The UK’s first-ever public floating sauna, where you can go straight from luxury sauna to outdoor wild swimming, has opened just an hour from Manchester.
Wyld Sauna is home to a 30-person sauna, ice baths, luxury changing rooms and direct access straight into one of the North West’s most iconic bodies of water.
There are also two cold waterfall showers, four heated outdoor showers to salt rubs, and changing rooms decked out with Dyson hair dryers, lockers, mirrors and swimsuit dryers.
The unique experience has opened in the last month on Princes Dock in our neighbouring Liverpool, created by friends Jon Miller and Tom Berendsen.
The 42-year-old pair wanted to create a floating sauna that blends the ‘serenity of nature with the urban vibrancy of the city’.
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Wyld is bringing traditional Nordic saunas to modern life, in a communal environment that’s suitable for everyone from novices to long-time devotees of hot and cold therapy.
Wyld Sauna floats on the water with views of the Liverpool skyline.
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Princes Dock has grown in popularity as a natural swimming spot in recent years, with a growing community of open-water enthusiasts taking the plunge here.
Wyld, the UK’s first FLOATING sauna has opened just an hour from Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
Visitors to Wyld will have direct access to the water (which is regularly tested and has life guards) from a private pontoon.
Jon Miller, Co-Founder of Wyld Sauna, explained: “We’ve always believed in the power of saunas – not just for physical health, but for building community and creating moments of calm in our busy lives.
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“Wyld is our way of making that experience accessible to as many people as possible. Our mission is to bring the best of the Nordic sauna tradition to Liverpool, where anyone can come, unwind, and reconnect – whether it’s their first sauna or their hundredth.”
Tom Berendsen, Co-Founder, added: ”Princes Dock is the perfect setting for Wyld. Being on the water adds another layer to the experience, with the city skyline on one side and the calm of the dock on the other.
“It’s a place where nature and urban life meet, which is exactly what Wyld is all about. We’re very excited to be opening the UK’s first floating sauna, right here in the heart of this beautiful city that’s steeped in heritage and culture.”
Liza Marco, Senior Asset Manager for Liverpool Waters commented: “We are very excited for Wyld to open at Princes Dock next month. It is the perfect location for such a fantastic and luxurious experience on the water, surrounded by some of Liverpool’s most iconic buildings.
“Princes Dock is a popular and growing destination with more people now living and working there, and an increasing number of visitors to its bars, cafes, restaurants, and hotels.
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“Wyld Sauna will be a great addition to the Dock alongside the open water swimming, canoeing and yoga already on offer there and we look forward to seeing everyone enjoying themselves in this fabulous location.”
Manchester set for its busiest weekend of the year with pop-up Park and Rides to open
Emily Sergeant
Pop-up Park and Ride facilities are set to open as Manchester prepares for what’s expected to be its busiest weekend of the year.
The festive season in the run up to Christmas always sees more people flock to the city centre than usual, but this weekend will likely be even busier than expected, as not only are Manchester Christmas Markets still in full swing, but there are also a number of gigs, live festive shows, and major sporting events coinciding with this.
So in a weekend that sees legends gigging and the Manchester Derby take place, as you would expect, thousands are predicted to flock to Manchester city centre and Etihad Campus.
Manchester Christmas Markets are in full swing and Paul McCartney will be at Co-op Live this weekend / Credit: The Manc Group | Wikimedia Commons
Because of this, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) is taking action and encouraging people to dodge the likely congestion and use public transport instead where possible – with pop-up Park and Rides set to be introduced for weekend shoppers and fun-seekers who do want or need to drive.
On Saturday and Sunday, Booth Street West Car Park D (M15 6PD) – which will have 965 parking spaces available – will be free for customers travelling to the city centre by bus, and then again on Sunday, the same car park will be free for those attending Paul McCartney at Co-op Live.
Your ticket to the gig must be shown on entry, before a dedicated shuttle bus then takes you from the car park to the Etihad Campus.
Disney On Ice will be hosting four shows at AO Arena this weekend / Credit: Supplied
Shuttle buses – which are only available on the Sunday – will depart from Higher Cambridge Street and run to Co-op Live and back every 15 mins from 4pm until midnight.
Emirates Old Trafford cricket ground (Talbot Road, Stretford, M16 0PX) will also have 500 parking spaces available for Metrolink customers on Sunday, but you must show a valid pre-booked tram ticket to park there.
On Sunday [15 Dec], we’re offering free parking at Emirates Old Trafford to help relieve congestion in the city.
The Park and Ride is available to customers with a valid tram ticket purchased on the app, at a ticket machine or via contactless.
Anyone else planning to drive across the weekend may also want to consider using one of the permanent Park and Ride sites and complete their journey on foot or by public transport, and you can find more information and the locations of these sites on the Bee Network website here.
Tram capacity has been increased for the festive season, with every available tram running until 1am on Fridays and Saturdays.
The V1 and 36 bus services now also run 24 hours a day.
Other late-running buses on the Bee Network from Manchester include the 43 service to Manchester Airport, the 86 to Sale, and the 142 to East Didsbury.
Manchester Airport trains cancelled more than any other UK airport during Christmas season
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Airport sees more trains cancelled during the Christmas season than any other UK airport, a new study has revealed.
We’re certainly no stranger to a train cancellation or prolonged delay here in the North West, and train services to and from our region’s airport – which is the third busiest airport in the UK, and the largest outside of London – tend to be among the most cancelled of them.
But now, a new study by Arriva has found that Manchester Airport trains are as unreliable as we think… in fact, the most unreliable in the country.
As Christmas fast approaches, many people will be set to make some important journeys to visit family abroad, or to just escape cold weather, but due to transport prices increasing and regular cancellations occurring, it’s been found that more than half (51%) of Brits suffer from travel nerves, which is why knowing the most effective route to your nearest major airport matters.
Transport company Arriva has conducted a new study revealing the most efficient and cost-effective airport transport method this December for the five largest airports in the UK.
A new study has found that trains to Manchester Airport are cancelled more than any other UK airport during the Christmas season / Credit: Ivan Shimko (via Unsplash)
And you can probably guess the train isn’t one of them.
According to the study, Manchester Airport experienced a total of 626 train cancellations last December in 2023, with Northern Rail services accounting for the majority of them with 492 services failing to turn up – making our region’s airport number one on the list nationwide.
5pm to 9pm was also found to be the worst time to travel by train to Manchester Airport during the last festive season, with 169 cancellations.
Top 5 UK airports with the most Christmas train cancellations
Manchester Airport – 626
Heathrow Airport – 220
Luton Airport – 135
London Stansted Airport – 76
Gatwick Airport – 18
Heathrow Airport follows in second place with 220 cancellations in December 2023, while Luton Airport ranks in third with 135 cancellations, and the 6am to 11am timeframe found to be the worst time to travel with 39 cancellations.
While travelling to the airport is often dictated by the time of your flight, this new research has also ranked the best and worst times of day to travel, depending on the number of train cancellations.
It was found that midday between 11am and 2pm was the best time to travel, with only 167 cancellations in comparison to the 245 cancellations experienced between 5-9pm which is the worst.
Daisy Jackson -
13th December 2024 
