{"id":985467,"date":"2026-05-26T08:12:29","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T08:12:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/985467\/"},"modified":"2026-05-26T08:12:29","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T08:12:29","slug":"the-stunning-greater-manchester-canal-walk-with-ice-cream-at-the-end","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/985467\/","title":{"rendered":"The stunning Greater Manchester canal walk with ice cream at the end"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nestled in the rolling hills of Diggle, the ice cream shop looks right out onto the waterway\"Grandpa<\/p>\n

Grandpa Greene’s ice cream cafe in Saddleworth, Oldham(Image: Dianne Bourne)<\/p>\n

Sunshine has poured down on Greater Manchester over the Bank Holiday weekend with record temperatures recorded across the region. Temperatures rose to above 30C on Bank Holiday Monday <\/a>with many heading outside to soak up the rays.<\/p>\n

The balmy temperatures experienced over the last few day have meant that parts of Greater Manchester were warmer than a host of popular European sunshine destinations. Temperatures could cool on Wednesday, with a maximum forecast of 24C, before climbing again to 28C on Thursday.<\/p>\n

With cooler, cloudier conditions forecast heading into next weekend and the slight abatement in high temperatures, heading outside for a walk will be more feasible. Greater Manchester features an extensive network of nature trails and canal walks set amongst beautiful countryside and dotted with plenty of spots to stop for a refreshment.<\/p>\n

Click here <\/a>for the latest on Manchester’s food & drink scene, gigs and more in our CityLife newsletter<\/strong><\/p>\n

One option is the Huddersfield Canal, a 19.3-mile waterways that scales the Pennines, link Huddersfield to West Yorkshire, to Ashton-under-Lyne. Famous for its 74 distinctive narrow locks, it also feature the Standedge Tunnel – Britain’s longest, deepest and highest canal tunnel.<\/p>\n

\"Grandpa<\/p>\n

Grandpa Greene’s ice cream cafe in Saddleworth, Oldham(Image: Dianne Bourne)<\/p>\n

Along the way it passes through the scenic villages of Uppermill, Dobcross and Diggle. The latter marks a significant location on the waterway, and is the western portal for the aforementioned tunnel.<\/p>\n

Nestled among the moorlands of the Pennine Hills, Diggle was historically part of Yorkshire, although today it\u2019s located within the borough of Oldham<\/a>. Part of the civil parish of Saddleworth it name comes from the Saxon degle meaning valley, and its history dates back to a collection of hamlets.<\/p>\n

\"Canal<\/p>\n

Canal walk in Diggle, Oldham(Image: Supplied)<\/p>\n

The village is a good spot to pick up the towpath and begin a walk, or to incorporate as part of a longer trail. There’s plenty of options but if you can manage a few miles and have time you can pick up a walk towards Diggle from Greenfield, which is also in Saddleworth.<\/p>\n

If you’re in the mood for ice cream or a treat after the walk you can follow the canal for two miles from Greenfield to Grandpa Greene’s Ice Cream Parlour. It’s around a two mile journey, but if you need something a little shorter, you can also pick up the canal path from Uppermill, which is on the way.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Canal walk in Diggle, Oldham(Image: Supplied)<\/p>\n

A straight walk along the canal path, it takes about 45 minutes to an hour, and means you won’t need to worry about directions – simply just follow the path up towards Diggle. Grandpa Greene’s is also located on the canal so you can’t miss it.<\/p>\n

The ice cream makers have two locations – The Parlour and Cafe Bar in Diggle and the Bistro and Parlour in Uppermill. Nestled in the rolling hills and with glass-fronted terraces, the Diggle site looks right out onto the water.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Grandpa Greene’s in Diggle(Image: Manchester Family\/MEN)<\/p>\n

The storied ice cream pros started with Grandpa Greene making his own ice cream using a churn in the back yard of his corner shop in Salford<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Today, they’ve adapted this basic recipe and developed into into luxury ice cream, made in the old fashioned way. Saddleworth Milk J & R Lancashire and Family supply their whole milk and thick double cream from Pedigree Friesian cows that graze in open fields across the hills of Saddleworth.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Grandpa Greene’s handmade ice cream has been made in the region since the 1920s(Image: Manchester Evening News)<\/p>\n

This results in over 24 flavours of luxury dairy ice cream and a range of plant-based flavours and sorbets. They serve up classics including strawberry, vanilla and chocolate but also popular options such as raspberry pavlova, espresso and cookie and cream.<\/p>\n

As well as ice cream, the Diggle site also serves up brunch, lunch, afternoon tea and coffee. The afternoon tea has to be pre-booked but they do offer a range of options including Children’s, Vegetarian and Halal Afternoon Tea. Aside from this there’s a range of other children’s options including mini breakfast, lunch box meals and desserts.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The canal alongside Grandpa Greene’s in Diggle(Image: Manchester Family\/MEN)<\/p>\n

Grandpa Greene’s is open Monday to Friday, 10am until 4pm with food served until 3:30pm. Saturday and Sunday, the cafe is open 9:30am until 5pm with food served up 4:30pm.<\/p>\n

They accept walk-ins each day for al fresco dining in the outdoor space as well as under the heated canopy areas. Tables are allocated on a first-come-first served basis, but they do also have a waiting list system.<\/p>\n

Ward Ln, Diggle, Oldham OL3 5JT<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Nestled in the rolling hills of Diggle, the ice cream shop looks right out onto the waterway Grandpa…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":985468,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[8813],"tags":[748,12232,193347,393,4884,2465,485,1286,49364,10968,16,15,104522],"class_list":["post-985467","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-manchester","tag-britain","tag-days-out","tag-diggle","tag-england","tag-great-britain","tag-manchester","tag-manchester-family","tag-oldham","tag-saddleworth-and-lees","tag-things-to-do-manchester","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-uppermill"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116639876375070263","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/985467","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=985467"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/985467\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/985468"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=985467"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=985467"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=985467"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}