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Beautiful Greater Manchester walks you can get to using public transport

Ditch the car and start exploring.

Daisy Jackson - 22nd December 2023

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.

Here are some of the best walks you can do around Greater Manchester using public transport.

Midshires Way, 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.

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.

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

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.

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

Are you ready to blow out some end-of-year cobwebs? Then you are going to want to get yourself up high.

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:

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

The route:

Read more

• Alport Castles – The incredible Peak District lakeside walk with a jaw-dropping spectacle on the route 
• The Torrs Millennium Walkway – a stunning Peak District walk that hovers above a huge gorge
• Brilliant Boxing Day walks around Greater Manchester

Featured image: GetLostMCR