"Eccles, Lancashire" Eccles by frozensausage

Having checked to see what was written on here about Eccles, I've noticed that no-one has posted anything so I thought I might as well be first.

Eccles is part of the City or Salford, a borough within Greater Manchester, although Eccles these days tends to be seen as a suburb of Manchester or Salford as opposed to a town in its own right.

Eccles is famous for a few things, the most ubiquitous being the Eccles Cake, which originated in Eccles hundreds of years ago. Eccles Cakes are now no longer made in Eccles - the authentic Eccles Cakes on sale in supermarkets are baked in Ardwick, on the other side of Manchester.

Eccles, to a lot of people means just the end of the blue Metrolink line, or a station between Manchester Victoria and Liverpool.

The town's heart is Church Street, named after Eccles Parish Church, from which the town takes its name.

The church is set in a park, and is a nice building which sits alongside blocks and blocks of tower blocks.

Morrisons have a modern branch in Eccles, which is next to the new bus station which will take you to Worsley, Bolton, Wigan, Salford, or of course, Manchester.

It's worth pointing out that Eccles is across the Ship Canal from the Trafford Centre, so a way of getting there from Liverpool could be to get off the train at Eccles, and get the bus to the Trafford Centre as opposed to the protracted bus service from Stretford Station.

In terms of restaurants, there are two good ones in Eccles, the first being Smiths, next to the train station which has a set menu before 7pm and provides great food at reasonable prices.

Better still is The Bistro in Monton Village.
The bistro serves the best food in Eccles, the menu being varied and imaginative.

Reasonable cost, nice service, and cool art on the walls, I think the owners' son or daughter studies art at the local college.

In terms of pubs, there are only two I will reccomend - the first being Wetherspoons opposite the Metrolink, and provides the same Wetherspoons standard you get anywhere.

Better still is The Duke of York, next to the town hall, which has fantastic bar staff, as well as regular bands and DJ's.

• Pros:10 Minutes from Manchester Victoria by train
• Cons:Rowdy.