About 10 miles from central Manchester, Dunham Massey lies in Altrincham, and spreads out over extensive parklands covering 101 hectares. A Georgian hall with excellent period furniture and décor, Dunham Massey is known for its library, which attracts loads of visitors. Among the property’s other attractions are the moat, the stables, the orangery, and a mill, which still works. Also of great beauty are the hall’s wonderful gardens, with their flowering shrubs (the azaleas are splendid). If you happen to be in Manchester around springtime, this is one place you shouldn’t miss, if you like nature.

Heaton Park, spread out over 600 acres, has as its main focus, Heaton Hall a neo-classical house, which is nowadays an important venue for music concerts and theatrical performances. Around the hall, the grounds are devoted to less serious stuff- it is, to put it simply, an amusement centre. Included in the attractions are a working tram, a golfing green, a pets corner, and a lake, on which there’s a facility to do boating. A good place to relax, especially if you’ve got children along with you. The park is at a distance of about 4 miles from the city centre, and you can get there on the local trams.

About 13 miles from Manchester, the Hollingworth Lake Country Park is situated in Littleborough, and offers a good view of the nearby Pennines. The lake is a nice, tranquil place to spend the day, and the two-and-a-half-mile walk around the lake is a great way to stretch your legs. Hollingworth Lake also has a decent complement of waterbirds, so if you’re keen on wildlife, this is a good place to get away from the concrete of the city.

Other than these sights, there are some interesting towns in the surrounding countryside. Rothbury, 14 miles from Manchester, is a town nearly a millennium old, and has traces of Bronze Age settlements; and Heywood, is one of the most enchanting towns in the region. And if you want to travel through picturesque scenery, make a trip to the borough of Rochdale- about 10 miles from Manchester- it’s got stunning views and an interesting history.