Tourism in Sale Soars with New Metrolink Service to Sale Water Park

Published on November 25, 2025

To promote local tourism and reduce transport disruptions, Sale Water Park in Manchester was made an interim Metrolink terminus on the weekend of the 1st and 2nd of November 2025. On those two days, trams stopped running due to necessary engineering works on the Manchester Metrolink. With the Metrolink’s rerouting, trams were able to run between Manchester Airport and Sale Water Park, allowing local and visiting travellers easy access to the area.

The service rerouting highlighted Sale Water Park as an important stop for leisure and local travellers. Sale Water Park, an outdoor hub known for its outdoor activities and picturesque scenery, is one of the most frequented tourist attractions in the Trafford region and draws thousands of visitors each year. The Metrolink easements increased the accessibility of the park and drew interest as an ideal weekend getaway location to explore the town of Sale and the surrounding regions.

The Sale Water Park: A Nationwide Pleasure Location

One of the biggest parks and nature reserves near the city of Manchester is Water Park. It is well known for its serene waterside, wooded lawn, and rec and sports facilities. Every year, a large number of park visitors come to partake in activities such as boating, fishing, and hiking. Participating in activities serves as a great way for families and travellers to rest and take in nature. A recent addition of a weekend park-and-ride facilitates access for tourists to this outdoor oasis.

Water Park Sale also has other attractions like Sale Town Centre with its shops, eateries, and cultural sites. Sale is a great weekend destination for visitors not from the area, as the Water Park, Metrolink, and the local transport links provide an excellent route for tourists to travel around the town and park.

Boosting Access for Weekend Travellers

Although the temporary rerouting of Metrolink services began because of engineering works, it nonetheless permitted travellers and tourists to access parts of Manchester and Trafford that are often less accessible. Because there were trams on the route from Manchester Airport to Sale Water Park, travellers could more easily access Sale and Trafford Park and other attractions that improved the visits made by travellers to the area.

For visitors coming from far away, Manchester Airport is the entry point to the region. The extended Metrolink service meant that there were seamless connections to those travellers who wanted to get to Sale Water Park and the surrounding area. Because of this, tourists were able to avoid the road closures and service disruptions while maintaining a considerable advantage in terms of time and cost.

Sale as a Point of Access to Trafford’s Attractions

Sale is a prominent town in the Trafford district, which boasts a range of attractions and activities. Besides the Sale Water Park, visitors can visit the cultural attractions of the Trafford Centre, one of the largest shopping malls in the UK. The Trafford Area is also home to a multitude of parks and nature centers and contains a diverse range of historical and cultural sites, appealing to multiple demographics of tourists.

Tourism in Sale also encompasses sports. Sale is home to Sale Sharks Rugby Club and hosts several events throughout the year. Visitors to the area for rugby events can take advantage of the at-grade level metro service, the Metrolink, which offers direct service to Water Park, allowing patrons of the stadium to easily access the other attractions in the area.

The rerouting of the Metrolink to Water Park for the weekend also highlighted the excellent public transport connectivity within the Trafford Area. With further advancements in the Metrolink planned, public transport to Trafford will become even more desirable for tourists wishing to visit the wider Manchester metro area.Effects of Tourism and Expectation of Further Development

The rerouting of Metrolink service on Manchester Airport – Sale Water Park provides local travellers and tourists with additional service while air transport is temporarily unavailable. It also provided a public transport option during Metrolink service disruptions and demonstrates the further growth of public transport in the area. Sale is enriched with public amenities, and with the addition of new natural, retail, and cultural opportunities, it becomes a more attractive stop on Manchester’s urban outdoor destination.

The newly developed tourism public amenities across Manchester, including Sale, Trafford, and Greater Manchester’s expanded transport network, will continue to strengthen Manchester’s position as a tourism destination in the United Kingdom as public amenities become more developed in Sale’s surrounding urban centres. Greater Manchester is determined to develop a more tourism-friendly, accessible public transport system and to improve the public transport experience of visitors to Sale and Greater Manchester’s other tourist attractions.

Conclusion

Though the redeployment of Metrolink services to Sale Water Park may have originated as a symptom of engineering works, it devolved into an opportunity to illustrate the accessibility and tourism potential of the area. Sales will likely continue to draw more visitors as the region develops its tourism-related offerings and transport infrastructure. Outdoor activities, shopping, and cultural experiences await, and tourists will be able to take advantage of the many transport options available to them.

With the expanding network of attractions and ongoing development of public transport, Sale and the broader Trafford area are becoming highly sought-after travel destinations within Greater Manchester. The redeployed Metrolink service to Sale Water Park provides a tantalising, albeit limited, view of the region’s transport offering for tourists.