.

That terrace is also home to a private sunken hot tub so you can soak in those views while having a soak of your own.

Chalet du Lac comes with its own Irish pub. Credit: Airbnb
Chalet du Lac comes with its own Irish pub. Credit: Airbnb
It also has a Tiki bar
It also has a Tiki bar
It also has a Tiki bar
It also has a Tiki bar
Hot tub at Chalet du Lac
Hot tub at Chalet du Lac

And to the rear of the property you’ve got your own Tiki Bar, decorated with multicoloured festoon lighting, bright flowers and both indoor and outdoor seating.

As if one novelty themed bar wasn’t enough, there’s also an Irish bar inspired by Dublin’s legendary Temple Bar.

The sizeable space is kitted out with everything from Guinness barrels to a huge TV screen, plus a pool table, dartboard and log burner.

You’ll also have access to your own wood-fired pizza oven.

Guests can make the most of their position near the lake – the property also has a kayak for exploring the water, with direct access to the lake.

You can find out more about Chalet du Lac and book a stay HERE.

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Featured image: Airbnb

Travel & Tourism

A brand-new immersive ‘walking theatre’ and XR experience has landed in Greater Manchester

Danny Jones Danny Jones Walking theatre XR experience Trafford Palazzo

We hear the word immersive thrown around a lot these days, but if the notion of walking through some of your favourite fantasy and sci-fi worlds in a state-of-the-art XR tour doesn’t fit the definition, we don’t know what does.

Get ready to pull on a headset and be dropped into a different universe, Mancs.

This is Immersia XR: an industry-leading immersive entertainment and XR (extended reality) experience has just been unveiled right here in Greater Manchester.

Anyone for a ride on a magic carpet?

Credit: The Manc Group
Credit: Immersia XR (supplied)

Immersia XR specialises in what they call ‘Walking XR Theatre – a new term for a new kind of experience’, and boasts big plaudits across the board, with an average Google rating of 4.8 from dozens of reviews already.

Having just made its Manchester debut to the public at Trafford Palazzo (located right next to 0161’s famous Trafford Centre) this summer, the new addition brings cutting-edge technology blended with iconic family-favourite tales in an “unforgettable walk-through format.”

A lucky few have been treated to our first time, including us here at The Manc, and you’ll have to take our word for it when we tell you it’s a truly incredible experience.

It’s the first of its kind in the UK and Europe, and although there are other similar VR and AR offerings around the region, you won’t find anything quite like ‘walking theatre’ and this free-roam experience.

Credit: Supplied

As you can see above, there are a number of experiences to be enjoyed right from the off, including two modes inspired by childhood classics, Alice in Wonderland and Tales of Aladdin.

Ever fancied trying your hand as an astronaut and walking on the surface of the moon as you look back at the Earth below? Course you have! No training involved in this one, either.

Take that, Katy Perry, you can keep your short-lived Blue Origin nonsense to yourself.

Immersia XR’s ambition doesn’t stop there, though, as they are also preparing to introduce the exciting new ‘Terracotta Army’ experience in the near future.

Here’s a glimpse at how it looks inside the goggles:

Already open to the public and running up until Sunday, 6 July 2025, Immersia XR is fun for all ages, with kid-friendly zones and accessible narratives built into the experience.

Best of all, there are actually very few bells and whistles; no screens, no controllers – it’s just you walking through the story of your choice.

Immersia XR’s founder, Ian Xiang, said: “We’re not just launching a new attraction—we’re pioneering the future of storytelling. Walking XR Theatre is where cinema, theatre, and technology converge to create magic. You don’t just watch the story—you walk through it.”

Tickets are on sale now, with adult prices starting from only £17, children (ages 3–15) from just £12, and family tickets (2 adults, 2 kids) from £54. Great value for money.

Concession tickets are also available for students and over-65s, priced from £16, and group bookings of 10 or more receive 10% off. You can even get 20% off all ticket types with the early bird code: PRESS20. You can grab yours HERE.

Credit: Supplied/The Manc Group

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Featured Images — Press Images (supplied)

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