'''Bury''' is a Metropolitan Borough in the historic county of Lancashire, in the North West of England.It is part of Greater Manchester.
Understand
Bury, "home of the Black Pudding", as a town, has existed in various forms since the Industrial Revolution when it was a mill town based around the production of textiles. It has grown rapidly ,over the past decades, to become the heart of a metropolitan borough. As a borough,it stretches from wealthy Prestwich and Whitefield ( Manchester suburbia, with thriving,long established jewish populations, and just a few miles from Manchester city centre ), in the south, to the pleasant small town of Ramsbottom,in the north,bordering Rossendale,in Lancashire.
Get in
By Bus
There are a few National Express buses running into Bury, but they run only once a day and experience long stopovers in Manchester. It is possible and much easier to catch one of the many buses going to Manchester and from there pick up the '''number 135''' bus or the '''metrolink''' into Bury town centre.
By Car
Bury can be accessed easily, with plenty of parking spaces on weekdays. There is free parking for Metrolink customers looking to travel or commute to Manchester or one of the dozen stops preceeding, or many around the town centre. There is also a multi storey car park near Bury Market which offers indoor parking and reasonable parking rates for longer stays.
By Air
Bury's closest airport is Manchester Airport.
Get around
By Metrolink
The metro (tram system) is the quickest way to get from Bury into Manchester, and also through to Altrincham and Eccles via Salford Quays. It runs from the Bury Interchange. While it is faster than bus, it is also moderately more expensive.
By Bus
As in the rest of Greater Manchester, there are a number of different bus companies operating with various fares and destinations. The most common of these is First Manchester. The different companies have different fares and so if catching more than two buses, a System One Daysaver, allowing use of all buses from all companies within the whole of Greater Manchester can work out to be the most cost-effective way to travel.
The '''number 135''' bus is the main bus from Bury to Manchester city central, running at least every 10 minutes. Keep in mind that it will often be crowded with commuters and will also get stuck in the traffic congestion around rush hours, so these times are better avoided. This route is also a night bus service from Manchester city centre on friday and saturday nights.
By Taxi
Both private-hire taxis and black cabs are available within and around Bury. Private hire taxis cannot be hailed, they must be booked either in person from a taxi rank, or over the phone, or else the car's insurance is void. Prices on private hire taxis are quite reasonable and if there is more than one person travelling short distances, they often end up being cheaper than the equivalent bus fares.
By Bike
There are cycle routes throughout Bury, leading through the parks and also into the town centre.
See
There is a fine parish church in the centre of town, next to a monument to Sir John Peel.Out of town The Peel Tower is worth the hike in fine weather.It is just up the steepest of hills from Ramsbottom.On a good day you can see as far as North Wales!
'''Bury Art Gallery & Museum''', located in the town centre has a small but impressive collection of pre-raphealite and neo-classical painting and other exhibitions.
Full markets are held every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, with the Market Hall and selected stalls open every day except Sunday. There is a huge variety of stalls, and it is possible to find just about anything among them.Join the coach trips from all over the UK.
Burrs Country Park
caravan club site
Do
'''The Met''', [http://www.themet.biz/]. A small theatre in the town centre hosts many touring acts and local productions and some big names can be seen there for modest ticket prices.
'''Peel Tower/Holcombe Hill''' [http://www.visitnorthwest.com/bury/peel-tower.htm]. Peel Tower is one of the most prolific of Bury's monuments, as it resides upon Holcombe Hill, which sits 1100ft above Ramsbottom. Peel Tower is perfect for fans of walking, and has plenty of footpaths in various locations throughout the Bury district, and since the tower is always in sight on the roads, it makes it an easy place to find. Thankfully, there is a bench on the top of the hill to accompany the tower, for resting. The sights from the hill are astounding, and have to be seen to grasp Bury's true natural beauty. From here you can see the urban sprawl around Manchester, The Peak District and beyond.
Buy
'''Mill Gate Shopping Centre''' [http://www.millgatebury.co.uk/]. This shopping centre houses many of the brands you would come to expect from a typical shopping centre (WHSmiths, Waterstones, Marks And Spencers), but it does have a unique selection of jewellers, amongst the largest selection in Manchester, if not ''the'' largest selection in a shopping centre.
'''The Rock''' [http://www.therockbury.com/] is a largely developing shopping district in the town centre, which all ready contains a wide variety of places to eat, shop and drink. Recently, there have been plans to make a massive refurbishment (the largest the town has ever seen) to build the biggest entertainment centre in Northern Manchester; it shall soon sport some of the best names on the shopping high street, as well as family entertainment, such as bowling and a cinema complex to be moved closer to the town centre than before, which were all previously located at Park 66, just off the M66 motorway. In brief more bars and eateries than before as well as modernly-built apartments, located just next to the town centre and Town Hall.
Eat
'''Ransoms''' in Ramsbottom is, without doubt, THE place to eat in the whole borough. They have won prizes nationally and regionally. Much of their food and wine is sourced directly from Italy. A true gem! Book in advance as this place has a great reputation. They do some sort of "book last minute" promotion at times.
The restaurant/cafe bar at the Bury '''Met Theatre''' is good and also popular, as a bar, in the evenings.
'''Sergio's''' is a newly opened, highly revered italian restaurant at the very top of Manchester Old Road, near the Town Hall. Service is good as is the food and the waiters are the best looking for miles around.
'''Yates's''' [http://www.yatesbars.co.uk/]. A large bar located directly behind the 'Robert Peel' statue. Features a fair selection of food and drinks at a good price.
'''TGI Friday's''' is in Prestwich by The Premier Inn on Junction 17 of the M60.
'''Peppe's''' is like the above in the south of the borough, this time in Whitefield, down Manchester Road from Bury centre. It is a tiny, family run, italian restaurant next to the Metrolink station. Excellent food and very popular.
'''Antonio's''' in Whitefield, has been refurbished and this family run restaurant is very friendly. '''The Budha Lounge''' and '''Fort Of India''' (both good) are on the same crossroads.
'''Roma''' is just up the road from the above and good during the day for coffee and lunch.
'''Slattery's''' is also on Bury Old Road in Whitefield in a former pub building. The cafe on the first floor is vast and good for lunch and afternoon teas. On the ground floor they sell excellent cakes, for which they are well known throughout the area. There is a good car park.
The restaurant at''' The Village Hotel''' offers good food and friendly service to residents and non residents alike.
By Autumn 2010 a brand new __350 million development will be completed, which will incorporate appartments, a cinema,a 25 lane bowling complex and many high street stores, bars, cafes and restaurants.
Drink
'''Sol Viva''' [http://www.solandviva.com/]. The centre of night-life in Bury, Sol Viva is a popular resort for youths, especially at the weekend. Please keep in mind, that this nightclub ''strictly'' requires I.D. (driving licence or passport are the only two forms of identification that are often accepted) for you to get in, and queues can stretch almost half a mile down the road. The later the time, the harder it will be to get in, so it is advised that preparations are made to arrive as soon as the club opens. There is private suites, which can be booked for parties.
Sleep
There is a good hotel just off the Bury junction of the M66 motorway. It is The Village Hotel.
Further south in the borough there is a Premier Inn in Prestwich on junction 17 of the M60 orbital motorway. This is also very handy for Manchester city centre.
Get out
All the sights of Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Cheshire are within an hour of Bury. Leeds, Bradford, "Bronte Country" and Liverpool are also under an hour away.