Oldham
Introduction
Oldham is a town in Greater Manchester, England, set amongst the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers Irk and Medlock. It sits roughly five miles southeast of Rochdale and seven miles northeast of Manchester City Centre, and serves as the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham.
Before you go
Oldham sits on a chilly ridge high above sea level, and the surrounding area was sheep country until the industrial revolution arrived. The town's own coalfield fired the steam power that turned it into a cotton-milling centre, and though that industry later collapsed, the landscape and the town's character still reflect that history. Bear in mind the elevation when you pack: conditions here are cooler than nearby lowland Manchester.
Historically the town lay in Lancashire, while Saddleworth to the east belonged to Yorkshire, and the villages of Delph, Diggle, Greenfield and Uppermill only became part of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham in 1974. If you're planning a night out, take care along Yorkshire Street late in the evening, and there's no reason to head into the estates of Glodwick, Fitton Hill or Sholver.
Getting there
Most visitors arrive by tram on the Metrolink network. Oldham Central is served by the pink and grey lines, with trams running every 5–10 minutes from around 6AM until midnight and taking about 30 minutes from Manchester Victoria via Newton Heath and South Chadderton. The pink line continues east to Shaw, Milnrow and Rochdale, while westbound trams run through Victoria to St Peters Square, Deansgate, Chorlton and East Didsbury; change in the city centre for all other lines. Oldham sits in Fare Zone 3, with the onward eastern stops in Zone 4.
If you fly in, Manchester Airport has frequent trains to the city centre: pick one that continues through Piccadilly to Victoria, where you change for the tram. You can ride the tram all the way from the airport and change at Deansgate, but it is much slower for little saving. By road, you will probably approach on the M60, which circles Manchester, or on the M62 from the Leeds and Bradford area and then take the A627(M) spur into town; the A62 leads from central Manchester and takes 20–45 minutes depending on traffic. Oldham also acts as a motorists' shortcut to the airport, with the A663 through Chadderton cutting off an angle between the M62 and M60 for transpennine traffic. National Express coaches from London Victoria run every hour or two to Manchester, where you change in the city centre, and on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays there is a direct bus taking about 7 hours via Milton Keynes and heading for Rochdale. The only mainline railway station in the area is at Greenfield near the Pennine village of Uppermill, with hourly trains from Piccadilly via Stalybridge and Mossley continuing east to Marsden and Huddersfield.
Getting around
Greater Manchester's transport is co-ordinated by TFGM and branded as the Bee Network; check their website for fare deals and a journey planner, and consider a day ticket if you'll be making several trips. Oldham has no mainline railway station of its own, so Metrolink trams are the backbone of public transport here, running frequently through the day and into the evening. The town sits in Fare Zone 3, with town centre stops including Oldham Central, and the tram is often the quickest way to move around even if your journey means travelling into Manchester city centre and back out again. Trams run from Manchester Victoria through Newton Heath and South Chadderton into Oldham in around half an hour, continue east to Shaw, Milnrow and Rochdale in Zone 4, and west through Victoria to St Peter's Square, Deansgate, Chorlton and East Didsbury. Change in Manchester city centre for lines serving Bury, Piccadilly station, the Etihad stadium, Ashton-under-Lyne, Wythenshawe and the airport, Old Trafford, Stretford, Sale and Altrincham, the Imperial War Museum and Trafford Centre, and Salford Quays and Eccles. It's worth riding one stop beyond the town centre to a stop called Oldham Mumps — a mumper was a beggar.
Oldham Bus Station sits on the north side of the town centre, and the main routes from Manchester are run by First Group. Bus 83/84 is the quickest option, running from Piccadilly via Newton Heath and Hollinwood in around 40 minutes with frequent service from early morning until midnight; bus 84 continues on to Uppermill and Saddleworth. Bus 81 from Piccadilly takes about 55 minutes via Moston, bus 59 takes around 70 minutes via Cheetham Hill, Middleton and Chadderton, and bus 76 is a slower route of about an hour via Ancoats, Holt Town, Newton Heath, Failsworth, Hollinwood, Limeside and Coppice. Bus 409 runs frequently from Rochdale via Thornham and Royton, continuing via Hathershaw to Ashton-under-Lyne, and bus 58 also links Oldham and Rochdale. Bus 184 runs from Huddersfield via Marsden, Diggle and Uppermill. For longer journeys, National Express coaches call at Oldham: the NX381 runs between Chester and Leeds via the airport, and the NX540 runs between Rochdale, Oldham and London Victoria, also picking up in Manchester city centre and at the airport — though you can't use it for the short hop between Oldham and the airport. Other long-distance bus routes usually involve changing in Manchester city centre at Chorlton Street. Rail travellers generally arrive via Manchester and switch to tram or bus; the nearest mainline station in the immediate area is at Greenfield, near the Pennine village of Uppermill, with hourly trains from Piccadilly via Stalybridge and Mossley continuing via Marsden to Huddersfield. If you're driving, you'll most likely approach on the M60, which circles Manchester, or the M62 from the Leeds and Bradford area, then take the A627(M) spur into town; the A62 leads from central Manchester, with journey times varying considerably depending on traffic, and the A663 through Chadderton cuts off an angle between the M62 and M60 for transpennine traffic. The town centre itself is compact and walkable, so wandering between the tram stops, shops and historic buildings on foot is a practical way to see it, but the surrounding borough is hillier and more spread out, so for anything beyond the centre you'll generally want a tram or bus.
Where to stay
Most of Oldham's accommodation clusters along the motorway corridors rather than in the town centre itself. The 247 Hotel on Manchester Street is the closest option to the centre, while the Premier Inn Oldham Central sits on Westwood Leisure Park near the football stadium. A short way out in Chadderton you'll find the Premier Inn Oldham Broadway and the Travelodge Oldham Chadderton on Burnley Lane — both reliable budget chains, though rooms facing the main road at the Travelodge can pick up traffic noise, and a Toby Carvery is next door if you want an easy meal. The Fairway Inn, a pub with rooms, is half a mile south of the Premier Inn on Nuthurst Road in New Moston.
For something with more character, head out to the villages on the edge of the moors. The Diggle Hotel at Station Houses in Diggle is a hotel and pub with cosy rooms and a good restaurant, and the Old Bell Inn on Huddersfield Road in Delph is an 18th-century coaching inn with a pub-restaurant, eighteen rooms and a bar stocking a remarkable range of gins — note that dogs aren't allowed. Be aware that the Victoria Hotel on Hollinwood Avenue in Chadderton is being used for asylum-seekers, so it isn't available to travellers.
Food & drink
For Indian food, you have plenty of choice. Café East on Yorkshire Street serves Indian dishes through the day and into the evening, while Lahori Grill, also on Yorkshire Street, opens later and runs until late. Shimla's on King Street stays open daily until the early hours. Westwood East on Eleanor Street is a large two-floor restaurant known for its Indian cooking; note that it isn't licensed for alcohol, so bring your own. Blue Tiffin on Higginshaw Lane in Royton is a plusher Indian place with slick service. For Italian, Valentino's on Retiro Street is a cosy spot for Neapolitan fare, and San Rocco on Broadway in Chadderton is a large, friendly Italian restaurant. Casa Brasil on Church Terrace offers Brazilian food. Molino Lounge sits in the former Town Hall, and Toby Carvery on Burnley Lane in Chadderton serves traditional British roasts. To drink, the town centre has several traditional pubs. Up Steps Inn on High Street is a JD Wetherspoons, and the Town Hall Tavern and The Old Bank are both on Yorkshire Street. The George Tavern on George Street opens in the afternoon and runs late into the night, as does Fox & Pine on Greaves Street, which opens daily at noon. The Tommyfield on Henshaw Street opens in the morning and stays open into the evening.What to see and do
In Parliament Square you'll find the Oldham Owls sculpture, and Gallery Oldham on Greaves Street combines an art gallery with a museum. For green space, Alexandra Park sits half a mile south of the town centre with gardens and a boating lake, while Daisy Nook Country Park in the Medlock valley offers woodlands, a lake, open meadows and paths, plus a cafe and accessible toilets. Tandle Hill is an upland park of beech woods and grassland with a panorama of the surrounding countryside, and Saddleworth Museum and Art Gallery in Uppermill occupies a former textile mill, showing contemporary work and travelling exhibitions. The Huddersfield Narrow Canal runs twenty miles across the Pennines via numerous locks and the Standedge Tunnel, climbing out of the Tame valley at Uppermill towards Diggle; buses run alongside the route. For entertainment, Oldham Coliseum stages repertory theatre and an annual pantomime, and there's a cinema in Parliament Square by the shopping centre. Golfers have several nearby courses to choose from, including Oldham, Werneth, Blackley, Crompton and Royton, Bishop Park and Saddleworth. Walkers can pick up the Pennine Way, which follows the ridge bordering Yorkshire, along with trails around Saddleworth Moor, Wessenden Moor and Standedge; the landscape here is a spare gritstone plateau of peat bog, well marked with boardwalks over the boggier sections. Saddleworth Moor also carries a dark history as the burial place of victims of the "moors murderers" in the 1960s. For sport, Oldham Athletic play football at Boundary Park, and the Roughyeds play rugby league at the same stadium.Three days in Oldham
Day one: Start in Oldham itself, getting a feel for the town before heading out. The Metrolink connects you from Oldham Central towards Manchester Victoria, passing through Newton Heath, South Chadderton, Shaw and Milnrow, so you can move between the town and the city without a car. Historically part of Lancashire, Oldham sits in Greater Manchester, and its position on the edge of the Pennines shapes everything around it. Wander Yorkshire Street and the surrounding streets to get your bearings, then use the tram to reach Manchester City Centre, where Victoria, St Peters Square, Deansgate and Chorlton are all on the network. If you want an easy first day, keep it simple: Oldham in the morning, Manchester in the afternoon.
Day two: Head into the hills. Saddleworth lies within the Metropolitan Borough and sits on the Yorkshire side, with Delph, Diggle, Greenfield and Uppermill as its villages. This is Pennine country, where the Irk and the Medlock have their beginnings, and the walking is the point. Move between the villages at your own pace and let the weather set the tone - it can be warm and humid in summer and bitterly cold in winter, so dress for what you find. Uppermill makes a natural base for the day, with Delph, Diggle and Greenfield close enough to link together on foot or by a short hop. If you only do one thing here, spend the time on the hills and the valleys rather than indoors.
Day three: Use the tram to see how the borough and the city fit together. From Oldham you can ride towards Manchester, changing at Victoria or continuing to St Peters Square, Deansgate, Chorlton or East Didsbury, all within the same fare zone system. Back in Oldham, the neighbourhoods of Glodwick, Fitton Hill and Sholver give you a sense of the town beyond the centre, while Rochdale is another option on the same side of Greater Manchester. The Bear is a name you may come across in the town. Keep the last day loose: pick a direction, ride the Metrolink, and let the contrast between the Pennine edge and Manchester City Centre be the thing you remember.