Regardless of how late you stayed up last night, you can’t beat a bracing walk on New Year’s Day to put a spring back in your step. People across the UK will be embracing this tradition and marking the start of 2025 with a stroll in the fresh air.
There’s so many excellent walks to choose from right on our doorstep in Greater Manchester and beyond. If you want to stay close to home then a wander around your local park does the trick, and we’ve got some beautiful ones across the region, including Heaton Park.
Or make a day out of it and plan a walk a little further afield. Head to the Peak District for a challenging hike, or for something a bit different, travel to the coast for a stroll beside the sea.
So gather your friends and family together, wrap up warm and head out on a walk. For inspiration on where to go, check out our list below.
Dovestone Reservoir
Dovestone Reservoir -Credit:Manchester Evening News
Located just outside Oldham, Dovestone Reservoir provides a scenic walk where rugged moorland meets tranquil water. You can follow a circular walk around the water’s edge, covering a distance of nearly three miles.
Or for a longer walk, you can include Yeoman Hey Reservoir and for those who are after a challenge, head to Greenfield Reservoir. Walk further east and you’ll come across the Trinnacle, a spectacular rock formation.
Bramhall Park
Bramhall Park -Credit:Manchester Evening News
Across Greater Manchester are beautiful parks, and one which is particularly stunning on a crisp winter’s day is Bramhall Park. At the heart of the park is Bramall Hall, a stunning timber-framed building which looks like it’s straight out of a fairytale.
The hall is surrounded by 70-acres of parkland, which is completely free to visit, and features formal gardens, tidy privet hedges and areas of ancient woodland. There’s plenty of benches to perch on where you can take a pause and admire the scenery.
Formby Beach
Formby Beach -Credit:Liverpool Echo
You may associate beaches with a sunny summer’s day, but there’s something rather special about a walk by the sea when it’s cold and crisp outside. A firm favourite when it comes to seaside destinations, Formby Beach is perfect if you fancy a seaside walk this New Year’s Day.
The bracing sea air is guaranteed to blow the cobwebs away as you stroll along the sand. But there’s more to Formby than just the beach, there’s beautiful pine woodland too, so you can enjoy two walks in one.
Macclesfield Forest
Macclesfield Forest -Credit:Macclesfield Express
For those who fancy a magical woodland walk on New Year’s Day, Macclesfield Forest is the place to go. Once a huge ancient hunting reserve, the forest is full of towering pine and broadleaf trees – and if we’re treated to some snow it looks like a winter wonderland.
You may even spot the small herd of Red Deer which call the forest home, adding to the festive feel. There are various routes can you take through the forest, varying from a short half mile trail to a challenging 5.6 mile route. For incredible views climb up Nessit Hill – you can even see as far as Greater Manchester from the top.
Burrs Country Park
East Lancashire Railway seen from the Burrs Country Park -Credit:Manchester Evening News
Only an hour outside of Bury town centre, Burrs Country Park contains beautiful countryside, woodland walks and waterways. Flowing through the park is the River Irwell which offers gorgeous riverside views and look out for the pretty weir, built in the late eighteenth century.
Running through the park is the East Lancs Railway, so you may even see a steam train whizzing past. There’s a range of footpaths you can follow through the park.
Darwen Tower
Darwen Tower in the snow -Credit:James Maloney/Lancs Live
Thanks to its vantage point high up on the West Pennine Moors, Darwen Tower offers incredible views stretching far and wide. On a clear day you can even see as far as Blackpool Tower, Cumbria and North Wales.
There’s different routes you can take to the tower, depending on how challenging you want your walk to be. A popular route is a two mile circular walk starting at Sunnyhurst Wood Car Park, which is around 40 minutes drive from Manchester.
Bridgewater Canal and Castlefield Basin
The Castlefield Basin -Credit:Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News
For city dwellers a walk along the canal in Castlefield can be a wonderful antidote to lively New Year’s Eve parties. The area is full of industrial charm with the magnificent railway viaduct towering over the water, but it feels a world away from the hustle and bustle of the city-centre shops.
Starting in Deansgate, take a peek at the house boats moored in the basin and then follow the Bridgewater Canal west towards Salford. Along the way you’ll pass under bridges and beside graffiti-covered walls. The beauty of this walk is you can make it as long as short as you like, and you can always cross over to catch the tram back into town on the return journey.
Mam Tor
The view from Mam Tor -Credit:MEN Staff
It’s one of the Peak District’s most celebrated landmarks, and Mam Tor is just as spectacular in the winter as it is in the summer. The views are incredible from the top, making it an excellent spot to spend New Year’s Day.
Mam Tor is a short walk away from the villages of Edale and Castleton, which make great start and end points for your walk. To really maximise your time soaking in the views once you’ve made it to the top, keep walking along the Great Ridge.
Heaton Park
The Temple at Heaton Park -Credit:Eddie Garvey
As the largest park in Greater Manchester, we cannot not mention Heaton Park. With 600 acres of green space to explore, you could spend the whole of New Year’s Day roaming around and you still wouldn’t complete it all.
There are lots of different areas to discover throughout the park, from woodland paths to the pretty boating lake. At the heart of the park is the grade-I listed neoclassical Heaton Hall, while if you climb up to the temple you’ll be able to see for miles around.
Dunham Massey
Dunham Massey -Credit:Getty Images Europe
Dunham Massey is certainly an atmospheric location for a New Year’s Day walk. Boasting a 300-acre deer park, the grounds are also home to a seven-acre Winter Garden, which is one of the largest in the UK.
The garden has more than 1,600 winter shrubs, trees and evergreens which can be enjoyed even during December’s chilly weather, along with towering beech trees. Although the main house is closed on January 1, the park, café and grounds are all open. Tickets start from £8.50 for adults and £4.25 for children.
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