I visited Manchester's most desirable neighbourhood and this is why people love it so much

These days our social media feeds are filled with top-ten lists and surveys about the best areas to live. And despite increasing attention around places like Ancoats and Stockport in recent years, the leafy South Manchester suburb maintains its status as one of the most attractive places in Greater Manchester. 

To find out what makes Didsbury so special, we spent a sunny afternoon wandering around the neighbourhood and seeing how the locals live. Here are the best reasons we could find to live in Didsbury.

Everything you need on your doorstep

Not many village high streets still have a full complement of traditional shops, like fishmongers, butchers, greengrocers, florists etc. But Didsbury is one of those places. Although there is an Aldi in the village, there is no reason to step foot in there if you don’t want to.

Perhaps there is a certain amount of romanticism and nostalgia attached to the idea of living around the corner from the local cheesemonger, and you’re likely to pay more for these products than you would in a regular supermarket, but supporting small independent businesses is always a plus. 

Another thing you’ll find on the high street are charity shops – lots of them. We counted at least five. It’s no secret that shopping for clothes at charity shops in affluent areas can result in some excellent finds and genuine bargains, and Didsbury did not disappoint in that regard. We spotted a Mind, Barnardo’s, RSPCA, Cats Protection and an Oxfam, which also had an excellent books section.

Green spaces

Considering Didsbury is located just a short bus or tram ride away from the city centre, or an even shorter walk to the busy student areas of Withington and Fallowfield, there is an abundance of green space in Didsbury. Trees line most of the streets and there are some tranquil parks and gardens, where you can easily while away a sunny afternoon.

There’s Fog Lane Park and Didsbury Park, but our favourite has to be Fletcher Moss and the Parsonage Gardens. A lot of care and attention has gone into maintaining the park. There are loads of quiet little corners filled with a wide array of different flora and fauna to admire. There are plenty of other facilities to keep both adults and children occupied of an afternoon, including a cafe, tennis courts and visitors centre. The park also backs on to the nature reserve of Stenner Woods, Millgate Fields and the River Mersey.

Bars, restaurants and good old fashioned pubs

When we visited Didsbury village, it was a glorious Friday afternoon. All the outdoor seating at the numerous bars and cafes were full of people making the most of the weather – including some Coronation Street actors. This is the reason most people (and celebrities) come to Didsbury. The food and drink offerings are some of the best in Manchester, with cuisines from all over the world. There’s Palestinian cuisine at Baity, tasty brunches at Hare and Kin and contemporary Indian cuisine at Sangam – which I would recommend for birthday meals as they go all out on the celebrations. You’ll also find popular chain restaurants and bars like Rudy’s pizza and Slug and Lettuce.

If you’re still undecided given all these fantastic options in and around Wilmslow Road in Didsbury Village, you may want to take a wander up to West Didsbury and Burton Road. It takes about 25 minutes to walk to this area, where you will find even more bars and restaurants. Earlier this year, after the shock closure of Simon Rimmer’s vegetarian restaurant Greens, there were reports that this area of Didsbury was on the decline with several other closures affecting the high street. This did not seem to be the case when we went, there were no empty units and plenty of people enjoying the sun. Anyway, back to Didsbury Village.

While Didsbury is the kind of place where trendy cocktails and natural wine are abundant, it’s also a top spot for good old fashioned boozers. In fact, there’s the legendary Didsbury Dozen pub crawl for anyone who really wants to push the boat out. My cricket-obsessed partner was happy to see that plenty of places were showing England v West Indies and the football. My usual spot in Didsbury is the Fletcher Moss pub, which has a large beer garden that was heaving with people of all ages and backgrounds when we went – including families and colleagues enjoying an after-work drink. It’s also right next door to the Didsbury Village met stop, one of four in Didsbury in total.

Houses 

Forget everything you’ve just read above, my absolute favourite thing to do in Didsbury is imaginary house hunting. There are some stunning properties in Didsbury – from cosy cottages to grand Victorian semis, as well as modern flats and developments. Walking around the historic neighbourhood sometimes feels like walking through an episode of Grand Designs. 

But, as to be expected, these properties fall on the higher end of the price scale. We took the time to peruse the high street estate agents’ windows and asking prices ranged from around £250,000 for a flat to the best part of a million for a three-bed semi. This is the true sign of how desirable the area is. And it was all I could think about as I made the journey back to my home in the comparatively undesirable East Manchester. One can only dream.