Manchester named one of the best places to spend Christmas in the UK

Manchester has been named one of the best places in the UK to spend Christmas, according to new research. Magical Christmas markets, a city-centre ice rink and a bustling food and drink scene have all helped to secure Manchester’s place as one of the top festive destinations.

It beat the seaside town of Whitby and the historic city of Cambridge to be ranked in sixth place on the list, compiled by adventure experts at Go Outdoors. Inverness in the Highlands of Scotland took the number one spot, helped by it’s magical winter scenery and snowy weather.

Two other Scottish destinations made up the top three, with Glasgow in second place and Edinburgh in third place. Researchers looked at the number of hiking trails, the number of Google searches for Christmas walks, duration of Christmas markets and ice rink ratings, along with several other factors, to rank each destination with a ‘Christmas adventure score’.

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Manchester achieved a score of 9.29, with a highly rated ice rink and lengthy run of Christmas markets helping it to secure sixth place. Meanwhile Inverness obtained a score of 9.86. Sheffield, at the bottom of the list, achieved a score of 9.09.

The research found that Brighton and Hove was the best place in England to spend Christmas, with a score of 9.38 out of 10. Belfast was found to be the best place in North Ireland to visit during the festive season, with a score of 8.66, while Cowbridge was named the best in Wales with a score of 8.35.

Other major cities in England like London and Birmingham failed to make the top ten. Wales' capital city Cardiff also didn't make the cut.

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