Travel & Tourism

You can now go on a Wetherspoons package holiday around the UK

Including VIP travel, local sights and plenty of pubs.

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 28th June 2024

Cheap pints, those blue floral plates, dodgy carpets and long walks to the loo – if the thought of all this, aka a quintessential Wetherspoons experience, fills you with joy, these new holidays are for you.

A UK travel firm has just launched the nation’s first Wetherspoons holiday, which will whisk you around the UK in a luxury vehicle seeing some beautiful sights and some beautiful Spoons.

Trips will start from £1300 per person, which is a little more expensive than you might expect for a vacation centred around the nation’s famously budget pub chain.

You can pick tours of the North or South, with the former ticking off major cities like Manchester, Leeds and Liverpool as well as the Lake District, Yorkshire Dales, and Blackpool.

Along the way, as well as taking in the sights of each place, you’ll visit some of the UK’s finest Wetherspoons for a cheap pint and maybe even a Curry Club.

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Pubs on the tours include The Sir Wiliam de Wessyngton in Sunderland, the cheapest Spoons’ in the north; The Winter Gardens in Harrogate, one of the country’s most beautiful Wetherspoons venues; and The Velvet Coaster in Blackpool, one of the UK’s largest pubs.

And here in Manchester, Wetherspoons tour guests will get to visit The Moon Under Water on Deansgate. I know – the glamour.

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The Velvet Coaster in Blackpool is part of the Wetherspoons holiday package. Credit: Google Maps
The Velvet Coaster in Blackpool is part of the Wetherspoons holiday package. Credit: Google Maps

The new holidays come from travel company MyUKTour, which is renowned for its Bentley chauffeured tours around the UK and Europe.

A spokesperson from MyUkTour said: “All of us at MyUKTour are so excited to start offering this bespoke trip to one of Britain’s best known, and arguably finest, cultural institutions.

“Combining hearty pub grub and craft ales with historical monuments and stunning landscapes, this tour is sure to showcase the very best that Britain has to offer.”

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You can enquire here for the Northern version of the Wetherspoons holiday.

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Featured image: Unsplash, Gonzalo Remy

Travel & Tourism

The Peak District walk with a giant cave and a mysterious ‘disappearing river’

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson thors cave. Credit: instagram christani14

Thor’s Cave is one of the Peak District’s most impressive structures – and the river that flows nearby has its own stories too.

When people think of caves in the Peak District, their minds will turn to the world-famous tourist hotspots Blue John Cavern and its neighbours in Castleton.

But there’s a mighty cave, down on the Staffordshire side of the Peak District, that’s often overlooked.

This is Thor’s Cave, a huge natural cavern located in a steep limestone crag.

Its structure dominates the horizon, but it’s the view from inside the cave itself that makes this well worth the drive.

Once you scramble into Thor’s Cave – and the rocks can be icerink-slippy, so take care – its limestone walls create a picture frame looking over the Manifold Valley.

Thor’s Cave from above. Credit: Instagram, @aurimaskan
The cave in autumn. Credit: Instagram @jennieclaydon
The cave in autumn. Credit: Instagram @jennieclaydon

Thor’s Cave is in the Staffordshire side of the Peaks, a little further afield than some parts of this beloved national park.

It’s around an hour and a half’s drive from Manchester itself to the village of Wetton, or less if you live on the south side of the region.

But it’s well worth the trip.

It’s believed that this ancient structure was occupied by early humans in the Palaeolithic period, after remains, tools, pottery and bronze items were found here by archaeologists.

If you’re thinking the cave looks familiar too, you might recognise it as the cover image of The Verve’s debut album, A Storm in Heaven, and from their music video for Blue.

Thor's Cave. Credit: Instagram @fastpacker
Thor’s Cave. Credit: Instagram @fastpacker

A 7.5km circular walk from Wetton village will take you all along the course of the River Manifold and pass by Thor’s Cave, and other caves in the valley.

The river itself has been nicknamed the ‘disappearing river’, for good reason.

Unless there’s been particularly wet weather, the river vanishes around Wetton Mill and doesn’t reappear until Ilam Hall, about six kilometres away.

It’s all down to the limestone riverbed, which is pockmarked with sinkholes and underground channels and caves.

In dry weather you can walk along the empty riverbed, knowing that the River Manifold is still flowing way beneath your feet.

And when you’re all walked out, you can settle down for a pint and a pie at the traditional country pub, the Royal Oak.

There’s a detailed route plan you can follow on peakdistrictwalks.net.

Read more: The incredible winter walk near Greater Manchester with a cosy pub at the end

Featured image: Instagram, @christani14

Travel & Tourism

Co-op Live and TfGM extends FREE tram travel scheme for event ticket-holders

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

A groundbreaking scheme offering free tram travel to all Co-op Live event ticket-holders has now been extended.

The Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) initiative – which was announced back in March ahead of the massive new arena’s long-awaited opening, and is the first of its kind in the UK – has already seen thousands of ticket holders get to make the most of integrated travel across a Manchester‘s Metrolink tram network over the last couple of months.

When announced, the popular scheme initially applied to anyone who had tickets to events at Co-op Live between 20 April and 30 June.

But now, TfGM has announced that the scheme will continue until the end of this month (July 2024). 

Co-op Live and TfGM has extended its free tram travel scheme for event ticket-holders / Credit: Bee Network / TfGM

As part of Co-op Live’s “ongoing commitment to sustainable travel” – which is funded by the venue – the continuation of the initiative means that fans with a valid arena event ticket can use the Metrolink from four hours before, and up to four hours after (depending on the timing of each show), to allow people to travel at a time that’s most convenient to them.

The initiative will remain active across all four Metrolink zones.

The two organisations say the scheme has been been extended because integrated tram travel with all event tickets offers a sustainable alternative to driving, and ensures that fans can make a quick and easy getaway at the end of the night, whether they’re heading back home or into the city centre.

“We’re over the moon to see the positive results of our collaborative sustainable travel initiative with TfGM, and very pleased to be able to extend the offer of integrated tram travel until the end of July,” commented Rebecca Kane Burton, who is Co-op Live’s Interim General Manager, on the scheme extension announcement.

“Alongside recent partnership announcements, it further cements our dedication to give back to the planet, to our local community, and to our fans.”

Read more:

Fans will be able to access relevant event travel information for their event on the dedicated page on TfGM’s website here.

Featured Image – Bee Network / TfGM

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