Great park. Nicer than the main Royton park. Quieter, more spacious and it doesn't seem like your…read morein Royton A good play area to kids, great for riding bikes, jogging etc. Great for picnics as well, however on the downside is there is no toilets.

When the Queensway Tunnel was dug beneath the river, the subsequent rubbish pulled from the ground…read morewas dumped and landscaped into what is now Otterspool Prom. Here you can do everything there is to possibly do on a riverside promenade; things such as walk, ride a bike, look at the water and...um...well that's about it. I suppose you could rollerblade if you wanted. If it's a warm day and you don't mind the style your hair will be sculpted into by the blustering gales, you can follow the prom and its interconnecting paths right up to the Pier Head. If you don't fancy that, try and unearth the ruins of the 1984 Garden Festival, which lies hidden by tree trunks and weeds. You don't know how overtly creepy something is until you accidentally stumble across a kid's overgrown swing park. I still have nightmares.

What a spectacular view. Did you ever see such a coastline? Especially when the waves are choppy…read moreand the wind blustery. I absolutely love the promenade; walking along beside the river with the breathtaking view of the Welsh hills in the background is really relaxing, there's lots of cyclists and dog-walkers around and it's a lovely environment on a clear sunny day. The park which was renovated through the 'Pride in our Proms' project is Amazing. It's a mini world of Big Kid heaven... for me anyway I regressed about 10 years and was on the swings, seesaw and monkey bars, and when we'd totally worn ourselves out running around and taking cool scenic pictures of the sunset we went for a well earned pint from the Otterspool pub which is handily a hop skip and a cartwheel across the park. Go fly a kite, see the sights, play on the park and grab a pint!

One of our favourite Bolton parks -- small but perfectly formed, as they say. There's an excellent…read morechildren's playground: the Council have recently spent a huge amount of money updating the swings, slides and so on and it's been money well spent. Our kids (aged 3 and 5) love going there and letting off some steam. Apart from the playground there's a bowling green and plenty of grass to play football/cricket/whatever -- although to be honest that's about it. It's just over the road from a local secondary school so it may be best avoided at certain times of the week, but during the holidays and at weekends it's a good place to visit.

A last minute decision on a damp, drizzly winter Sunday, but a good one. Forgot how vast this place…read moreis! Walked down the hill past the hall and round the lake, slowing to admire the signets and stop the dog munching all the food left for the birds! Round the other side of the lake, the woods are incredibly quiet; it's easy to forget you're right on the edge of such a large city and the motorway is about a mile away. This is the highest point in the city and the views are amazing.

Fancy a picnic in Manchester? Don't look at me like I've escaped from a mental unit, there's plenty…read moreof places to take a basket, blanket and a punnet of Scotch eggs in the city. If you don't believe me, you've clearly never seen the rural idyll that is Heaton Park. Easily accessible by the Metrolink from the city centre, Heaton Park in Prestwich is historical, green and gorgeous. It's home to a golf course as well as Heaton Hall, a beautiful manor which you can view by partaking in guided tours, the exciting kind where people wear costumes. There is literally far too much going on here for me to include in this little introduction but some noteworthy events include Oasis's huge homecoming gigs where they decked Heaton Park out like a festival. Technologically it was a nightmare, but good old Noel Gallagher promised refunds if they didn't get the sound sorted. Another thing you must, MUST do in Heaton Park is try and catch an open air Shakespeare production. They make the most incredible use of the surroundings, but an insider's tip is to bring a mackintosh, umbrella and perhaps even a flask and foldable chair. The former two are obviously due to the inclement Manchester weather, the latter... well, we all need our home comforts. Actually, add some kind of chewy sweets to that list, you choose your favourites. Just don't rub it in, the poor actors have to do this in all climates and are probably dying for one of your Skittles. Anything more I can add? Relay races for dogs (I'm totally serious, it's an opportunity for dog owners to meet and interact), health walks, horse riding, learning activities... the list goes on and on, and look out for the festivals and music performances. Heaton Park is a buzzing, thriving community all its own, so if you fancy some fresh air and culture, hop on the tram and bring sensible shoes. You'll love it here.

This medium size park in the centre of Royton is quite good. The playground has recently been…read moreupdated and is OK but not the best. The tennis/basketball courts, football area, and park in general is nice and plenty of room for riding bikes, hanging with friends, jogging and just for having s little walk. A place of my child hood which includes an ice cream van in the pm with volcano ice cream! Overall not a bad park

A moderate sized park for the locals. Stoneleigh has most…read morething you would find in local government park. There are playgrounds for younger & older children, while not very big I don't think the park was kitted out with the mind set of visitors from out of the area. Tennis Courts with static steel netting in place of traditional netting (unfortunately the park is situated in a council estate and the local kids in the past have had no respect or stuff that is put into the park for their enjoyment) Basketball courts. Rugby & football playing fields and open areas for walking dogs.

This is a really big park which is maintained and looked after by the friends of debdale…read more This Park has two reservoirs there one of which the Debdale out door centre use for there watersports. The park also has a big allotment, Donkey Sanctary, small children's play area, basket ball and tennis court, children's activity centre and a big football pitch. The park has a lot to offer all ages and is also very popular with dog walkers. The park holds many events and you can go on line to see these events. Three to four times a year the fair comes to the park and in November they hold a firework display for every one which is normally free entry. The park has a toilets on it. In really nice weather there is usually an ice cream can also which is good value not to expensive. When it's not their, there is a McDonalds near by. A nice place to go for a picnic with lots to do. You can Normally see the community payback team there at least once a week helping maintain the grounds plus litter picking. There is a small car park which is also used by the Debdale out door centre and can fill very quickly, there is also additional spaces on the McDonalds car park across the road.

i always visit the park every sunday , i carnt belive its actualy free its like something you see…read moreand think you would have to pay a entrance free , a massive pond for fishing , park for the children , sand pit , slides and swings. i usualy go fishing on the pond with a reasonable price to fish , lovely people and litter free!

This is a lovely little park in Trafford between Urmston and Flixton and has a minature steam…read morerailway that is run by a small group of dedicated steam engine enthuastics and cost 20p for a ride around the park. It runs on sunday and is really popular with parents with children. There is also a small playground and the icecream van is usually there to serve the public. There are a number of events staged at this park throughout the year including Fireworks on Bonfire night and Railway engine steam and track weekend.

I think this is a really lovely park. Theres a large grass field that people walk their dogs on,…read moreplay football, frisbie or fly a kyte when the weathers nice. Then there are 2 seperate play areas, that aren't so new nowadays, but are still relatively modern and in good condition. The smaller park is for younger children, sort of 6 and under ish with a climbing frame and young child swings. And a larger park with a spiders web climbing frame amongst other things for older children. Theres a bowling green too and a minature steam train track that runs round the edge of the park. When I say minature, I mean in comparison to the real thing, but these tow seats around the track behind the train and its driver. Its about 20p, something which inflation doesn't seem to have effected, as its beenthat price for about the last 15+ years. But the trains are perfect for any small child who loves Thomas. They usually only run on a sunday. Theres usually an ice cream van around as its a popular park. There are events on throughout the year, usually around the 1st bank holiday in May for May Day Steam where the trains run for the whole weekend and theres a beer tent, model trains, boats, planes, crafts, sweets, bouncy castle, mini fair, steam engines, old bikes, cars, tractors and a good way to spend a day or afternoon over the Bank holiday, especially if the weathers not so good or you don't want to travel too far. They usually do something around Bonfire night too, although sadly I don't think they have the huge bonfire anymore that they used to have.