Launched just a few weeks ago as part of the Manchester International Festival, the Biospheric…read moreProject is years in the making, and like nothing you have ever seen before. The Biospheric Project is part urban farm, part research project and part genius. Built (and grown) in a disused mill in a sunny spot on the River Irwell in Salford, the Biospheric Project is a living laboratory investigating new ideas for farming and food production in urban environments. The project has taken over three stories in the disused mill, as well as the roof and surrounding land in a small and radical farming project. Using connected systems like aquaponics, hydroponics and forest farming, the project is combining radical techniques and inventing new technologies to farm food and feed the planet's growing needs. All of the different elements of the 'biosphere' are connected, as they are in nature, and you can see the entire ecosystem from start to finish - from the earthworms creating new soil to the produce being harvested and sold locally in the community. (They even have an indoor/outdoor beehive, and chickens on the roof!) The Project is wonderfully presented, with information boards explaining the different elements and ideas, as well as the researchers themselves who offer exceptional guided tours and explain their projects fluently and passionately. You are watching people's PhD projects unfurl before them, and it is hard not to get excited with them about the fantastic and groundbreaking research they are conducting. The Project is closed to the public for a few weeks whilst the team there take a break after unveiling their work at MIF. But never fear, the Project will be growing and developing over the next ten years, so there will be plenty of opportunities to take a look. Check their website for details of upcoming talks and tours. (There are also lots of activities for schools and groups).

'Chets'. Perhaps more famous for being the subject of one of ITV's huge range of reality…read moredocumentaries - don't you remember? They had a spate of them back in the day including Redcoats, Airline, something about vets and sewage cleaners and... heck, they had one for everything. Chets tended to get shunted to the graveyard slot along with Redcoats which made the two programmes essential student viewing after a few beers and a stumble round Manchester. While the aforementioned image I've offered may give the impression that Chets is an establishment of debauchery (it was certainly the case with Redcoats), nothing could be further from the truth. Visually, anyway. If you thought the Royal Northern College of Music was posh you ain't seen nothing yet. Again. Visually. Housed in one of the most stunningly beautiful buildings in Manchester adjacent to the painstakingly rebuilt ancient pubs in Exchange Square, the school is on the site of a manor house and Manchester Castle. Now comprising buildings way back from 1421 and several more (including an orphanage in 1653 and the Long Millgate building in 1978 as well as brand newies, it's a school of music with the motto 'Love to Live to Play'. Chets is open. You'd think by looking at it that you'd have to win scholarships or have parents with 'the third' at the end of their name (you being 'the fourth') to even go near the place but that's claptrap. Over 290 students attend the school between the ages of 8 and 18, and anyone can become a Chet regardless of background or financial situation. All students are entitled to government funding and all a potential student has to do is audition. The school offers essential academic qualifications alongside the principal study instrument and usually a secondary one too. (Remember, one's instrument can be one's voice.) Students can choose to board or not, so if required this can be one heck of an intense musical experience. Chets has some impressive alumni and it's definitely worth a shot if music is your life and you can't imagine yourself doing anything else. It's great preparation for university studies or life as part of an orchestra or choir, and I can safely say it's one of the most beautiful places you can go to school.

Chetham's School of Music is definitely up there with the top selling points of Manchester as a…read morecity to rival the capital. The student culture in Manchester is second to none, and the city is home to the best young talent across the disciplines, not least the youngest and most talented musical genius! Along with the Royal Northern College of Music and The Martin Harris Centre (home to The University of Manchester's musical population), Chetham's is in the top musical venues in the city. Whereas the Royal Northern College of Music and The University of Manchester deal with university age children, Chetham's is for musicians aged eight to eighteen, and it is home to nearly three hundred of them. Situated in the city centre, right next to the Manchester Wheel and the Manchester Cathedral, the setting is nothing short of idyllic. The buildings in which the school is situated are some 600 years old! And the Chetham Library (see Yelp) is a piece of architecture and local heritage not to be missed out upon! Between these aforementioned landmarks in the area is a lovely square with several of Manchester's best pubs, so this little part of the city is worth a visit for literally everyone (thats to say, if you don't like anything else, and you will, at least you'll like the pubs) If you go onto the website you can see all the upcoming events, many of which are free and some of which don't even require booking. Some of the more popular events are around the £15 mark, but still cheap for what they are. They even have lunchtime concerts. A really fantastic place to study, see live music or even walk around and have a look at the architecture. 5 stars without a shadow of a doubt!

Good because Eleanor's narration left us wanting more. Inside was out of bounds so we were left…read morewith a half hour outside tour and the mini museum of the witches. We were thirsty for much more history than was given but what was given was great. Eleanor was a born story teller and there is so much more to this history than was given. For 2 pound 50 it was a bargain. What stories this castle could tell.

You'd be silly to come all the way to Lancaster without seeing the castle!…read more The castle is still a working court and prison, but you can take tours there seven days a week if you head around back (near the requisite gift shop.) The keep dates to the 12th century and the history of the castle is very interesting. The guides are well informed and fun to listen to, and there are events here throughout the year. When you finish, it's worth heading out front, putting the castle at your back and taking a walk down the street towards town. On the right, you'll see a sign for the Nice Cafe, and inside that building is the tourism office, which always has more info on things to see locally. If you go a few feet further and look left, you will find the Merchant's Pub, one of the oldest and coolest pubs in town. Grab a burger and a pint and enjoy their patio!

Apparently Englands oldest tourist attraction with folk paying from the 1750s to visit the cave…read morewhere tje prophetess waa born and the petrifying cave where objects are turned to stone. Theres a lovely walk along the river. To be honest the entry fee is a bit steep.

Great outdoor walk. Very serine and a bit creepy. Not the witch but all the bunny stuff. Kind of…read moreBlair witch. Pictures attached. The bunnies and statues were out of a bad Alice in wonderland nightmare. The shiptons cave witch was your typical witch with the hunch back and mole on her nose... so passé. We went on a slightly rainy weekday. We were one of the only ones there. The waterfall with petrified articles from everyday life reminded me of a serial killers back yard. Highly recommend.

This area is beautiful. We walked around the area and there's just so much to see. Even the free…read morearea is iconic. The little river that runs behind the temple is so pretty. It's worth going in the actual grounds- such an experience me and my family will never forget. I got postcards and read about each room on the grounds. Very nice staff work there in the gift shop a well.

Had a nice family day out and we decided we would go here…read more We went up to Leeds and then had to catch the Bus 19 which took us up between Temple Newsam house and the golf grounds, we then had to walk about 10 minutes to get to the actual place. Walking up to it you're surrounded by green and then there are a load of tree's that seperate so you can walk through them towards the house and grounds, it was like something out of a postcard. When we actually got to the grounds we were stumped on where to go first! Do we go into Temple Newsam House OR do we head towards their little farm OR do we wonder around their 1500 acres of woodlands, fields etc!? Spoilt for choice We started off with the house itself. Prices for a family tickets (2 adults & up to 3 children) are: Temple Newsam House: £9.50 Home Farm: £8.70 Joint Ticket: £15.50 The house is magnificent! You are asked not to take photo's. This is because of the flash as the light and heat can damage pictures etc, it can cause a chemical reaction. I did take a few pictures, but made sure my flash was OFF as not to damage anything. You have a choice of walking around the house reading bits and bobs, or you can use these handheld blocks where you punch in the number per room and a recording will guide you through the room and explain. There are also children's versions of this. We all got confused by it so we opted out lol. Had a little laugh as there is a picture of a man near the picture gallery and he was a spitting image of my father - didn't take a photo of this. Despite it being so big and perhaps a bit dull for children, our children loved it and were full of questions that we tried to answer. They were excited about going into different rooms and their favourite room was the 'nannys room' where they had modern toys for children to play with. We then headed towards the farm. I will be honest with you, I didn't like the farm as much as I would have normally - perhaps it was because of the weather? I would have liked it to have been a farm where we could feed the animals too because places such as the barns with cows, they only had 1 large bucket of this protien stuff which meant that only the biggest cows had managed to get to it (would YOU try and squeeze inbetween 2 fully grown cows!?) and so the younger smaller ones had no chance - perhaps later in the day they would?? :( . One was even eating the straw on the ground which was covered in 'you know what', so I didn't like that bit. The highlight of the farm was that we saw piglets being born! That was amazing! The grounds are huge! As I've already said, all of this is within 1500 acres of land and they have woodlands you can explore which we didn't have time to get to, so it's deffinately an all day trip or perhaps even 2 days. I would go again, although I wouldn't pay for the farm again.

The Liverpool History Taxi Tour takes you on a customised journey, which lets you to enjoy a…read morefantastic city ride through the places you desire or would not find by yourself. Recent remarks have indicated that even locals are surprised at what they don't know! If you are a tourist here then perhaps this is a tour you ought not to miss. From daily visitors corporate and locals alike, this journey is said to surprise, stun and amaze many. The tour takes approximately 2.5 hours and costs £38 for two people or £45 for 3-5 passengers which isn't bad considering the length and depth of the tour. It is a great way to see the city in comfort and not get wet with the unpredictible Liverpool weather! You can also get out the taxi and take photos at any time, so there is plenty of flexibility.