Manchester is
ideally placed as a base for any tour of the northwest of England.
It is just one hour's drive by motorway to the English Lake District
and to the seaside coastal resorts of Blackpool, Southport, Fleetwood,
Lytham St Annes and Morecambe. Less than an hour along the M62 lies
the city of Liverpool with its extensively restored docks, gateway
to the New World, as well as its inevitable connection with the Beatles.
One hour's drive would also bring you to the great cities of Chester
and Lancaster, and a little longer to the City of York. Immediately
to the east lies the Peak District National Park, a Mecca for climbers,
ramblers and walkers - available by road and rail on regular scheduled
timetables directly from Manchester City Centre rail and bus stations.
The Greater Metropolitan County also contains or lies within an hour's
drive from innumerable major and small art galleries and museums,
including the Tate North, the new Lowry at Salford Keys, the City
Art Gallery, the Manchester Museum, the Museum of Science and Industry,
the Peoples' History Museum, as well as a host of local galleries
and museums within all ten towns of Bolton, Bury, Stockport, Oldham,
Rochdale, Trafford, Tameside, Salford and Wigan, as well as Liverpool,
Chester, Preston and Lancaster.
