A beautiful lake to visit when in north Wales and somewhere we've been several times. It's four…read moremiles long and one mile wide (the largest lake in Wales in fact) and near to the little town of Bala which is close to its northern end. It's a great lake for watersports of all kinds and kayaks and yachts can be hired locally. It's also a protected wildlife site; there are many species of fish which live in the depths of the lake, including a fish called a gwyniad which is no longer found anywhere else in the UK! The Bala Lake Railway is a narrow gauge steam railway which travels around the eastern banks of the lake. The primary station is at Llanuwchllyn at the southern end and the trip takes about an hour. A marvellous area for walking too.

Jan 2017 - OK, so the lake is now called Queens and is run by Leigh Angling Association. It is not…read moreas well looked after as some venues, but for me this is half the attaction. That it not to say it is not comfortable to fish - it is, it ha gravel most of the way round and comfortable well spaced pegs (about 16-18 of them). It is just the vegetation is slightly overgrowing, though the small venue means that casting never really is an issue anyway. Fish are clearly healthy and not overfed, I have seen all sorts caught - gudgeon, perch, roach, bream, crucians seem to be there in the right proportions. And of course carp - there is a good stock of fish in the 8-14lb region, enough to keep you busy but not overstocked. The biggest I have seen out of there is 17lb, but I have been told that there are 2 20lbs+ there. Tactics - most seem to work, depending on the day. I have noticed that in the summer they seem to go mad fro krill-based boilies and paste. In the winter, I have been very successsful with corn and boilies (not so much maggots for some reason?), with up to 5 carp in a short 5-6 hour session, and only 2 blanks! People - at it's busiest on a summer weekend, I have never seen more than half of the pegs filled. And that was a one-off! average number of taken pegs in busy times is about 4-5. I guess it's not a really challenging water, with no monsters..with Fan Lodge just down the road too! But the people that are there are extremel friendly, polite and respectful. It is also fairly suited to kids as it is so quiet, plus ther are huge bushes full of blackberries which keeps them extremely busy in the summer!

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.

Stadt Moers Park is a bit of an oasis, sandwiched between Whiston and Prescot. It's basically a few…read moreacres of open parkland, much of it left to grow wild. There are footpaths you can take, and a large lake that's quite popular for fishing. It's a nice getaway for half an hour if you live in the area, the only drawback being that it's close to the motorway, so there's a steady hum of traffic in the background. There's a visitors centre open for occasional events, such as a weekly walking group and various educational stuff. There are also yearly events such as Whistonbury, a music-festival-cum-arts-and-craft-fair.

This place is lovely for walks and great views. You can take the kids or your dog and have a really…read moregood walk and feel great. If you only want a brief stop though, you can always park up and just go on the grassy area with your kids or dog, just remember to clean up after either, keeping the area nice and clean! Sadly it's not got any play things for children, but if you take a ball or a kite (if it's windy)etc, then you should be able to have some good old fashioned fun!

Walton Hall Park is not the biggest of parks in Liverpool but large enough to say the least! On a…read moresunny day, it is a wonderful place to spend the day with family and friends. If you fancy a picnic, there is plenty of open field space where you can't be noticed or noticed if you wish. The park has one main lake and a smaller pond where you can enjoy fishing or feeding ducks, swans or geese. Having said it is a great day to spend on a sunny day, it is also a great day to spend on a snowy day; back in January's snow flurry, the park had a magnificent white display with lakes turning into an ice rink. The place was beautiful to walk through but naturally hazardous for children and animals. Occasions like this are rare but when the opportunity arises, I would recommend a visit whether sunny or snowy!

I used to live fairly close to this park. It's pretty good sized, and provides a nice place to…read morewalk, play with your dog, take the kids for a picnic, etc. There's a paved track that runs all around the grassy area. I'm not sure how long the track is--possibly a fourth of a mile. Around the edges there are some trees that provide nice shade in the summer months. All in all a clean and pleasant park. :)

Arrowe Country park is spectacular, I think the most memorable thing about it is the smell: so…read morefresh and natural it's wonderful. There are around 250 acres of woodland and parkland (no wonder it smells so fresh) and boasts a great mix of trees and flowers. You are guaranteed to spot numerous animals birds; squirrels are very popular in this area, as are Jays and Woodpeckers the numerous ponds and the lake in the park attracts toads, kingfishers and dragonflies; this place is a real haven. Although popular, it's always tranquil as people just come to walk and relax. Great place for an afternoon picnic

Arrowe Country Park is indeed an idyllic and beautiful place to go for a jog, a stroll or a family…read moreday out. There are acres and acres of lush scenery to peruse through as well as a pond for fishing in and a golf course for all those aspiring golfers. It's just a shame because it's set on the back of a few housing estates and occasionally you can get a bit of trouble as you walk around. So be warned, it's not a place that I would let my children go to play unsupervised! Other than that it's a great walk, I used to job through here fairly frequently and never got any trouble. It's a good place for groups of friends to go and play football as well as they have two football pitches that can be used. There's also a nice pub called the Cherry Orchard which you should try if you get peckish after your walk!

Ah lovely Newsham Park, this place holds good memories for me as it was the local park when I was a…read morenipper. It was where I learned to ride a bike, it's where I spent every summer playing footy and it's where, ah, oh yes it's where I fell in the lake when I was 4. Nevertheless it's a much overlooked park as it is situated in the equally overlooked area of Tuebrook which offers little for the tourist or indeed other residents of the city. The park itself though is a big area with plenty of hidden features and spaces for you to explore.

Newsham Park is one of the less 'famous' parks in Liverpool, possibly because it's just a patch of…read moregrass with a pond. I don't mean that in any derogoratoy way, just that it hasn't been marketed to high heaven, or had any botanical gardens put there or anything fancy like that. It is a nice place to go for a walk or sit by the pond, it's usually very quiet so a good place to chill out. My friend lives on the circular round around the park, and the view when you wake up is lovely.

It's a very pretty but the parking machines never work be careful because they will ticket you!read more

This is the place that I grew up building dens with my school friends in the middle of the woods…read moreand rock climbing and going on huge bike rides! It's a beautiful place and it really shows off the beauty of Wirral's countryside. Royden Park is gorgeous and there is a pond there for game fishing as well as an old model steam train that children can ride on on certain days! Thurstaston common is home to Thors Rock, a huge sandstone landmark where thousands of people have etched their names and sweet nothings for years on end. It's a great place for a family walk, walking the dog, a jog, a bike ride, or just an escape for a while. There's a campsite down the road for those that want to come and camp on the Wirral near somewhere beautiful. There's also a fantastic little pub about ten minutes walk away called the Cottage Loaf, they serve delicious homemade food to get your energy back up after a long walk!