Altrincham

Altrincham is a town in Greater Manchester in the northwest of England. It was a small market town until the 18th century, then industrialised with the coming of the Bridgewater Canal and later the railway. Altrincham was historically in Cheshire, but in 1974 was re-assigned into the new entity of Greater Manchester, and became a commuter town for the big city. The main reason to visit is the thriving cafe culture centred on the market house together with Dunham Massey Hall, and Tatton Hall a few miles south.

Visitor information

 * Visit Altrincham tourist information
 * Altrincham Unlimited is an online listings magazine, including parking options.
 * The town produces a quarterly magazine Altrincham Today.

By train
Long-distance train routes usually mean changing at Manchester Piccadilly, or at Victoria from some northern starting points. But trains from London Euston and the Midlands to Piccadilly also call at Stockport and this can be a quicker connection.

An hourly train runs from Piccadilly via Stockport to (30 min) then continues through Knutsford to Chester.

These trains also call at the north end of town, then the Interchange, then  at the south end before trundling on across Cheshire.

By tram


Metrolink trams (green and purple lines) take 30 min from central Manchester via St Peters Square, Deansgate, Old Trafford, Stretford, Sale and Timperley to the Interchange. Altrincham is in Fare Zone 4 so a single journey is £4.60; trams run every 10 min or so 6AM-midnight. The purple line starts from Piccadilly; the green line starts from Bury and runs via Prestwich and Victoria then through city centre. Change in city centre for the other lines to Wythenshawe and the airport, to Imperial War Museum and Trafford Centre, through Piccadilly to Ashton-under-Lyne, through Victoria to Oldham and Rochdale, and to Salford Quays and Eccles. See TGM website for fare deals, service updates and travel planner; you must tap in and tap out with a card or buy your ticket before boarding.

By bus
Long-distance coaches don't serve Altrincham, change at Manchester city centre or the airport for local transport.

Arriva North West Bus 263 runs (6AM-11PM) from Manchester Piccadilly via Stretford and Sale to Altrincham Interchange. It takes an hour and runs every 15 min daytime.

Buses also run to Altrincham from Warrington, Lymm, Knutsford and Macclesfield.

By car
From London and most points south, follow M6 to jcn 19 then A556 / 56 north into town. From the north follow M60 onto A56, from the east follow M62 and M60 onto M56 then A560.

The direct road from central Manchester is A56 through Stretford. It was once the Roman road to Chester (Deva), and if you try it in rush hour you'll lurch along at XVIII thousands-of-paces per hour, slower than their chariots.

Get around
The town centre is best explored on foot. Dunham Massey Hall is two miles west: Bus 5A / Cat5 runs hourly from the Interchange to the Hall and Garden entrance, continuing to Lymm, Thelwell and Warrington. You need your own wheels to reach Tatton Park.

Cycle Hub near Platform 1 at Interchange station is a bike locker facility (open 6AM-midnight) where you can leave your bike securely under cover and take another mode of transport. Access is via a season ticket from Transport for Greater Manchester.

See

 * : see Knutsford for details of this grand mansion house, 5 miles south across the boundary into Cheshire.
 * Public mementoes include:
 * Bravest Little Street in England was how King George V hailed Chapel Street, from where 161 men volunteered to fight at the onset of World War I; 29 were killed. The street was demolished in 1960 to make way for flats. There's a blue plaque on the side of Phantong Thai Restaurant on Regent St, just south of the Travelodge.
 * Bee Bop a Raver is a glam-rock multicoloured, kinda scary bee, outside Myerson Solicitors at the junction of Barrington Road and Woodlands Road.
 * Frank Sidebottom, the comic creation of Chris Sievey, stands at Timperley village crossroads, junction of Stockport Rd and Thorley Lane.
 * Bee Bop a Raver is a glam-rock multicoloured, kinda scary bee, outside Myerson Solicitors at the junction of Barrington Road and Woodlands Road.
 * Frank Sidebottom, the comic creation of Chris Sievey, stands at Timperley village crossroads, junction of Stockport Rd and Thorley Lane.

Do

 * : Altrincham has yet to adopt the Italian passeggiata — the evening stroll to see and be seen — but Goose Green is its closest shot. This historic street has been given a makeover and is home to several restaurants and bars. A statue of a goose stands in the alley from the main road.
 * Vue Cinema is at its east end on Denmark Street.


 * Watch football at 
 * Planet Ice is the ice rink, on Oakfield Rd behind Interchange railway station. Public skating is M-F noon-3:45PM, with other sessions for lessons and demos. Manchester Storm play home games here in the Elite Ice Hockey League, the UK's top tier.
 * Walk or boat along the Bridgewater Canal, which passes north of town centre. It stretches 41 miles (66 km) from Wigan to Runcorn and is navigable throughout, with no locks. Opened in 1761, it's one of the earliest "true" canals, not a channeling of a natural river, and its commercial success sparked a frenzy of canal-building across Britain and Ireland. The towpath is in variable condition and in 2020 is only intermittently suitable for cycling. Multiple access points, eg the bridge on A56 Manchester Road, where there's a couple of pubs.
 * The Trans Pennine Trail meanders from Southport and Liverpool on the Irish Sea coast, right across the Pennines to York, Hull and Hornsea on the North Sea coast. It's suitable for walkers, cyclists and horse riders, and passes north of Altrincham and the Bridgewater canal. Westbound from town, you could join it just north of Oldfield Brow canal bridge: it follows an old railway embankment straight west through Dunham Massey village (but some distance from the Hall) and Lymm. Eastbound from Altrincham, it zigzags north along the edge of the housing towards the Mersey.
 * Play golf at:
 * Learn vegetarian / vegan cookery at along A56 Dunham Rd, the headquarters of the Vegetarian Society UK.
 * Walk or boat along the Bridgewater Canal, which passes north of town centre. It stretches 41 miles (66 km) from Wigan to Runcorn and is navigable throughout, with no locks. Opened in 1761, it's one of the earliest "true" canals, not a channeling of a natural river, and its commercial success sparked a frenzy of canal-building across Britain and Ireland. The towpath is in variable condition and in 2020 is only intermittently suitable for cycling. Multiple access points, eg the bridge on A56 Manchester Road, where there's a couple of pubs.
 * The Trans Pennine Trail meanders from Southport and Liverpool on the Irish Sea coast, right across the Pennines to York, Hull and Hornsea on the North Sea coast. It's suitable for walkers, cyclists and horse riders, and passes north of Altrincham and the Bridgewater canal. Westbound from town, you could join it just north of Oldfield Brow canal bridge: it follows an old railway embankment straight west through Dunham Massey village (but some distance from the Hall) and Lymm. Eastbound from Altrincham, it zigzags north along the edge of the housing towards the Mersey.
 * Play golf at:
 * Learn vegetarian / vegan cookery at along A56 Dunham Rd, the headquarters of the Vegetarian Society UK.
 * Learn vegetarian / vegan cookery at along A56 Dunham Rd, the headquarters of the Vegetarian Society UK.
 * Learn vegetarian / vegan cookery at along A56 Dunham Rd, the headquarters of the Vegetarian Society UK.
 * Learn vegetarian / vegan cookery at along A56 Dunham Rd, the headquarters of the Vegetarian Society UK.
 * Learn vegetarian / vegan cookery at along A56 Dunham Rd, the headquarters of the Vegetarian Society UK.
 * Learn vegetarian / vegan cookery at along A56 Dunham Rd, the headquarters of the Vegetarian Society UK.
 * Learn vegetarian / vegan cookery at along A56 Dunham Rd, the headquarters of the Vegetarian Society UK.

Buy

 * George Street has the usual retail chains.

Sleep

 * See also Manchester Airport for hotels just east of Altrincham, especially those at M56 junction 6 with Wilmslow Rd.

Connect
As of June 2021, Altrincham has 4G from all UK carriers. 5G has not yet arrived but is getting close.

Go next

 * Manchester's got the lot - the big city deserves a few days to explore.
 * Chester retains its ancient walls and many historic buildings.
 * Knutsford is a pleasant market town; Tatton Hall midway from Altrincham is the big draw.