The newest restaurant in Rochdale, The Martlet, is finally here, taking up a corner of the Rochdale Town Hall, and it’s being backed by some well-known names.
The much-anticipated restaurant has a smart menu packed with classic northern dishes, sourced locally, like Jackson’s rag pudding, and bacon chop with Bury Black Pudding and Denshaw egg.
And inside the stunning space, guests aren’t just treated to tasty delights, but visual delights too, with artwork adorning the eatery’s grand walls.
The Martlet is offering everything from seafood and meat and veggie dishes, sure to go down a treat with everyone who pops in to visit.
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The leading powerhouses behind this remarkable venture are renowned chef Tristan Welch and award-winning chef Darren Parkinson, who have expertly crafted the menu for the establishment taking careful consideration of its location.
Parkinson has previously worked at restaurants not too far away in Halifax including Shibden Mill and The Fleece Inn, growing up in Heywood less than 15 minutes away from where The Martlet is situated.
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Eager-eyed sweet-treat lovers may notice a familiar favourite from Grandpa Greene, a local ice cream parlour based in Delph, whose soft serve delicacy will definitely be a favourite with all dining guests.
There are a multitude of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drink choices with standouts being the aptly-named ‘Peregrine’ whisky, named after the resident birds that have been nesting in the eye-catching clock tower since 2008.
Rochdale’s newest fine dining restaurant is named after a mythical bird, one which is featured in imagery of the town over the years and even on the borough’s coat of arms.
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The Martlet holds a respectable 70 guests with its seating arrangements spread across a range of booths and tables.
A two course meal at this new food spot is £30 and those who are feeling a little more peckish can tempt their tastebuds to three courses for only £35.
The restaurant is a multifunctional space, so from 10am until 4pm on Monday to Fridays, it’s providing guests with a café luxe day-time menu and afternoon teas, which stay true to the dining destination’s northern roots.
Visitors wanting to enjoy The Martlet can come down on Friday and Saturday evenings from 27 September and will be greeted to a luxurious menu utilising local produce in its exquisite recipes.
Last-minute tickets up for grabs for Greater Manchester’s spooky steam train rides this Halloween
Emily Sergeant
One of Greater Manchester’s most-popular Halloween events returns this weekend, and there’s still tickets up for grabs.
East Lancashire Railway‘s (ELR) eerie ghost trains are a spooky season tradition at this point.
The heritage railway’s Halloween Ghost Trains always prove to be top of the Halloween bucket list for people looking for “loads of spooktacular fun” once the scariest time of year rolls around, and 2024 is expected to be no different – especially as there’s set to be “fresh twists and new surprises” to celebrate ‘Year of the Pumpkin’.
While some little Mancs are already on October half term, and with the rest set to break up from school this Friday, the spooky steam train rides will be happening from 24-26 October this year, with special trains running on Halloween itself (31 October).
Spooky steam train rides through Greater Manchester are returning this Halloween / Credit: ELR
Got the guts for the ride of a lifetime?
In this year’s event, the railway will be transformed with elaborate decorations and eerie lighting, and visitors are encouraged to ensure that “no ghouls fly under the radar”.
Those brave enough at lending Zombie Bob and the ‘Monster Squad’ a helping hand at banishing ghosts and ghouls will be whisked away on a haunted steam engine through the atmospheric Greater Manchester countryside.
You’ll first start off the experience with a pumpkin-themed haunted house walkthrough over the ghoulishly-decorated footbridge at Bury Bolton Street Station, all before you hop on a 60-minute spooky steam train ride to the Irwell Vale and back.
As you take in the autumn sights and delights of the local countryside out the historic steam train’s windows, there’ll be lots of spooky entertainment and music along the way, and, as it always is each year, screaming and singalongs are to be expected too – and encouraged – as this is all part of the experience.
Families are also encouraged to “show off your spookiest fancy dress” on the day, and if you make it to the end, then a goody bag for every child “full of tricks and treats” awaits.
The Halloween Ghost Trains return tomorrow (24 October), and with multiple journeys happening each day, there’s still a handful of tickets left to get your hands starting from just £14 per person, so you’ll want to snap them up quick.
The best things to do in Greater Manchester this week | 21 – 27 October 2024
Emily Sergeant
Autumn is in full swing, spooky season is here, and schools across the region will be out for half term from this week.
With Halloween only a week away, and schools set to break up for October half term from this Friday onwards, it’s about time we all started to fully immerse ourselves in everything autumn has to offer, and thankfully, there’s absolutely no shortage of things for the whole family to be getting up to across Greater Manchester.
Finding it a bit tricky to pick what to do though? We’ve chosen a few of the best bits for another edition of our ‘what’s on‘ guide this week.
Here’s some of our recommendations.
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Pumpkin Lanterns
Manchester City Centre
Monday 21 October – onwards
Pumpkin Lanterns / Credit: CityCo / Manchester BID
There couldn’t be a more ideal time to catch a glimpse of the pumpkins.
If you’re looking to get in the mood for Halloween, but want to keep things a little on the cheaper side this week, then you need look no further than up above in the city centre as the annual decorative pumpkin lanterns are back once again.
Going on a little tour to see the lanterns in the trees in St Ann’s Square, Market Street, and beyond is the perfect activity for all the family, easy to plan, and great for pictures – and it’s free too.
Manchester Science Festival 2024 / Credit: Science Museum Group
You can explore the extremes of nature, human capability, and creativity at Manchester Science Festival this year.
The massively-popular festival has made a grand return for 2024 from this week, and it’s offering visitors the unique opportunity to become a genuine part of history through a wide range of immersive events and activities.
Organisers say the festival is all about “tackling the extremes of our world” this year, and this means attendees will get to learn about some of science’s most cutting-edge developments through multi-sensory experiences and hands-on family fun.
Find out everything happening at this year’s festival here.
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Time To Die
DIECAST
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Monday 21 October – 2 November
Time To Die / Credit: Supplied
It’s time to die…
That’s because a brand-new immersive scare experience presented by Manchester Scare Factory, called ‘Time To Die’, has landed right here in the city centre down at Diecast, and it’s said to be elevating horror to a whole new level.
Created by the group of innovative professionals behind the award-winning Newsham Park in Liverpool, and the infamous Area51group, this horrifying masterpiece has than enough to send shivers down your spine.
Chester Zoo’s Halloween Festival / Credit: Chester Zoo
Chester Zoo has been transformed into a ‘super-natural spectacle’ for the spooky season, and there’s loads of exciting events planned now that Halloween is right around the corner.
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The UK’s biggest charity zoo is getting into the scary spirit throughout October, with a trail of giant animals made out of pumpkins, and a fully animated 360-degree ‘mythical experience’ among the highlights at the huge new Halloween festival.
Visitors will come face-to-face with giant animal sculptures made with pumpkins, all before encountering untamed creatures at the new BEASTS experience – which is the first of its kind in the UK.
STAB Horror Film Season / Credit: Cultplex | Paramount Pictures
October is here… and so is STAB Horror Film Season.
Now a much-loved staple of Manchester’s spooky season, Cultplex’s annual horror film festival is back for 2024, and the Red Bank-based ‘mini cini’ has once again been taken over by a whole host of scary movies and more as part of the month-long festival.
This year’s lineup features sci-fi and supernatural classics such as The Exorcist and Alien, as well as full-on movie marathons, special spooky one-offs, and other events.
Scare City has returned to the North West for its fifth year running with its “most immersive” horror experience to date.
Taking over the grounds of the abandoned Camelot Theme Park for “another year of terror”, just as it has done for the past three years following the success of its initial 2020 launch as a drive-in cinema, this year’s event features a selection of terrifying zones to weave your way through – some familiar, some brand new.
Tickets are now available to book at £26.95 for standard entry, or £36.95 for the ‘Gold Entry’ (both plus a £2.45 booking free).
Find out more and grab tickets to this year’s event here.
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Eat Well, Do Good Festival
Manchester City Centre
Monday 21 – Sunday 27 October
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Eat Well, Do Good Festival / Credit: Eat Well MCR
Medlock Canteen, Higher Ground, Great North Pie Co, Erst, Fenix, Hawksmoor, and Where the Light Gets In are just some of the beloved Manchester eateries appearing at this year’s Eat Well, Do Good Festival.
Running all this week, the Eat Well Do Good festival aims to raise vital funds to support Eat Well MCR’s ongoing efforts to provide meals to those in need.
From launching Eat Well-inspired dishes, to specially-launched supper clubs in renowned Manchester venues, a unity of exciting and immersive activations are lined up to support the overall cause.
A brand-new Halloween trail will be leading people through an enchanted and haunted woodland this autumn.
Taking place at the Trafford Centre’s little-known Wilderspool Woods, the 4.5 acre hidden woodland in the grounds of the iconic shopping centre will be taken over by skeletons, bats, and all sorts of other spooky creatures.
More than 100,000 lights will illuminate a Skeleton Village, and there’ll be laser-filled gardens of mist, a spooky soundtrack of otherworldly tunes curated by DJ Rasp, and supernatural surprises around every corner – whether it’s colourful bats soaring overhead or glowing LED eyes watching down from the treetops.
Paddington Visits Manchester / Credit: The Manc Group
Did you know that an adorable statue of Paddington Bear has been installed in Manchester?
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Inviting passers-by to pull up a seat, the little likeness to the much-loved animated character in the middle of Spinningfields at Hardman Street is complete with red hat, blue duffle coat, and even his emergency marmalade sandwich.
The statue has been installed as part of the Paddington Visits trail right across the UK and Ireland, celebrating the upcoming release of Paddington in Peru.
The Paddington statue in Manchester has been constructed onto a bench with space beside him to sit with the loveable bear, and will be in situ for at least the next year.
One of the stand-out events on the family-friendly lineup this year is the indoor ‘Pop-Up Pumpkin Patch’, which is perfect for pumpkin pickers of all ages who fancy getting into the spooky spirit, all while staying dry and warm at the same time.
For just £2 per child, you’ll be able to pick out your pumpkin to take home for carving or decorating, and every single penny from the ticket sales of this event will go to the Trafford Centre’s chosen charity for 2024, FareShare Greater Manchester – the region’s largest food redistribution charity.
Halloween Ghost Trains / Credit: East Lancashire Railway
East Lancashire Railway’s popular Halloween Ghost Trains are back this week.
Always proving to be top of the Halloween bucket list for people looking for “loads of spooktacular fun” once the scariest time of year rolls around, those brave enough at lending the ‘Monster Squad’ a helping hand at banishing ghosts and ghouls will be whisked away on a haunted steam engine through the atmospheric Greater Manchester countryside.
You’ll get to meet lots of “oddballs and curios” along the way, including Count Brian the vampire, Veronica the witch, Zombie Bob, and the mad Dr Frankenburger as you board the rain ride of a lifetime.
The MCR Monsters are back once again, and you’ve only got a few days to get yourselves out there to find them all.
Part of the annual wider ‘Halloween in the City’ events lineup, just as they have been doing for the past few years now, giant inflatable monsters will be looming and creeping over buildings across the city centre this week to transform some of our most well-known landmarks with tentacles and googly eyes and pointy teeth for a free trail.
There’s dozens of monsters to spot around town this year, so make sure to keep your eyes peeled and your wits about you.
There’s a singalong screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show happening down at one of Manchester’s newest venues.
Taking place this weekend at Fairfield Social Club, with not one but two screenings of the classic 70s flick across both Friday 25 and Saturday 26 October, this is your chance to dress the part, sing the night away in style, and be “chilled, thrilled, and fulfilled”.
Oh, and did we forget to mention there’ll be bottomless drinks too? Now we’re talking.
Silence of the Baths / Credit: Supplied | Chris Payne (via Supplied)
Three of Manchester’s most legendary old nightclubs are to “resurrected” for one night only this Halloween weekend.
Returning to the stunning Grade II-listed Victoria Baths for a “fright night of thrills” after a sell-out debut in 2023, this is your chance to travel back to a time when South, Jilly’s Rockworld, and The Tiger Lounge were still standing, as the three iconic venues will unite for The Silence of the Baths: Back from the Dead.
Manchester icon Clint Boon will be joined by Mikee Diablo and Max Oblivion for the one-off event this Saturday, with the venue set to “show its darker side”.
Find out more and grab some last-minute tickets here.
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Pumpkin Carving Competition
GRUB
Sunday 27 October
Pumpkin Carving Competition / Credit: GRUB | Nick Taylor (via Flickr)
Consider yourself to be a pro pumpkin carver? You might want to get yourself down to GRUB this weekend to put those bold claims to the test.
With both adults-only and family-friendly competitions, the popular Manchester venue is hosting its annual Pumpkin Carving Competition on Sunday, and is inviting everyone to pick your pumpkin from the pile, and compete with other carvers across a range of different categories.