if you're near Manchester it's worth a visit? (Stockport)

Member Name: freud

Product:	Stockport
Date:	07/01/09 (73 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: lots to do & good shops

Disadvantages: lack of nightllife

Stockport used to be a thriving mill centre, not far from Manchester & many of the old buildings still remain in this area of Cheshire - I love it because the Industrial Revolution has always fascinated me.

There's a good railway station which has Grand Central nearby for swimming, other sports plus a cinema & McDonald's if you a meal in a rush.

Stockport also has a theatre near here called the Garrick which has some good plays considering it's a few miles from Manchester.

For those liking history there's the Hat Museum which concentrates on the textile & mill workers' heyday in this area & has fascinating exhibitions - there's also a replica of a millworker's house & mill machinery so you get a real feel for the period.

Stockport boasts a good library which is near to the college & often has good art exhibitions.

There's a good - sized market (indoor & outdoor) if you don't mind walking up a which sits back from the main shopping area.

The bus station is good as it's fairly clean & signs are easy to read, there's somewhere to eat & the bus service itself isn't too bad.

The main shopping area includes the well-known stores such as Next, Bodyshop, H. Samuel, WH Smith, Boots, The Works, Debenhams etc plus there's a Laura Ashley & Hobbycraft store as well as the inevitable pound shops.

Near the market are several funky shops which sell jewellery & unusual presents & twice a year there's a continental food market - fantastic for French bread, cheese, home-made cakes etc.

There are plenty of places to eat varying from restaurants, snackbars, in department stores, McDonalds, Burger King, Greggs & several snack/ sandwich bars as well as various pubs.

I like the atmosphere in Stockport as there's a good mix of people,there's plenty to see & do & the shopping is good.

On a practical level it's well organised in the centre - eg lots of loos & rubbish bins plus community policepeople are easy to spot.

The only drawback I feel is the lack of nightlife as most people tend to go to Manchester but I guess you can't have everything?...

Summary: interesting place in my opinion