Top 5 places to go rural (without leaving Manchester)

Green hills, moorland, sheep and hedgerows? Check. Guest blogger Richard Jones explores the bits of Manchester where you’re more likely to find nightjars than nightclubs.

When people have children, you often hear them talk about “settling down” and “getting out of the city,” but around here this doesn’t have to mean stifling suburbia. There are plenty of rural communities that are actually within the boundaries of Greater Manchester. I now live in one with my wife and baby daughter, only 12 miles from our old flat in the Northern Quarter, but a world away from it in just about every other respect. So, here’s my guide to five of the best local destinations for a rural escape – either for a fresh-air day out or on a more permanent basis.

1. Dobcross

I’d probably be run out of town if I didn’t choose my new home village of Dobcross in Saddleworth (above), where streets of classic weavers’ cottages lead away from a beautiful central square. Keep an eye out for a blue plaque on the side of Bridge House, the earliest home of Platt Brothers, which became the world’s largest maker of textile machinery. The Swan Pub in the square is a cosy place for a drink, although the Navigation down the hill on Wool Road is better for food. Information about walks is available from the Brownhill Centre on the Huddersfield Narrow Canal, which runs alongside the village. Get there by bus from Oldham or take the slower but more pleasant option of a train from Victoria to Greenfield and a walk along the canal.

2. Disley

Disley is the sort of village that looks as if it ought to be in the Cotswolds. Past Stockport, where Manchester meets the Peak District, it’s all leafy streets and inviting pubs, with the Ram’s Head probably the pick for a gastro lunch. There’s also a good variety of local shops (many rather upscale). If you’re making a day of it, check out nearby Lyme Park, which you might recognise as the place where Colin Firth dived into the lake in Pride and Prejudice. It costs a fiver per car to get into the grounds, but they’re stunning, and include a great adventure playground. Disley is on the A6, but the train is much faster. It’s on the Piccadilly to Buxton line.

3. Broadbottom

Even the most rural parts of Manchester are full of reminders of the cotton industry. Broadbottom, near Stalybridge, is no exception, and it even has a working textile mill to go along with all the old ones. Some of those ruined buildings have been thoughtfully turned into a conservation area by Tameside Council, with trails, information boards and picnic areas dotted around the River Etherow at one end of the village. It’s called the Broad Mills Heritage Site, and there’s a small visitor centre. Inevitably, there’s a good tearoom at the nearby garden centre, as well as a couple of pubs in the village itself. Broadbottom station is on the Piccadilly to Glossop line.

4. Haigh

Between Wigan and Bolton, Haigh is a small village with a grand estate house, Haigh Hall, and an adjoining country park. The park is a family-friendly place for a day out, with woodland trails, a playground and plenty of places to have a picnic. There was even enough room in the grounds for local boys The Verve to play a homecoming show back in 1998. There are also expansive views over Wigan, which remind you that parts of Manchester are on surprisingly high ground. Perhaps best of all, the park is free. There’s a snack bar too, but the three pubs back in the village itself are probably a better bet for lunch. To get there it’s easiest to drive.

5. Flixton

Sometimes people say Manchester could do with a big green space in the city centre. But that’s not a problem in Flixton, where you’ll find a huge park and gardens right in the middle of the village, complete with a good playground. Near Urmston (in the borough of Trafford), walking around the leafy village itself is a pleasure, while the Manchester Ship Canal and River Mersey are both a short distance away on either side. Find the church at the main village crossroads and you’ll also have found a couple of pubs for lunch. Flixton is on the Manchester Oxford Road to Liverpool via Warrington Central line. Or if you’re in the car, you could stop by after a visit to the Trafford Centre, which is on the other side of the M60.

Words: Richard Jones is a freelance journalist and lecturer based in Saddleworth. He blogs at Like Father, Like Daughter. Images: all Richard Jones.

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