It’s halfway through the year, and I don’t know about you, but my body is starting to ache, and all I want is to unplug, undress, and have someone massage all my troubles away. And as I’ve now discovered, there’s no better way to regroup than a spa break at Ye Olde Bell.
This spa hotel has everything, from a pool where you can swim from the inside to outside, an indoor beach that gives you a boost of vitamin D, a snowstorm therapy room, and loads of luxury treatments – plus, at the minute, a special offer which gets you a free Rasul mud experience (more on that below).
After a drive across the Peak District to the town of Retford, we arrived at the spa and my shoulders instantly relaxed. I was very ready to embrace a day of walking around in a dressing gown and flip-flops, my phone firmly locked away.
We were welcomed by the front-of-house team who gave us our itinerary for the day (the least scary or pressured itinerary I’ve ever seen) as well as the opportunity to pre-order our lunch and wine (carbs and a bottle, thanks). From sea bass to crispy pork belly, all of it sounded delicious – and don’t even get me started on the dessert options.
Before we even arrived at the spa, the changing rooms were beautiful. With dressing gowns, flip flops and fresh towels waiting for us in our lockers, the spa had really thought of everything, so all we had to do was strip to our bikinis and enjoy the day.
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Walking into the spa, we were given a little tour of all the thermal rooms, and we were set on our way for the day.
The roomy saunaIndoor beaches need to catch onWho doesn’t love a pool?Just look at this placeTake us back (Credit: The Manc Group)
Ye Olde Bell has everything from dry saunas ranging in different temperatures, salt rooms to ease allergies, to a cold bucket shower. My favourite therapy room however was the snowstorm experience (who doesn’t love snow in August?!) – it was so refreshing after being in the 90-degree dry sauna.
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After trying all the treatment rooms and hearing the occasional scream from the ice water bucket, we swam outside to the pool and ordered cocktails.
With a spa butler service, you can order a range of hot and cold drinks, but also wine and cocktails – we obviously sidetracked the soft drinks and opted straight for an Aperol spritz and a pineapple margarita. They went down a treat.
After our two-course lunch and wine, which was as delicious as the menu had promised, it was time for treatments.
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I opted for the ‘Experience Elements’ massage, which was based on Chinese philosophy and the oil selected is based on your sign. Amy opted for the ‘Taste of Germaine’ facial which is an introduction to facials – and seeing though she had never spa’d before it was the perfect treatment to start with.
30 minutes went so quickly and I honestly didn’t want to peel myself off the massage table, but we had the Sabbia Med to look forward to, which was like being at the beach and the perfect vitamin D boost needed.
At the end of the day, we didn’t want to leave – but luckily for us, we didn’t have to, with lodges and hotel rooms all on site. Ye Olde Bell really is the perfect place to escape Manchester and enjoy a weekend with friends.
Special offer at Ye Olde Bell
There’s nothing like eight hours of spa time to help you switch off from the outside world.
And now, if you book via this exclusive link, you can add a complimentary Rasul mud experience to your spa package.
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The package includes: full day spa, two-course lunch, Rasul, spa butler service, robe, towel and flip flops.
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.
The Manc -
8th August 2024 
