The Secret Valley Garden, Manchester

When we travel to Manchester we usually stay with my father-in-law but for one reason or another this wasn’t possible on our last trip. I looked into the usual hotels nearby, and to be honest, they were expensive.

I turned to trusty Airbnb. Usually used for trips abroad, it only just occurred to me that there would probably be more suitable properties nearer to our family and, as luck would have it, I managed to find a 2-bedroom cottage only five minutes drive away from the church we were attending for a christening, and just outside the centre of Manchester.

It was in the perfect location, and much more suitable for our needs. My son was able to get to sleep in his own room, while we relaxed downstairs – much better than creeping around a dark hotel room! The cottage itself was very comfortable, clean and had a wonderful little garden that had been landscaped around a beautiful water feature.

But this post isn’t really about our Airbnb accommodation, as much as we enjoyed staying there. The bonus of staying at The Reach was meeting Sally – the owner of the property and finding out about a project she has spearheaded.

On the mantelpiece of the house was a fascinating book that contained photos of a work-in-progress; of a project to turn wasteland into a stunning piece of landscape. And, because we were staying in the house, we had the special code to gain access to this beautiful, hidden garden set in the middle of a housing estate.

Sally was kind enough to tell us a bit more about what has essentially been a labour of love for her and her family for the past three decades:

Although The Valley is only available to the visitors of the two properties at The Reach, members of the public are able to enjoy the garden, together with an organic allotment and the meadow when it is open to the public on the first Sunday of every month from April to September in aid of McMillan nurses in the National Gardens Scheme. However, if you miss out, and need to stay somewhere in or around Manchester, then I would heartily recommend staying at The Reach and becoming a member of a secret club who’ve been fortunate enough to enter the Valley Garden.

Now that we have discovered it, there’s no turning back for us. We will definitely be staying here again, and I look forward to being able to enjoy The Valley once more. Sssshhhh, just don’t tell too many people about it…

Ting blogs about travel inspiration over at My Travel Monkey.