OVER the last two to three hundred years the Mersey catchment has been managed in order to serve the needs of the Industrial Revolution.

The towpath besides it forms the 39-mile Bridgewater Way, a walking and cycling route with ever-changing scenery, from the office buildings of Media City to the lush Cheshire countryside.

A wintery canal walk in Diggle (Image: MEN Staff) From Marple Locks to the Bridgewater canal, we’ve got no shortage of waterside walks you can do. But for a rural escape head to Diggle in Oldham.

A deer in the Bridgewater Canal. The 42-year-old was galvanised to act after seeing stricken deer in the water on an almost a daily basis. She launched a petition in May and has collected nearly ...