LIFE IN GREATER MANCHESTER
Arts, history, culture, footie, food, shopping and beautiful landscapes - all equals great retirement living at its fun-est.
Vibrant, multi-cultural and lively, with a proud heritage from being at the heart of the Industrial Revolution, the Greater Manchester region has a large and diverse population. This means it offers a huge array of things to do and see which cater to all tastes: from celebrity chef run restaurants to Lowry exhibitions, designer shopping to cocktails at the casino, country strolls to science museums, river cruises, to perhaps its most famous export, football.
Retirement living in Greater Manchester
Community
The people of Greater Manchester are known for their warm, friendly attitude, and if you choose one of our retirement properties, you’ll find yourself at the heart of a welcoming community. There are plenty of community events to enjoy like the renown Manchester Food and Drink Festival, Manchester Pride, multiple music festivals like Great Northern Ska or the quirkier annual World Black Pudding Lobbing Championships in Ramsbottom.
There are over 60 golf clubs dotted around the region and lots of places to enjoy countryside sports, such as the massive Hollingworth Lake Country Park, where you'll find fishing, bird-watching and boating.
And there are plenty of social clubs, sports and fitness groups and walking clubs dotted around the area if you want to pursue a hobby or meet new friends.
Did you know? 83% of McCarthy Stone homeowners experience a sense of community in their new retirement home.
Surrounding Areas
Greater Manchester is known as the ‘gateway to the North’, because it is perfectly placed for you to explore the stunning Northern countryside and dynamic cities like Leeds, Liverpool, Newcastle and picturesque York.
There are plenty of beautiful walks in Greater Manchester, for example, Hollingworth Lake, Heaton Park, Sale Water Park and Haigh Hall, but you’re also close to the UK’s favourite National Park, the Peak District, which offers stunning rambles and more extensive hikes through wild and rugged terrain. The glacial beauty of the Lake District is also within easy reach.
On the Cheshire border, near Altrincham, you’ll find the National Trust Dunham Massey with its lovely house, gardens and deer park, it’s also close to the Trans Pennine Trail.
Things to do in Greater Manchester
At the heart of Greater Manchester is the great city of Manchester. Along with the famous nightlife, restaurants and shopping, you’ll find fine art at the Whitworth and Manchester Art Gallery, contemporary theatre at HOME, gothic architecture at Manchester Cathedral and history at Manchester Museum, the Imperial War Museum North and of course, the National Football Museum. Football is the lifeblood of this city. Be sure to catch a match at Old Trafford or the Etihad Stadium, and perhaps take a tour.
Other Greater Manchester towns include Altrincham, Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Stockport and Wigan. Bolton is the UK’s biggest town, With its industrial heritage it has some impressive buildings like Smithalls Hall and Country Park and Hall i’ th’ Wood Museum, as well as access to the stunning countryside like the Ravenden Plantation and West Pennine Moors.
Transport and connections
Greater Manchester is well-connected to the whole of the UK, making it easy to explore every corner of the county, the country and beyond. Transport for Greater Manchester is responsible for co-ordinating services across the county from road and rail to trams and buses, with the aim of making travel as seamless as possible.
There are four motorways, the most important being the M60 - also known as the Manchester Outer Ring road as well as the M62, M6 and M56. Greater Manchester has 92 railway stations, the biggest being the four in Manchester itself: Manchester Piccadilly, Manchester Victoria, Manchester Oxford Road and Manchester Deansgate. You can travel by train from Manchester to London in just over 2 hours, to Cardiff in three and a half hours and Edinburgh in under three hours.
For travel abroad, easily accessible Manchester International Airport will take you all over the world.
