Manchester’s ever-changing skyline is instantly recognisable and one local photographer is intent on documenting its beauty.
Tomasz Kozak is an aspiring photographer originally hailing from Rzeszow in Poland, but now living in Manchester.
After calling Manchester home for many years now, he has had the chance to see the city skyline from many different angles up above, which is why he has decided to rank some of his favourite hilltop views across the region.
By creating this list of his seven favourite hilltop views in Greater Manchester, Tomasz said he is hoping to “help those who want to start in cityscape photography but don’t know where to go”. He admitted that “you don’t need to be a pilot of a drone to [capture] amazing images” of the city’s ever-changing skyline and “you don’t need an expensive camera or super long zoom lens” either.
He also recommended that any budding photographers research each of these locations before visiting then as “they offer much more than just pretty picture of our city”.
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He continues: “From woodland areas with hidden waterfalls, or bare hilltops spiked with wind turbines, these are beautiful natural landmarks [with] easy access [which] makes them perfect to enjoy a walk in nature with family or friends.”
So, ready to see the list then?
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Here are Tomasz’s top seven hill views in Greater Manchester.
This number one spot probably won’t come as a surprise to many Mancunians.
Werneth Low in Hyde has taken the crown for the best hilltop view in Greater Manchester according to Tomasz as, in his own words, “this location offers panoramic views of Manchester and it’s great at sunsets”. He recommends that the best time to visit for pictures is “probably September or April as the sun sets directly behind city centre”.
You can find more information about Werneth Low via the Tameside Borough website here.
Bury’s 1852-built Peel Tower Monument takes the second spot.
When it comes to skyline photo opportunities, Tomasz explains that “composition offers quite a bit of foreground interest especially at the dusk where you can capture car trails creating leading lines into the city” and suggests that you “leave your car at the bottom of the hill” for ease as Google Maps will likely lead you thorough narrow private roads.
You can find more information about Peel Tower at the Visit Bury website here.
Hartshed Pike is clocking in at number three on the list.
Tomasz said that “this hill over-viewing Ashton-under-Lyne can offer nice view on Manchester skyline”. He revealed he hasn’t had the chance to visit the location at dusk to photograph it yet, but is planning to do so soon.
You can find more information about Hartshed Pike via the Ashton-under-Lyne History website here.
White Nancy is the furthest south location on the list, ranking in fourth place.
Tomasz admitted that this is the “hardest to shoot because of longest distance to the city” and any aspiring photographers will probably “need clear day to capture Manchester from this angle”, but he did say that in terms of foreground “there is plenty of interest with Bollington village’s natural shape creating leading lines [and] drawing eye into the city”.
You can find more information about White Nancy via the Bollington website here.
Taking the number five spot on the list is Crompton Moor in Oldham.
When it comes to photography opportunities, Tomasz said that this location has “good foreground interest” and “it’s worth a visit to the waterfall hidden close to the carpark to the left”.
You can find more information about Crompton Moor via the Oldham Council website here.
Clarks Hill in Whitefield ranks at number six on the list.
This is a personal favourite of Tomasz’s as he said he “discovered this area in one of my daily runs” during the coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown, and admits it’s a fairly easy shot as “there is not much to think about [with] composition… [with there being] only one place along the road where you can stand without trespassing onto private land”.
You can find more information about Clarks Hill via the Bury Council website here.
Last but not least on the list is Phillips Park in Prestwich.
Whilst Tomasz has admitted that this is “probably the weakest location among all since there are power lines obstructing the view quite a bit” and he’d recommend any photographers “remove [them] in post production, which is quite easy to do even with the basic software”, it’s still no less an impressive view.
More information about Phillips Park can be found here.
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You can see more of Tomasz Kozak’s work via his photography portfolio website here.
Manc music legends James announced MASSIVE hometown show
Danny Jones
Greater Manchester music legends James have just revealed a massive hometown show here in the city centre as part of a landmark domestic arena tour.
Daisy bucket hats at the ready.
James is arguably the epitome of what it is to be the understated, underdog British band; they’ve gone about the business of making quality music somewhat quietly for several decades now, but they’ve had a fresh wave of interest over the past year or so
Having opened up for the likes of Catfish and the Bottlemen’s comeback shows, not to mention playing multiple big festival slots in recent months alone, they’ve now announced a huge run of UK arena shows – and nowhere does a James crowd quite like us Mancs.
Details have been announced for our 2026 UK arena tour, and we’re delighted to be joined by very special guests @dovesmusicblog with tickets going on general sale this Friday at 9:30am. Access the ticket pre-sale on Wednesday via our official store: https://t.co/DwpGrAUESZ NBL x pic.twitter.com/A4CWVpCooL
Announced as part of the celebrations around their Nothing But Love ‘best of’ LP, which pulls tracks from James’ whopping 18 studio albums, the new run of UK arena shows in 2026 follows on from numerous noteworthy shows this calendar year.
In addition to the aforementioned outdoor gigs, like their stunning sold-out night at The Piece Hall in Halifax – not too far from frontman Tim Booth’s hometown in Yorkshire – the indie veterans also celebrated a huge landmark in 2025.
Surpassing the milestone of 40 years as a band, with a lineup that’s remained largely intact and only really grown in terms of live session players and touring bandmates.
The new “definitive” greatest hits record also includes two brand-new songs in ‘Wake Up Superman’ and ‘Hallelujah Anyhow’, both of which are produced by Leo Abrahams, who worked with the band on their long-awaited number one album Yummy in 2024 – a feat loooong overdue if you ask us.
As evidenced by the sheer amount of new material they continue to put out and the almost non-stop touring, they remain one of the most prolific artists in the country. FACT.
You can see the rest of James’ upcoming tour dates, including a healthy number of Northern stops in the likes of Liverpool, Leeds and more.
James UK arena tour dates 2026
Fri 2 Birmingham Utilita Arena
Sat 4 Leeds First Direct Bank Arena
Tues 7 Aberdeen P&J Live
Wed 8 Glasgow OVO Hydro
Fri 10 Newcastle Utilita Arena
Sat 11 Liverpool M&S Bank Arena
Mon 13 Cardiff Utilita Arena
Tues 14 Nottingham Motorpoint Arena
Fri 17 London The O2
Sat 18 Manchester Co-op Live
With James returning to Manchester for their Co-op Live arena debut next April, along with a sensational support slot from fellow local legends, Doves (I know, how lucky are you lot?!), you can bank on this one selling out quickly.
General admission goes on sale this Friday, 10 October at 9:30am, so you’d better be ready to grab yours in a flash.
You can find the ticket link HERE, and we’ll see you in the crowd for a good ol’ singalong.
Featured Images — Ehud Lazin/Press shots (supplied)
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Electronic icons Kraftwerk announce first Manchester gig since 2017
Danny Jones
Pioneering German band Kraftwerk have announced their first UK tour since 2017, with fans having to wait almost a decade for another Manchester gig.
Thankfully, they’ll be heading back down the Autobahn and across the channel for a return to our shores soon enough with a long-awaited list of British and Irish live dates.
Kraftwerk remains one of the most groundbreaking groups in the electronic scene to this day, having paved the way for generations of new artists to keep experimenting with the genre in the 50+ years since their formation.
Heading back to Manchester early next year, die-hards will no doubt snap these tickets faster than you can say ‘Das Model’.
For anyone unaware of these veritable legends of electronica and the world of alternative/Euro-synth pop, Kraftwerk formed all the way back in 1970 and went on to shape the modern music industry, bridging the gap between music and the digital age.
Best known for tracks like ‘Computer Love’, ‘The Robots’, ‘Pocket Calculator’ and the aforementioned on named after the national motorway network, they spearheaded futurism in the musical landscape from the outset.
It seems only fitting, therefore, that their upcoming highly anticipated return to the UK comes as part of their ‘Multimedia’ tour.
While they have played a number of live shows all over the globe this year, including an extensive run in the US, next spring will be our domestic visit from Kraftwerk in nine long years.
Credit: Press shot (supplied)
You can see the full list of UK and Ireland tour dates – including a handful of Northern gigs – down below:
Spanning a total of 15 UK dates, as you can see, there will also be tickets to see Kraftwerk nearby in the likes of Liverpool and with our mates over in Sheffield.
Kraftwerk legend Ralf Hütter famously played a set inside our city’s velodrome at the National Cycling Centre for Manchester International Festival (MIF) back in 2009, and has collaborated with the event on multiple ocassions.
In fact, that very performance was seen as a turning point for MIF, so the Manc Kraftwerk connection speaks for itself; O2 members can obviously get pre-sale, but general admission tickets go live from 9am this Friday, 10 October.
The Manc -
18th September 2020 
