FAQs

From Saturday 19 September we will be open Thursday to Sunday 9:00am-4:00pm.

Northern Roots has 160-acres of woodland, meadows, and nature ponds, and these areas can be accessed 24/7. Toilet facilities can only be accessed during opening hours.

Northern Roots is based in Oldham, Greater Manchester, close to Oldham town centre and the foothills of the Peak District. The nearest landmarks are Oldham’s famous Alexandra Park, and Northern Roots can also be accessed via Park Bridge in Tameside.

Northern Roots is 20 minutes on foot from Oldham town centre and an eight-minute drive and 10 minutes by bike.

You can also access Northern Roots on foot, bike and horseback via footpaths from local areas such as Glodwick, Alt, Hathershaw, Fitton Hill and Bardsley.

Northern Roots can be accessed via several bus routes.

396 (Ashton-under-Lyne to Middleton)

426 (Oldham – Fitton Hill circular)

425 (Oldham – Holts circular)

Our nearest bus stops are:

Meldrum Street bus stop on Honeywell Lane (for 396 and 426). This bus stop is 0.2 miles and a three-minute walk to Northern Roots.

Glodwick Road bus stop on Abbey Hills Road (for 425). This bus stop is 0.2 miles and a five-minute walk to Northern Roots.

The nearest tram stop is Oldham Central. It’s a one-mile walk to Northern Roots.

Yes, we have free parking at the entrance, including disabled parking bays close to the entrance. The exact location is here.

We are expanding our parking in the future.

When our main car park is closed, you can also park in the Alexandra Park car parks. The nearest one is on Kings Road. The exact location is here. 

Yes, we have electric charging points in our car park. These are currently not live, but will go live in autumn 2026.

Yes, you can bring a scooter. However, we ask that you be mindful of fellow visitors.

Yes, we have bike racks in front of the Welcome Building. Please bring your own bike lock.

Yes, the site is free to enter, and we have a wide range of free activities too.

Visit our What’s On page to learn about up and coming events, some of which are free, and visit the What’s Here page to learn about our wider site.

Yes, we have free to use outdoor Play Area including water play, nature walks, and a programme of events and activities, many of which are free, throughout the year.

Some events will be non-ticketed and free, but many will be ticketed. Please head over to our What’s On page to see what events are coming up.

The Café will be open Thursday to Sunday 9:00am – 4:00pm from Saturday 19 September.

Breakfast will be available from 9:00am to 11:00am, lunch will be available from 12:00pm to 3:00pm.

Yes, in our Café we will provide vegetarian, vegan, gluten free and halal options. If you have dietary requirements, please speak to a member of the Café team. 

Yes, you’re welcome to bring a picnic to Northern Roots. We kindly ask that picnics are enjoyed on one of our many benches and picnic spots onsite.

You can breast feed anywhere. Please speak to a member of the Café team who can assist in heating up baby food.

Yes, please ask a member of the Café team.

Well behaved dogs on leads are welcome inside our Welcome Building Café. We ask that you stay with your dog at all times, and that extendable leads are kept to the shortest setting.

Service dogs have full access to Northern Roots.

Yes. Please email info@northern-roots.uk with details of your group, your reason for visiting, and the number of coaches you intend to bring.

We love making new connections with local teachers, schools and educators of all kinds. Please email info@northern-roots.uk and we’ll connect you with our Learning Team.

Yes we do, head over to our Book Us page for more details of bookable spaces and packages we offer.

Paths between the Northern Roots car park and Welcome Building are flat and suitable for wheelchairs, mobility scooters and pushchairs. 

We do not offer wheelchair or mobility scooter hire, but we welcome visitors to use their own onsite.

Between the Northern Roots car park and Welcome Building is a 300-metre walk, which includes a flat concrete path and a flat gravel pathway. This is accessible for motorised mobility scooters, prams and bikes. There are no benches or toilets along this stretch of pathway.

To ensure the safety of visitors, we ask that you do not fly drones across the Northern Roots site without asking permission. Please email info@northern-roots.uk for further information. We are not responsible for damaged property, and cannot assist with the recovery of lost drones.

With your support, we can further develop this unique new community asset and visitor destination, for learning, leisure, creativity and growing, that will benefit the environment and improve health, wellbeing and livelihoods in Oldham. You can find out how to support us here.

Yes, we have several options for bookable spaces suitable for events, meetings and workshops. Please visit our Book Us page.

We accept volunteering applications at certain times throughout the year. Please visit our Volunteer page to learn more about what you could do as a Northern Roots volunteer, and to learn about our next application cycle.

The Natural Health Service is a free green social prescribing service for Oldham residents. Though it operates year round, we only onboard new participants at certain times of the year. To learn of routes to the Natural Health Service, and to hear of the next chance to join us, please visit our Natural Health Service page.