I was very surprised by how large this park is. I entered near the bike shop and had a lovely…read morewander through pat of the park. Gorgeous trees, plenty of wide spaces. Lots of clean trails that seem well maintained, a few benches to sit and read. I had planned to just do a quick stroll, but will have to come back to do it all as it was larger than I had expected.

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!

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.

Just 20 minutes by train from Manchester and around 30 minutes from Leeds - sandwiched in the…read morePennines is the glorious Dovestones. Most people walk around the 1st reservoir and enjoy the stroll. You can however walk around as many as 4 reservoirs in total and increase the challenge. If your particularly fit or an experienced Walker then walk to the tops and enjoy some fantastic views. The place changes every day with the weather, and lots of different routes to take so you won't get bored. Always wear good shoes/boots and take your waterproofs just in case. There is ample parking on weekdays, but very busy at weekends.

Our mission to go for at least one walk in the great outdoors each month of 2016 continues - at…read moreDove Stone Reservoir up in the hills of Saddleworth. Hoping lots of folks would have been put off by the cold weather and fallen snow, our group were met by total carmageddon at the official car park (which was full on a Sunday lunchtime and proved difficult to find a space). After a couple of circuits without success, we drove back to the main road, up the hill a few hundred yards and found plenty of room at the Binn Green car park. It's supposed to be pay and display but there were no machines - double winner. We took a stepped path down from this car park (it's a tad muddy in winter so choose appropriate footwear) and then eventually met the main paved/gravelled route around the reservoir. It's pretty flat all the way and there are gorgeous views to be had, so lots of photo opportunities. The shorter circular route is about 3 miles, whereas if you include the route past Yeoman Hey and Greenfield Reservoirs this increases to 5 miles. We were getting hungry by this point so decided to just do the former!

Living only four miles away, we have now become 'Friends of Ness Gardens' and have been several…read moretimes already this summer (I retired from work at Easter). The Management continue to make improvements all the time, and each time we see changes. If you go three ti,mes or more a year , its well worth joinging the Friends as you will save money. ITs a bit like asmall version of BOdnant Gardens in N Wales for those of you who know it. Edit, visited again 13/3/13 with wife , mother in law and grandauaghter. For the first time we had lunch in the cafe, good quality and well presented food, nice ambience.

This has to be one of the most beautiful places in the Wirral, a true hidden gem. The cafe is…read moreamazing with lovely home cooked food and delightful staff who can't do enough for you, a lovely way to spend a lazy day strolling around. It's worth visiting in every season as it changes so much. I would recommend anyone coming to the Wirral to make time to slot this into their schedule.

Undoubtedly my favourite park in Manchester. There is everything: trees, flowerbeds, a little lake,…read moretables to have a picnic, benches. Also, there's usually plenty of events going on, such as markets, cricket matches and other cultural or social activities. It is the ideal place to do sport. Running is a standard thing to do, and it is possible to find some panels around the park which show the various lengths for the paths you can choose, so that you are always able to figure out which distance you have covered. There is a cricket pitch, where local teams plays over summer, and four tennis courts, which can be booked online for free. In most cases there are a few available, so you can just turn up and play, but especially on weekends I would recommend to book in advance. Recently I have noticed that a ping pong table has been installed close to the tennis courts. Close to the lake there is a cafe that is actually run by Tea Hive, the coffee shop in Chorlton. On weekends it is open until 5pm, while on weekdays it closes at 4.30pm.

In the whole of the United Kingdom, Alexandra Park Manchester comes second! Yep, that's rights, out…read moreoff the whole country, it's the second best... in the category 'parks called Alexandra Park'. Beaten only by its London rival Alexandra Park, which features miles of hills and a palace, this medium sized green space in Moss Side can hardly complain about its ranking. Plus it couldn't complain anyway because its a park not a person. Apparently the park was an important space in the Victorian period, but I've forgotten what it was like then, so I'll just focus on the now. Basically it's a big green space with some nice paths to stroll around and a nice little lake. More impressively is the fact that it plays home to an annual Caribbean Carnival! Less impressive that that but still worth of note is that it host many amateur football games an an annual 5K run. For this kind of thing you'll want the athletics webpage rather that the park one displayed above, that's at : www.openathletics.org.

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've never really been *to* this park, but I have walked through it on numerous occasions, as it…read moremakes for a more scenic walk from Didsbury to Tesco/the cinema/Nando's than the main road does. For a Manchester park it seems to have very few scallies hanging about in it, making it a very pleasant place for a quick stroll or even a picnic (maybe). There is a football pitch, which apparently has an air raid shelter underneath it, a kids play area and a bowling green. Alongside Fletcher Moss Botanical Gardens, Old Parsonage Gardens, Marie Louise Gardens and Fog Lane Park, Didsbury Park contributes to the leafy green spaces which make a welcome break from the café culture and bus fumes of Wilmslow Road.

What a wonderful way to spend a day exploring these lush gardens... there are absolutely gorgeous…read morewalks to savor here, and plenty of beauty to photograph. So peaceful, and beautifully kept. We plan to come back when the seasons change, and will definitely bring visitors.

You'll love this place, once you've found a car parking space. Or at the very least like it…read more There's the river, a field area to play games, a cafe, a rose garden and a pretty garden bit. It can become flooded when the river water levels rise so check to see if that's happened before you come. After your walk you can always head to the pub that's super close by.

A bittersweet experience was had on my first ever visit to Chorlton water park. Driving here is a…read morelittle strange with it being situated in such a densely populated area. You get the feeling your Satnav is taking you to the wrong place. Don't worry it's not. An old reservoir was transformed into a huge lake a while back and that's the park's main feature. A mile radius around the lake acts as a perfect biking/ hiking trail which isn't too strenuous and is littered with relaxing spots with great views. There's an icecream van to cater for all your refreshment needs and does a lot of business on a hot summer's afternoon. It's a perfect venue to have a picnic and for young families (There's a large play area for kids) All in all a lovely green space in a heavily populated urban area. My only beef with the place was the unsafe nature of the car park. Make sure you park in an area that's camera visible. I returned after a pleasent afternoon to find my windscreen cracked quite badly. I hadn't parked under a tree, falling debree was thus out the question so I suspected some sort of foul play. My little trip therefore cost me nearly £150. Perhaps the place is cursed for me, but don't let that put you off.

When I first moved to Chorlton and I heard people talking about this water park I had visions in my…read morehead of chutes and river rapids. Sadly, the water park bears absolutely no resemblance to Stoke-on-Trent's Water World or Florida's Blizzard Beach. Instead it is a large man-made lake with a path around the edge which attracts walkers, joggers and cyclists. The path is well-surfaced and links on to the Mersey Valley trail, which is unsurfaced. However, there is a car park and visitor centre if you don't fancy the trek down from Chorlton or Didsbury. The water park was formed in the 1970s when gravel was dug up from this area to build the M60, and the area was flooded to form the lake. Despite the fact that the water park is surrounded by the M60, the busy Princess Parkway and Chorlton town centre it is a surprisingly peaceful and serene place - so peaceful that it is the place that the hippies flock to for the summer solstice.