Giant Winter Walk

The Giant Winter Walk - Manchester Walks Together - takes place on Thursday 17 December 2026.

The walk brings people together in the heart of winter to walk with purpose and raise funds and awareness for charities supporting people affected by homelessness in Manchester.

The exact start locations, registration times and final event information will be sent to registered walkers before the event.

There are three distances to choose from:

5km - an accessible community walk for people who want to be part of Manchester Walks Together without taking on a major physical challenge.

10km - a longer walk for those looking for more of a challenge while still enjoying the atmosphere of the wider event.

42km - the full Giant Winter Walk: a marathon-distance winter walking challenge for those who want to take on something genuinely demanding.

This is a walking event, not a race. The emphasis is on completing your chosen distance, supporting one another and being part of something worthwhile.

No. You don't need previous long-distance walking experience to take part in the shorter distances.

The 42km Giant Winter Walk is different. Walking a marathon distance in December is a significant physical challenge and participants should prepare appropriately.

You don't need to be fast, but you do need to be ready for a long day on your feet and potentially challenging winter conditions.

That depends on the distance you choose.

Most reasonably active people should be able to work towards completing the 5km or 10km walks. The 42km walk requires considerably more preparation and we strongly recommend building up your walking distances beforehand rather than attempting it without training.

We will provide further guidance to registered walkers ahead of the event.

Absolutely. In fact, we actively encourage it.

The Giant Winter Walk is designed to bring Manchester together, so we'd love to see teams from businesses, charities, universities, community organisations, clubs, friendship groups and families walking alongside one another.

Yes. You don't need to arrive with a team.

One of the principles behind Giant Walk is that you are never alone. Individual walkers become part of the wider Giant community and there will be other walkers, walk leaders and event support around you.

So don't let not having somebody to enter with stop you from taking part.

The Giant Winter Walk is bringing people together to support the response to homelessness in Manchester.

Rather than simply staging another walking event, we want Manchester Walks Together to connect walkers, businesses, charities and communities around a common cause.

We would love every walker to use the challenge as an opportunity to raise money and awareness for the charities involved.

You don't have to be an experienced fundraiser. Taking on a winter walking challenge gives friends, family and colleagues a very tangible reason to support you, and even relatively small individual fundraising efforts can become significant when hundreds of people are walking together

Your entry fee helps us organise and safely deliver the Giant Winter Walk.

Fundraising for charity is separate from the entry fee unless specifically stated otherwise.

December in Manchester can mean almost anything, so come prepared for winter conditions.

We recommend comfortable, well-tested walking footwear, warm layers, waterproof clothing and a fully charged mobile phone. For longer distances you should also carry sufficient food and drink and any personal items you may need during the day.

Full kit guidance will be sent to registered walkers before the event.

Don't try new boots for the first time on walk day.

It is called the Giant Winter Walk for a reason, and normal December weather won't stop us.

However, the welfare of our walkers, volunteers and event team comes first. We will monitor conditions and may amend routes, timings or other arrangements if necessary.

If conditions become genuinely unsafe, we will communicate any changes directly to registered participants.

Depending on your distance and walking time, some participants – particularly those completing the 42km challenge – should expect to walk during periods of darkness.

We'll provide more detailed information about this in the final walker instructions.

Giant Walk is about challenging yourself without being left to do it alone.

Our team will be there to help walkers throughout the event and we'll provide detailed information about the support available before walk day.

This remains a walking challenge, however, and every participant is responsible for arriving suitably prepared for the distance they have chosen.

We will identify toilets, refreshments and appropriate stopping points within the final route information.

42km walkers should nevertheless be prepared to carry their own food, water and essential supplies rather than relying entirely on event facilities.

The 42km route is a substantial winter challenge and we need to make sure everyone can complete it safely within the event operating times.

If you are concerned about pace, contact us before booking and we'll help you decide which distance is most appropriate.

We want Manchester Walks Together to be as inclusive as possible, particularly on the shorter distances, but appropriate age and supervision requirements will apply.

The 42km challenge is considerably more demanding and may have different age restrictions.