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Three Manchester neighbourhoods named best places to live in UK for 2023
To be fair, they’re not wrong about these three!
The Sunday Times has named three Manchester neighbourhoods in its annual list of the best places to live in the UK 2023 — but it fails to name the best parts about them.
This year, Ancoats, Sale and Stockport have made it onto the prestigious list encompassing quiet market towns and up and coming neighbourhoods, deemed by The Sunday Times as the best places to make your home in the UK.
Once an industrial powerhouse, Ancoats has been regenerated into a hip and trendy neighbourhood filled with urbanites, that often lands itself on ‘coolest places to live’ lists — and rightly so!
The area is nearby the arty Northern Quarter and nestled in next to to the eye-pleasing Islington Marina. It has also been an incubator for Manchester’s best independents and its monthly pop-up markets in Cutting Room Square are a lively sun trap during the warmer months.
Ancoats’ numerous bars make it a must-visit late night destination too. Vietnamese restaurant NAM is just one of the places hosting the city’s most popular selectors in its boombox of a basement bar every weekend.
But oddly, The Sunday Times talks about Deansgate and Castlefield — situated at the opposite end of the city — when suggesting Ancoats as the place to buy. It talks about other great parts of Manchester city centre rather than Ancoats itself.
“No.1 Deansgate carries a cachet and a hefty price tag of about £1.2 million for a three-bedroom penthouse,” the article says, “Castlefield, at the other end of Deansgate, has a cool reputation and is home to the Manchester institution Dukes 92, a buzzing bar and restaurant.”
There is little mention of Ancoats’ many former mills turned trendy apartments, nor do many of its restaurants and bars get a look in. Though the article does mention the ALDI at Urban Exchange, and Michelin star restaurant Mana.
It fails to make any mention of all the places that make Ancoats a great place to live and hang out. Places such as: Erst, Elnecot, Flawd, The Jane Eyre, Sud, Hip Hop Chip Shop, Pollen, The Flat Baker, Rad’s, Blossom Street Social, Rudy’s — or just about any of the other fantastic eating and drinking spots that have people outbidding one another to live there.
The article then goes on to talk about the desirable suburb of Sale, in Trafford. Wedged between Urmston and Altrincham, it often gets overlooked by these two also sought after areas by prospective homebuyers.
Swathes of new businesses have opened up shop here including a second site for Simon Rimmer’s vegetarian restaurant, Greens, Ancoats OG Rudy’s, and Alty favourites Blanchflower and Sud (formerly Sugo).
The Times mentions Sale’s ‘surrounding acres of green space, woodland and waterways giving the town formidable lungfuls of fresh air’ — they’re not wrong about that. It continues: “This Trafford town has top-class schools, a buzzing café scene and is so well connected that you can live here car-free.”
But then it rather strangely mentions Sale Foodhall as a venue to visit, failing to acknowledge its recent closure. Announced earlier this week, the food hall shut its doors due to insurmountable rising costs, something felt deeply across many hospitality businesses operating in today’s climate.
Despite this sad loss to the town, Sale has rightfully earned its space on the list. Manchester is becoming an increasingly desirable place to live in with housing prices still lower than many other parts of the city — especially when compared to down south. Sale’s eclectic cafes, restaurants and independent retail spaces ensure its residents aren’t missing out on too much of the buzz of the city if they choose to stay local.
Many will agree that Stockport earned its place on the list. With plenty of independents and being surrounding by vast beautiful green spaces, it’s no wonder young families choose Stockport to put down roots.
There’s so much to shout about here, and The Times makes that clear, giving kudos to the likes of Rare Mags, Yellowhammer, Hillgate Cakery and Still Life Story Homewares.
It says: “Stockport has engineered a remarkable reinvention in recent years, turning itself from a standard former mill town into a funky, family-friendly alternative to Manchester’s Northern Quarter, a ten-minute train ride away.
“This is where the avocado-brunching millennials move when they have a Lejoux pushchair and are faced with the school run, but still want to live a fashionable life.”
Capital and Centric, the social impact developers who are currently working on transforming Stockport’s Weir Mill into neighbourhood apartments commented on The Times article: “Stockport is finally starting to get its flowers after years of bubbling under the surface, and for good reason.
“There’s so much going on here, whether it’s the rapidly changing skyline thanks to new town centre districts or the indie businesses flourishing despite the challenging economic climate nationally.”
Once a forgotten area of the North West with a small town mentality, Stockport has built a tight knit community of indies.
It offers everything from handmade sustainable fashion at Emiko Studios to sustainable homewares and tropical plants from Emma Nosurak, owner of Stockport’s The Plant Shop and Rare Finds. Even its traditional boozers have benefitted from recent makeovers, as often celebrated over on the Stockport Pints Instagram page, which has a loyal following of almost 10,000 fans.
Now in its 11th year, The Sunday Times’ guide includes 69 other destinations across the UK, with Wadhurst in East Sussex coming out on top this year.
Each place is judged on factors including school, transport, broadband speeds, culture, green spaces and its high streets by a panel who head to each destination on the list – they must’ve missed their train to Ancoats this year, though.
In 2022, Prestwich and Altrincham both made the list, but neither appeared this year. Other North West towns mentioned this year include Rawtenstall in Lancashire, Penrith in Cumbria and Tarporley in Cheshire, which was celebrated for its ‘elegant Georgian high street dotted with ancient coaching inns and cute shops.’
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Once-in-a-lifetime ‘Mother of Dragons’ green comet set to be visible in UK skies tonight
Don’t forget to look up tonight!
A huge green comet dubbed the ‘Mother of Dragons’ is set to be visible in UK skies tonight, and here’s how you can see it.
A green giant – not the sweetcorn kind – is currently visible in the sky over the northern hemisphere, and this spectacular glowing rock can be seen shooting past us this evening (April 4th).
There’s a lot of cosmic goings on in the skies at the moment as North America prepares to witness a solar eclipse next week, plunging it into darkness for a moment.
Unfortunately, us Brits won’t be able to witness that one but the Mother of Dragons comet will certainly be an extraordinary spectacle to witness, and will look a bit like the Green Goblin is zooming past us high up in the sky.
Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks has a nucleus approximately 10.5 miles (17 kilometres) wide – about the size of a city – and is thought to be bright enough to see with the naked eye, although astronomers advise using binoculars to get the best views.
The comet will be visible for the first time since 1954 and only passes by every 71 years.
It has been given its nickname because ESA researchers believe it is the parent body of the kappa-Draconids meteor shower, and of course it’s a cool pop-culture reference to Game of Thrones.
The comet also used to appear to have a pair of horns but they have gone now.
It is comprised of ice, dust and rock and looks green due to the presence of diatomic carbon molecules, which emit emerald-coloured light when illuminated by the sun.
Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks is referred to as explosive due to its volatile activity as it is known for its spectacular outbursts of gas and dust.
The comet will reach its closest point to Earth in June 2024. However, by this time, it won’t be possible to observe the comet from the northern hemisphere. Late March and early April will offer the best opportunities.
If you’re an avid stargazer, astronomer in the making or would just like a chance to see this magnificent ancient rock light up the night sky, you will need to head out to higher ground away from light pollution where possible. Clear skies are best and binoculars may help you get the best views of this cosmic marvel.
Gregory Brown, an astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, told the MailOnline: “The comet can now be found in the constellation of Aries which is visible in the early evening, over in the west.
“It will only become visible after twilight and sets by around 10pm BST.
“While it may be possible to see with the unaided eye, it is best to try and observe with a pair of binoculars or a small telescope.”
Comet 12P/Pons-Brooks won’t be returning to our night skies until 2095, so make sure not to miss out on this one!
The rain may seem relentless but brighter days are coming for Manchester as the city is set to get hotter than Los Angeles later this week.
This rainy metropolis will enjoy a little break from the April showers as a mini heatwave is coming to kick start beer garden season.
So, dig out your shorts and leave your jacket at home as temperatures begin to soar from Friday afternoon, reaching 18C on Saturday – which will be hotter than LA in the Golden State of California.
As Friday afternoon (April 5th) approaches, the sun will make an appearance between any breaks in the clouds and temperatures will peak at 16C, according to BBC Weather.
And with sunset not until 7.52pm, there will be just enough time to visit a pub garden and enjoy a couple of mojitos to get you in the mood for the weekend.
On Saturday April 6th, Manchester will start off cloudy but into the late morning temperatures will begin to rise and Mancunians will get to enjoy sunny intervals with temperatures reaching highs of 18C, as meteorologists predict ‘above average’ conditions for this time of year.
However, the rollerbladers on Venice Beach will only experience temperatures of 15C. But while Los Angeles might be a little cooler than Manchester, it will still remain sunny while Mancs will have to put up with the odd shower here and there.
The Met Office’s outlook for Friday and Saturday reads: “Low pressure remaining dominant through this period, with further heavy showers and longer spells of rain.
“Turning increasingly windy too, though temperatures above average for the time of year.”
Now, we know it won’t be perfect weather but it will make a nice change from the constant freezing temperatures we’ve been having. A nice spell of warmth and sunshine on the weekend isn’t too shabby afterall.
No doubt we’ll all be flocking to our nearest beaches, nature spots and having a BBQ this weekend!
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Greater Manchester dominates top ten UK Vaping Capitals, according to research
Four Greater Manchester areas made the top 10 list of vaping hotspots
Greater Manchester dominates the list of Vaping Capitals of the UK, according to new research.
Wherever you go, you don’t have to walk far before you enter a sweet-smelling hazy cloud of vapour and feel as if you’re a contestant on Stars In Their Eyes.
Young people are vaping on the tram, your mate can barely construct a sentence without inhaling some of the battery-powered, synthetic cherry flavoured smoke, and every other stranger on the street is blowing out a cloud big enough to conceal an aircraft.
Replacing the old habit of cigarette smoking, it now seems as if vaping is taking over just about everywhere.
Online vape store Go Smoke Free, used GOV.UK’s Companies House advanced search feature to find businesses registered for the retail sale of tobacco products in specialised stores in the UK.
It then compared the number of these active businesses to each town or city’s population size to construct a list of the top 10 UK Vaping Capitals.
Unfortunately, Greater Manchester dominates the list of the UK’s Vaping Capitals with four areas named.
According to the research, Blackburn is ranked as the UK’s vaping capital, with 27 registered vape retailers serving its population of 119,707 residents. When accounting for population size, this equates to 22.56 vape shops per 100,000 residents – the largest figure for any UK town or city.
Second on the list is Bolton in Greater Manchester, with 20.26 vape shops registered per 100,000 residents in the town. Bolton has 41 registered vape shops in total serving its 202,369 residents.
Manchester ranks third, with 110 vape shops in total. However, the city’s larger population ensures this works out to 19.84 registered vape retailers per 100,000 residents.
Further down the list, Middlesbrough ranks fourth. Located in North Yorkshire, Middlesbrough has 12.43 vape shops per 100,000 residents. The town has 22 registered vape shops serving its 176,991 residents.
Rounding out the top five is Salford in Greater Manchester, which has a total of 14 registered vape shops, equivalent to 12.03 shops per 100,000 residents.
And Stockport ranks sixth, with 10.91 vape retailers per 100,000 residents.
A spokesperson for Go Smoke Free said: “Disposable vapes have gained popularity in recent years, due to their convenience, portability and low cost, which has made them an attractive option for those who would otherwise have been unlikely to invest in a more complex vaping setup.”
They continued: “The new disposable vape ban should help to discourage children from taking up vaping, while encouraging adults to shift to more sustainable alternatives, such as refillable vapes.
“This study highlights which areas of the UK are most likely to be affected by the upcoming ban on selling disposable vapes. The Greater Manchester area boasts its fair share of stores catering to vapers’ needs, with Blackburn, Bolton and the city of Manchester claiming the top three spots.
“These cities could see a significant shift in their vaping culture, with the ban impacting consumer behaviour, and existing vape retailers adapting their offerings to cater to the new legislation.”
The list of vaping capital of the UK, according to Go Smoke Free, is as follows:
- Blackburn
- Bolton
- Manchester
- Middlesborough
- Salford
- Stockport
- Doncaster
- Newport
- Peterborough
- Nottingham
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