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 small children's play area off Wigan Road…read more There's a very good playground there: Bolton Council have recently invested some money in their children's play facilities, and they have put in quite a bit of new equipment here. As a consequence it's a really good facility with plenty to keep the kids amused and to help them burn of some energy. Apart from the playground, though, there's not much here! And the parking isn't great either -- you have to park on Wigan Road itself really. But all in all, it's a decent resource to have in the neighbourhood -- we certainly like it!

Some really nice walk a park for the little ones, a place to feed the ducks. Icecream van and…read moreburger van, toilets, grass areas for picnics, picnic benchs , we thoroughly enjoyed our day here.

Plenty for the children , feeding ducks then they're is a park also very good for dog walking…read more Spacious car parking looks like they are on for improving as there is work going on.

The Jungle Parc is an absolutely amazing place for kids, and not too bad for adults too. I never…read moreeven knew this place existed until I was searching the net and then came across this place. I would strongly recommend this for age 7 - 10 though smaller ones are able to come along too, height restrictions do apply to certain parts of the adventure courses, so to avoid disappointed I would recommend you go onto their website and check first. This place is all about fun and fitness for the whole family. They have a massive high wire forest adventure course; which is set within the countryside and developed to encourage you to get moving, and trust me by the end you the adventure a good cuppa and sleep is what you'll need, though if it is for the family then keeping the kids active by getting them tired then Jungle Parc is the place to bring them. It is a very safe environment and with all the proper equipment it is very enjoyable. The X-plorer course is for anyone over 1.35m in height and the Adventurer course is for children from 4 years old and with minimum height of 1.05m. The Jungle Parc is situated in Croxteth Country Park which is only 10 minutes from the city centre.

The Jungle Parc which (like Gemma) I also never knew existed until I came across a flyer, is based…read moreat Croxteth Country Park. The site is generally an incredible place for outdoor activities for those looking to burn off more than a bit of energy (adults and children alike). The premises consists of two different courses: X-Plorer course and Adventurer course (for the little ones). Each course is ideally designed with a practical element, almost like an assault course but with the fun involved. There are 40 amazing activities to enjoy as you glide through trees on rope bridges, zip lines and cargo! It definitely sounds exciting as it really is. Adults are just £20 and Juniors £15. Prices include full training and all equipment to make sure you are fully prepared and safe. Not bad at all for an adventourous day in jungle like surroundings.

A little know gem of Warrington with bucket loads of history attached. It's got 2 main areas, open…read moregrass land and the willow marshes. Great dog walking area.

This is a wonderful, natural environment. Excellent for those who like to walk away from all the…read moretraffic and noise, but still be in contact with civilisation. It can be accessed from Farrell Street or Manchester Road (via Peacock Avenue) and has some pathways laid out, suitable for wheelchairs or buggies. Once again, it is often necessary to watch out for bicyclists, but most are very courteous here. The odd kids on stolen and/or illegal motorcycles are not. Contrary to popular knowledge of the law, these are not legal on what used to be called common land and still need a license, tax and insurance - none of which they have. Rant over! Just off the laid paths is a quite large area which is the actual twiggery - water and marshland completely enclosed in shrubbery which is more akin to jungle than parkland. The authorities have had built raised, wooden walkways throughout this area without destroying the natural aspects - it is possible to see all manner of animal and birdlife if one is quiet enough. I have watched heron fishing in the pond near the entrance as well as kingfishers and wagtails. On St George's Day, we usually manage to pick enough dandelions for the next year's dandelion wine - more than two gallons some years.

The park is 7 miles long and runs from Carr Mill Dam to Newton-Le-Willows. Inside the park is the…read morevisitor centre, Stanley Bank nature reserve as well as loads of footpaths and cycleways. It is just perfect for taking your bike if you are up for a short ride. Public events take place around the park including guided walks, slide illustrated talks, moth nights, birdwatching events and art days. The park is also used regularly for school events such as pond dipping, bug hunting, nature rambles and scavenger hunts. The park is a site of special scientific interest for the nature enthusiasts to enjoy and there are numerous areas to fish (permits can be obtained through the local fishing clubs).

Nice place for kids cycling and dog walking. In the square they're shops where you can obtain ice…read morecream , beer, coffee and cake or a cafe fora full lunch.

I absolutely adore this place and feel so privileged it's on my door step…read more Haigh Hall Country Park has something for everyone. Whether you want a family day out with a picnic to a dog walk or even a romantic walk this place is for you. At the top car park at the hall end there's a cafe (which serves decent coffee!), awesome newly refurbished playground for the kids and there's almost always an ice cream van around. Move further down and there's a mini golf course and the gardens. Down at the hall, taking a look across the golf course to the view across wigan is absolutely recommended. The view on a nice day is stunning! Once your past the hall, you have the 2 mile winding walk through woodland to plantation gates. On the way you'll go over the canal and some pigs have recently taken residence about halfway through.

If you want a great day out then this is a great place to go. Granted it can get a little busy when…read morethe sun comes out, but it's wonderful for short brisk walks. Walk to the summit for a wonderful view of the trough of Bowland, or just wander around and have something nice in the cafe. A must is to pick Bilberries on the hillsides and make jam!!

On a clear day you can see the Isle of man from here(apparentley). well maintained country park…read morewith nature trails and structered walks. A lovely day out, especially inthe winter when it is more quiet. take a picnic and enjoy the view as far as the eye can see.

Funding for Mesnes Park has been pouring in over the past few years and boy have Wigan Council done…read morea top notch job. Obviously I had never been to Mesnes Park prior to its complete refurb but the stories are quite horrendous; a dirty pond, a cafe that was constantly broken in to, and a general feeling of unease and lack of safety all added up to somewhere you wouldn't want to go at night. But this has all now changed. We wandered down to the park today to take in some big bandstand celebrations - a local businessman of the surname Higham (of the flower chain, if anyone happens to recognise it!) was a lover of brass bands and, after passing away, it was found in his will that some of his money was to go to building a bandstand in Mesnes Park for all to enjoy. Whether this spurred the refurb of the park or simply sat nicely alongside it, who knows! We were very lucky with the weather and took a picnic blanket to sit on and take in the sights and sounds of Mesnes Park in the sun. The bandstand is a great spot with paving around it but grass patches just beyond, ascending towards the cafe building. The set up today was great with a BBQ and performers throughout the day, something which I hope they keep up (it's nice to have things to do in Wigan!) The cafe building itself is really sweet, almost like something from a fairytale, and definitley useable during the winter months; there is two layers of seating inside as well as an area outside, and a great selection of food. The savoury choices appeared to be general picanic grub, with sausage rolls and pork pies, but their sweet selection was wide and tempting - Frederick's ice cream was available in various flavours and you have the option to build upon these tasty choices and have milkshakes or smoothies made from them! There were a lot of sticky fingers today and they were doing a great business. Other highlights of the park are the beautiful flowers of bright pinks and purples, the playpark for the little ones, and the statue of a man whose foot you have to rub for good luck. Every park needs one of those.