Stockport

Stockport is a town in the south east of Greater Manchester, historically in Cheshire, at the point where the rivers Tame and Goyt combine to form the Mersey.

Understand
It's never been a port, as those rivers are not navigable, and the suffix probably means "market place". What the rivers did provide was power for waterwheels and hence textile mills, so the town became industrial from the 18th century. Whilst the Lancashire towns specialised in cotton, Stockport's trade was silk, especially for hat-making. This continued into the 20th century until the fashion for elaborate hats passed, and Luton captured the remaining trade.

In 2011, it was home to 137,000 people.

By air
Stockport is 7 miles east of Manchester Airport. From the airport station take Skyline Bus 199 heading for Buxton; it runs every 20-30 min and takes 15 min.

Trains take 35 min because they all go into Piccadilly then come out again, whether you take the hourly direct train heading for Cleethorpes, or take any other train and change in Piccadilly.

By train


There should be three trains per hour from London Euston taking just under two hours and continuing to Piccadilly. Crossing the Midlands these may also call at Milton Keynes, Crewe, Stoke-on-Trent, Macclesfield and Wilmslow.

Trains run at least hourly from Birmingham New Street and continue north via Wolverhampton to Stockport and Piccadilly.

Trains from Norwich and Cleethorpes run hourly via Sheffield to Stockport, continuing to Manchester Airport or via Warrington and Widnes to Liverpool.

Trains from Chester run hourly via Knutsford, Hale and Altrincham to Stockport and Piccadilly.

Trains from Cardiff run every 30 min via Hereford, Shrewsbury, Crewe and Wilmslow to Stockport and Piccadilly.

A direct train from Blackpool runs via Preston, Chorley, Bolton and Piccadilly to Stockport, continuing to Hazel Grove, but it's quicker to take a fast train and change in Manchester.

Just north of the station, the tracks cross the River Mersey Valley on an impressive 27-arch brick viaduct that was built in 1840. It often features in the paintings of L.S. Lowry.

By car
The M60 thunders over Stockport on its viaduct, exit at jcn 1 for west side and jcn 27 for east. (It's not that big a town - the orbital motorway restarts its numbering here.) Stockport is on A6, the historic route from London to Carlisle, but in this area it's congested especially during school run.

By bus
National Express Coach (long distance bus) NX 540 runs once a day from London Victoria to Stockport, taking 6 hours. Other connections changing at the airport are almost as fast.

Coach NX 333 runs once a day from Bournemouth via Bristol, Birmingham and Stoke-on-Trent to Stockport and onward to Preston and Blackpool.

Both these buses make other stops across Greater Manchester including city centre and airport, but you can't use them for the short hop to Stockport, take a local bus as in Get around.

Stockport bus station is 200 yards north of the railway station. However Stockport Bus Station is being re-developed and will be closed till around 2024. There is a temporary Bus Station on Heaton lane for some services. More details can be found here.

Get around
Stockport is not connected to the Manchester tram network. For city centre take the train or use Stagecoach Bus 197, which runs M-Sa every 20-30 min, hourly Su, taking an hour to Manchester Albert Square. Stagecoach bus 192 runs very frequently along the A6 but can get caught in traffic.

For Manchester Airport use Skyline Bus 199 which runs every 30 min daily (hourly Sunday) between 4:30AM and 11PM, taking 15 min. Southbound it runs from the airport via Stockport, Disley (for Lyme Hall), Whaley Bridge and Chapel-en-le-Frith to Buxton.

For Marple take Stagecoach Bus 383/384 (circular services), which runs every 15 min. Alternatively Stagecoach Bus 358 serves Marple on the way to Hayfield (hourly).

For Cheadle take Buses 11, 11A from Stockport.

Stockport Bus Station is being re-developed and will be closed till around 2024. There is a temporary Bus Station on Heaton lane for some services. More details can be found here.

See

 * Consider buying a combi-ticket for the council's four museums (all closed Monday) of Air Raid Shelters, Staircase House, Bramall Hall, and guided tour of Hat Works: adult £13, conc £10. The ticket is good for a single entry to each (but not to special exhibitions) without time limit.


 * is a mile east of town centre along the banks of the River Goyt, and adjoining the larger Woodbank Park. Opened in 1858, it was created as relief work for unemployed cotton millworkers, and dubbed "Pinch-belly park". (Their industry had slumped with the deterioration in Atlantic trade in the run-up to the US Civil War.) The museum here has closed but the building remains in use as a cafe.
 * is a pleasant country space in the River Tame valley 2 miles north of town centre.
 * is a village four miles east of Stockport. Here the Peak Forest Canal climbs a flight of 16 locks from its junction with the Macclesfield Canal, which is part of the "Cheshire Ring". A mile north is the canal aqueduct over the River Goyt, completed in 1800, from where you can return via Brabyn's Park and the riverside, a pleasant loop walk. Or you can stay on the riverside for a longer walk south past the remains of Oldknow's Mill and Roman Lakes Park, to Strines and after four miles to New Mills. Half a mile west of Marple, an old railway track has been converted into Middlewood Way cycle path. The village has a few small hotels, eating places and pubs, eg the Ring O' Bells at the canal junction. Trains run every 30 min from Manchester Piccadilly via Marple, Strines and New Mills towards Sheffield, but from Stockport you have to double back via the city, take Bus 383. Agatha Christie named "Miss Marple" for the village after a railway delay here.
 * is a mile east of town centre along the banks of the River Goyt, and adjoining the larger Woodbank Park. Opened in 1858, it was created as relief work for unemployed cotton millworkers, and dubbed "Pinch-belly park". (Their industry had slumped with the deterioration in Atlantic trade in the run-up to the US Civil War.) The museum here has closed but the building remains in use as a cafe.
 * is a pleasant country space in the River Tame valley 2 miles north of town centre.
 * is a village four miles east of Stockport. Here the Peak Forest Canal climbs a flight of 16 locks from its junction with the Macclesfield Canal, which is part of the "Cheshire Ring". A mile north is the canal aqueduct over the River Goyt, completed in 1800, from where you can return via Brabyn's Park and the riverside, a pleasant loop walk. Or you can stay on the riverside for a longer walk south past the remains of Oldknow's Mill and Roman Lakes Park, to Strines and after four miles to New Mills. Half a mile west of Marple, an old railway track has been converted into Middlewood Way cycle path. The village has a few small hotels, eating places and pubs, eg the Ring O' Bells at the canal junction. Trains run every 30 min from Manchester Piccadilly via Marple, Strines and New Mills towards Sheffield, but from Stockport you have to double back via the city, take Bus 383. Agatha Christie named "Miss Marple" for the village after a railway delay here.
 * is a village four miles east of Stockport. Here the Peak Forest Canal climbs a flight of 16 locks from its junction with the Macclesfield Canal, which is part of the "Cheshire Ring". A mile north is the canal aqueduct over the River Goyt, completed in 1800, from where you can return via Brabyn's Park and the riverside, a pleasant loop walk. Or you can stay on the riverside for a longer walk south past the remains of Oldknow's Mill and Roman Lakes Park, to Strines and after four miles to New Mills. Half a mile west of Marple, an old railway track has been converted into Middlewood Way cycle path. The village has a few small hotels, eating places and pubs, eg the Ring O' Bells at the canal junction. Trains run every 30 min from Manchester Piccadilly via Marple, Strines and New Mills towards Sheffield, but from Stockport you have to double back via the city, take Bus 383. Agatha Christie named "Miss Marple" for the village after a railway delay here.
 * Cheadle is a small village that has merged into Stockport. St Mary's Church is 16th century, in grey sandstone Perpendicular. It's Anglican, and staunchly opposed to the ordination of women. Also here are Abney Park (see below) and 17th-century Moseley Old Hall, which is privately owned.
 * in Cheadle is a nature reserve with wetlands, nowadays rare in this region. There's also a large duck pond and waterfall. The park is set around Abney Hall, a Victorian mansion designed by Pugin, now used as offices by Stockport council. Agatha Christie often stayed here as her sister married into the owner's family. Here she wrote After the Funeral and The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding, and scenes of Hall life often appear in her works. The Abney Café is in the centre of the park, there's also the Ashlea Pub just outside, in the southwest corner.
 * Just across the border in Cheshire is

Do

 * Redrock Stockport is a gym, cinema and leisure complex in town centre, opened in 2018. Building Design magazine awarded it the Carbuncle Cup as the UK's worst new building.
 * Redrock Stockport is a gym, cinema and leisure complex in town centre, opened in 2018. Building Design magazine awarded it the Carbuncle Cup as the UK's worst new building.

Eat

 * Rozafa is a good Greek Cypriot restaurant on St Petersgate, open Tu-F noon-2PM and 5-10:30PM, Sa 5-11PM, Su 4-9:30PM.
 * Stockport's main eating strip is along A6 Wellington Rd South.
 * In nearby Cheadle are Bellinni's, Aamchi Mumbai, Imperial Chinese, Rio Brazil, Cheshire Line Tavern, TGI Friday's, Ashlea, La Cueva, Istanbul Grill, Red Lion and Pizza Express.
 * In nearby Cheadle are Bellinni's, Aamchi Mumbai, Imperial Chinese, Rio Brazil, Cheshire Line Tavern, TGI Friday's, Ashlea, La Cueva, Istanbul Grill, Red Lion and Pizza Express.

Drink

 * are a major supplier to the area's pubs. Tours run three times Tu-Sa and twice on Sunday, £10. They're on Apsley St just south of town centre. The brewery is scheduled to move to a new location in 2025.

Connect
As of October 2022, Stockport has 4G from all UK carriers. 5G from Vodafone & EE in places

Go next

 * Manchester is a great city in every sense and deserves a few days to explore.
 * Cheshire has attractive small towns such as Knutsford, but the highlight is the walled city of Chester.
 * The Pennines east of town are frankly bleak, but further south is the karst scenery of the Peak District.