Bury

That locomotive bearing the town's name sits proudly in the centre, a reminder of Bury's industrial heritage that still shapes its character today. This is proper mill town territory - red brick terraces climbing the hills, the Irwell threading through the valley below, and the Pennine foothills rising to the east.

Bury Art Museum & Sculpture Centre houses one of the country's finest collections of Victorian paintings, while the East Lancashire Railway offers steam-hauled journeys through the Irwell Valley. The Victoria Wood Statue celebrates the town's most famous daughter with typical Lancashire humour. What remains of Bury Castle tells a more ancient story - Norman earthworks overlooking the river crossing that gave the settlement its start.

Jumbles Country Park spreads across the northern edge, its reservoir reflecting the moors beyond. Nuttall Park provides a green lung closer to the centre, though it's the surrounding countryside that really draws you out. Warth Fold offers proper walking with views across to Winter Hill, while Burrs Country Park follows the old railway line through woodland and meadows.

Getting here couldn't be easier. Manchester's just twenty minutes south on the Metrolink, making Bury feel properly connected despite its valley setting. The M66 skirts the eastern edge if you're driving up from the south.

Staying at one of the nearby parks puts you right in walking country. Rossendale's hills rise to the north, the West Pennine Moors stretch eastward, and you're close enough to nip into Manchester for a proper night out. It's that sweet spot between town convenience and countryside access that makes this corner of Greater Manchester work so well.