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.

An unsung gem of the Welsh countryside (you'd be amazed how many people haven't heard of this place…read more- don't remain one of them). Park up at the visitor centre (£1) and take a long relaxing walk along the dam's retaining wall - with picturesque views down across the lower valley - or for a much more enriching experience, park on the access road on the other side of the reservoir, which you'll find by taking the B4501 from Denbigh. Apart from having access to the forest walk, there's a plethora of Bronze Age remains - cairns and burial mounds, and a ritual temple - to be found on the well-signposted archaeological trail. Interestingly, only 20 people were ever buried at this location during a 500 year period. You eventually work your way round to the visitor centre, housing a free interpretative exhibition, with a handy cafe and a toilet complex, attached. Whatever the weather (and we've been there on the wintriest of days) it's a fascinatingly eerie (drowned villages always are, somehow) and beautiful spot.

A wonderfully tranquil place. Brilliant hospitality at the cafe and wonderful food for excellent…read moreprices. A wonderful place for a walk and yet it's always so quiet. The roadway around part of the Llyn makes for easy walking for beginners but for the more adventurous there are plenty of other pathways too. A great place to cycle too if that's your bag.

Balls Wood is the hidden gem of Maghull for those who love parks and the great outdoors in general…read more You could walk right by this park and not notice it--in fact I did at first. Through this camouflaged archway lies a hidden little patch of green. If you long for green and trees and fresh air as much as I do, this is a great place to walk, sit, breath, and drink in the natural world around you. I was taken aback, actually, because it reminded me a little bit of the fields across the road from my grandparents' old stone house back in the USA. As you walk through the arch you have trees on both sides of the mown grass, and you have to walk quite a ways before you come to the open clearing. Apparently this patch of land is home to a bit of wildlife as well so if you're lucky and you time it right, you might spot some cunning and adorable critters.

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.

I went to a wedding at Arley Hall last week and it was a spectacular venue to get married…read more The only reason I'm marking it down to 4* is because as a non-driver and a singleton it would have been very expensive to get there myself, as the public transport links aren't great. Luckily, I got a lift to and from the venue with friends but otherwise it would have been £50 in a taxi each way. So that's the moan out of the way. The rest was brilliant and to anyone looking for a wedding venue, you should definitely consider here. The main house, where the ceremony and meal were, was very pretty. The food was very tasty, particularly the sticky toffee pudding. Service was also very good. The back where the pictures were taken is gorgeous and provides a beautiful backdrop for wedding photos - official or unofficial! The evening do was in the Olympia Hall which is a nice size. Has a bar, nice area for DJ/dancing and an upstairs bit with sofas and room for a photo booth. I'll put up a few photos shortly.

Although we didn't pay to go into the hall and gardens themselves, even through cafe alone is well…read moreworth a visit if you're in the area. My friend and I had been on a 6 mile hike that started and ended at the hall, and it made for the perfect finish. The celeriac soup was delicious, but everything on offer looked great. Be mindful that they do stop hot food at 3, but we turned up at 3.20 and as they hadn't turned anything off yet they were more than happy to serve us. The cakes looked lovely too and if I'd have had room for dessert I would have had one without hesitation!

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.

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!