The route of the GM Ringway

From its start in Manchester city centre, the GM Ringway – Greater Manchester’s walking trail – explores the green spaces, waterways and countryside of all ten boroughs. Green in every way, each of the 20 stages of the varied and beautiful 300-km route is designed to be accessed by public transport.

The anti-clockwise route naturally falls into four broad sections, each made up of five one-day stages.

All 20 stages of the trail are mapped on the mobile-friendly Plotaroute site. In addition, photos and written descriptions of each stage are being added to the Go Jauntly walking app. A majority of the trail stages are already available there, along with a selection of shorter and step-free GM Ringway walks across Greater Manchester. In addition, each stage is described in more detail on the pages linked to below.

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Southern Start-Up, Manchester to Strines

STAGES 1 – 5

This section uses waterways and green spaces to trace an almost traffic-free route from Manchester city centre to the edge of the Peak District.

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Exhilarating East, Strines to Littleborough

STAGES 6 – 10

On this section, you can explore the lovely line of hills that rise above Stockport, Tameside, and Oldham boroughs.

Go to Walks

Noble North, Littleborough to Wigan

STAGES 11 – 15

This section comprises five fairly challenging stages that connect the dramatic peaks and valleys of the South and West Pennines within Rochdale, Bury and Bolton.

Go to Walks

Western Wind-Down, Wigan to Manchester

STAGES 16 – 20

This section brings the GM Ringway to a gentle finish via the wetlands, mosslands, farmland and canals of Wigan, Trafford, and Salford boroughs.

Go to Walks