Greater Manchester

The great city of Manchester, its metropolitan surroundings and urban fringes provide the setting for the ten splendid short walks, which embrace the city centre, the green spaces and blue corridors of Greater Manchester, and the scenic countryside within easy reach of the city. Beginning amid the grand architecture in the historic heart of Manchester, the opening walk is a station-to-station route to the modern steel and glass buildings of Media City in rejuvenated Salford Quays. Excellent Transport for Greater Manchester connections are used to whisk walkers by tram, train and bus to locations from Wigan to Stockport and Ramsbottom to Altrincham.

In Wigan, old miners’ paths and railway trackbeds lead you through the waterscapes of The Flashes on a walk with an unexpectedly rural feel. Pennine views are the objective on the Turton Tower ramble from Jumbles Country Park. Explore the Irwell valley on foot then return from Ramsbottom via steam train, or enjoy the lakeside cafés at Hollingworth in a lovely shore circuit. Routes at Dove Stone Reservoir and Etherow Country Park enable you to experience Manchester’s corner of the Peak District. Four rural pubs and a National Trust café dot the route through the landscaped deer park of Dunham Massey, and you can follow winding nature reserve trails around the oasis of Sale Water Park.