It can often feel like so much of the countryside that surrounds Manchester can be a little out of reach if you don’t own a car – but that’s far from the case with this lot.
We’ve teamed up once again with walking expert GetLostMCR along with The Bee Network to work out a list of stunning winter walks you can access with public transport.
There’s everything from canal-side strolls, the water’s surface sometimes frozen over, to brisk walks up to some of the north west’s best viewpoints.
You can get to National Trust sites, woodland, and loads more for just £2 with Bee Network bus tickets, too.
So get your thermals on, download the Bee Network app, hop on a bus, and find a new adventure on your doorstep.
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Here are some of the best walks you can do around Greater Manchester using public transport.
Midshires Way, Stockport
Midshires Way walk in StockportMidshires Way walk in Stockport
Midshires Way is a long boy – a footpath that stretches some 225 miles. So obviously we are not suggesting that anyone attempt to take on the whole thing.
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This route from GetLostMCR incorporates just a small section of it, on a weaving loop of Woodbank Park and along sections of the River Goyt.
This idyllic trail may just be a stone’s throw from the M60 but as you wander down quiet old farm lanes and through towering trees you’d never know it.
This route can also be linked to other footpaths in Stockport, such as the Alan Newton and Fred Perry Way.
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How to get there: The 364 Bee Network bus loops from Stockport to Hazel Grove and will drop you right at the entrance to the park.
The route:
Dunham Massey, Trafford
Deer at Dunham MasseyWalking along the canals at Dunham Massey
Dunham Massey is one of the region’s most scenic destinations, from its impressive country house to its ancient deer park.
And while most of us are familiar with the area, we’ve probably just driven straight to it and parked up without exploring the surrounding area properly.
The route outlined below is an easy breezy three-mile loop that in part follows the Bridgewater Canal.
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And by the time you walk along to Dunham Massey, you can explore the grounds for free – the National Trust only charges entry to vehicles.
If you make it there over the next couple of weeks you can also take in the twinkling wonder of Christmas at Dunham Massey, its already-beautiful grounds illuminated by light installations.
How to get there: Take a Metrolink tram to Altrincham then hop on the 280 bus.
The route:
Rivington Pike, Bolton
Rivington Pike in BoltonRivington Pike in Bolton
Are you ready to blow out some end-of-year cobwebs? Then you are going to want to get yourself up high.
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You may be exposed to the elements up at the top of Winter Hill, and the walk is a little more strenuous than others on this list, but boy oh boy are those views worth it.
You’ll be 1,496 feet high up at the summit with views of Manchester city itself and the rolling hills of Lancashire too.
And then you can take your time strolling around Rivington Pike, on the border of Bolton and Chorley, on your way back down, where The Terraced Gardens include a hidden Japanese Garden, lakes, waterfalls, bridges, sculptures and caves.
How to get there: From Bolton town centre you can take the 913 bus, or the 912 and 915 bus routes also go to Rivington.
The route:
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Lyme loop, Stockport
You’ll feel like you’ve stepped into a box of Christmas cards when you visit Lyme Park in winter, especially if you’re blessed with a sprinkling of snow.
You can completely avoid needing a car to get here too, and take a pretty walk along the canal from Marple all the way to the National Trust estate at Lyme.
It’s a long walk – you’ll want to take your time and allow for a full afternoon – but it’s so worth it, with GetLostMCR’s loop taking you past locks and bridges, rugged moorland and formal gardens.
You can refuel at Lyme Park’s cafe at your halfway point too, but if the return leg feels like too much effort for you, you can just hop on another Bee Network bus for £2 to take you back to your starting point.
How to get there: You can take a train to Marple from Manchester to start your walk
Manchester’s new real-life Pac-Man experience is coming soon and you can grab early bird tickets
Danny Jones
Manchester already boasts a whole host of interactive games bars and activity destinations to boast, but we feel pretty confident in saying that there are very places on the planet where you can find a place to play a real-life version of Pac-Man.
First announced back in October and now scheduled to debut in March 2025, the Pac-Man Live Experience is the newest addition to Manchester’s growing entertainment scene and it’s promising to be a popular one too.
This brand-new life-sized immersive experience plunges players into the nostalgic world of the iconic video game we all know and love, only instead of using joysticks on an old-school arcade machine, they’ll physically sprint, dodge, and chomp their way through a maze.
Although the launch itself is still a few months away, the team behind this ingenious idea are getting ready for the frenzy and putting early bird tickets on sale ahead of opening day.
Credit: Concept Image (supplied)
So how does it work?
Good question: participants can gear up in a PAC vest and step into the role of the instantly recognisable yellow chomper, collecting power pellets, dodging the classic ghost characters – BLINKY, PINKY, INKY, and CLYDE – and racking up points on their way to victory.
Guided through an epic 12-level adventure, players will be led by the ‘PAC-MASTER’: a lively gameshow host who serves as commentator and referee; players will also be accompanied by immersive in-game effects like sound bites, lighting, and haptic (vibration) feedback to elevate the experience. Cool, right?
The striking Arcade Arena will feature two massive PAC-MAN courts projected onto the floor, while dynamic visuals transform the walls, fully immersing participants in the retro arcade universe. There’s no need for headsets either, so players can embark on a multi-sensory adventure, seamlessly blending the real world with augmented reality.
Created by Tom Lionetti-Maguire, the CEO and Founder of Little Lion Entertainment – the same team behind The Crystal Maze Live Experience, Tomb Raider, and Chaos Karts to the likes of London and more recently Manchester –
The whole thing has been brought to life in partnership with Bandai Namco Entertainment, lending the proper licensing to make the experience feel both fun and authentic. It’s the real deal.
Credit: Supplied
Early bird tickets for Pac-Man Live Manchester
If you’re not sold on playing a human-sized, real-life game of Pac-Man in a huge augmented-reality arena right here in Manchester then we don’t know what to tell you, to be honest – all we know is that we’ll be first in line when it arrives.
The Pac-Man Live Experience comes to the Arcade Arena on 22 March next year in line with the game’s 40th anniversary, and they’re inviting players of all ages and providing engaging gameplay for younger participants while delivering a nostalgic throwback that parents and grandparents will cherish.
Better yet, if you book during the early bird window, you can access discount ticket prices from just £25 per person too.
Early bird tickets go on sale at 12 noon today (Thursday, 21 November) – you can grab yours HERE.
Blood Brothers at Palace Theatre, Manchester – a timeless classic
Greg James
Bill Kenwright’s production of Blood Brothers surpassed 10,000 performances in London’s West End making it one of only three musicals ever to achieve that monumental milestone – and now it’s visiting us here in Manchester.
“Oh Bright New Day”, Blood Brothers has just landed back at the Palace Theatre. This musical written by Willy Russell is a British piece of theatre that is a staple in the musical theatre tapestry of our country.
For anyone who is unfamiliar with this iconic story, it is an emotional tale of two twins who are separated at birth and grow up on opposite sides of the tracks, only to meet again with the most fateful of consequences.
The story’s central character, Mrs Johnston is the linchpin in this whole story and carries us through the show.
This role has been played by many superb women over the years including Mel C, Kiki Dee, Barbara Dickson and nearly all of the Nolan Sisters. This time, Mrs Johnston is performed by Vivienne Carlyle who provides a lovely maternal performance.
The other two lead roles are Mickey and Eddie, played by Sean Jones and Joe Sleight respectively.
These are really complex roles to play as the actors have to portray the characters from early school years to grown adults.
The cast of Blood Brothers in Manchester. Credit: Jack MerrimanSean Jones, Gemma Brodrick and Joe Slight in Blood Brothers in Manchester. Credit: Jack Merriman
Sean Jones has been playing the role of Mickey now for nearly 25 years and so he is no stranger to this character. And I must say, he still fantastically plays the part, even when playing young Mickey, and the show really takes off when he enters the stage.
Joe Sleight is someone who I had not seen in the role of Eddie before and he gave just as strong a performance as Jones. He offered a real contrast to his counterpart with a really beautiful, touching performance.
The whole ensemble did a gorgeous job of helping to carry these characters throughout the musical, showing a real flair for multi-roling and beautiful musicality in the group numbers too.
Something which elevates this already gripping story though is the music. There are many recurring musical motifs throughout the show that on the surface may come off as repetitive but they offer perspective on how things can evolve and change over time.
Of course the song though that everybody is perhaps familiar with is the power ballad, ‘Tell Me It’s Not True’. This is the climax of the show and what a climax it is. There’s not a dry eye in the house when we reach this point of the story, I can assure you!
So, whether you are returning to watch this show again, perhaps know the story from studying it in English GCSE or seeing it for the first time, it will always be an absolutely timeless classic.
Blood Brothers is on at the Palace Theatre in Manchester until Saturday 30 November. Tickets are available HERE.
Daisy Jackson -
22nd December 2023 
