Beyond the city – exploring Greater Manchester’s Rail Trails
As part of our Tracks and Trails campaign, sponsored by Transport for Greater Manchester, we’re looking beyond the city centre to discover how rail travel connects people with some of Greater Manchester’s most fascinating landscapes, heritage routes and outdoor spaces. Many of today’s walking, wheeling and cycling routes have their roots in the region’s rich transport history. Former railway alignments, canalside paths and green corridors now provide opportunities to explore Greater Manchester at a slower pace, while the Bee Network makes it easier than ever to continue your journey beyond the station.
Discover a lakeside escape at Littleborough
Just a short train journey from Manchester, Littleborough offers access to Hollingworth Lake, where waterside paths, cycling routes and open views across the Pennines create an ideal setting for a day outdoors. Easily reached via the Calder Valley Line, the area demonstrates how rail travel can connect visitors with accessible outdoor experiences without the need to drive.
Littleborough
Explore the region’s industrial heritage from Rochdale
The Rochdale Canal helped shape Greater Manchester’s industrial story and today its towpaths provide attractive walking and cycling routes linking communities, green spaces and heritage attractions. Arriving by train at Rochdale Station offers a convenient starting point for exploring sections of the canal and discovering how waterways and railways continue to shape the region’s identity.
Ride through the Irwell Valley from Bury
The Bee Network and National Cycle Network routes around Bury open up opportunities to explore parks, riverside corridors and heritage attractions by bike. With tram and rail connections making the town easy to reach, visitors can enjoy active travel routes that connect communities while showcasing the area’s natural and industrial heritage.
Experience the unique landscapes of Chat Moss
One of the most important lowland peatland habitats in the country, Chat Moss offers a very different outdoor experience. Accessible from including Irlam Station, crowned 2026 World Cup of Stations Champion, the area features walking and cycling routes that reveal a landscape shaped by both nature and transport history.
Connecting communities through community rail
Across Greater Manchester, community rail partnerships and station adoption groups help people discover these places by promoting local attractions, improving station environments and encouraging sustainable travel.
Working alongside Transport for Greater Manchester and local communities, they help transform stations into welcoming gateways to the landscapes, heritage and experiences that exist beyond the city. Find more details about community rail and how you can get involved here.
Manchester Bee Network tram.
