Massive lake I like going with my dog to watch the boats and people trying to sail lol and round it…read moreis a near by woods were I can take my dog for a walk and at the end of the woods there a canal were you can have a seat and watch the barges go by

Leeds City Cruisers undoubtedly provided me with one of the best methods of getting to work. When I…read morelived in a city centre flat, I caught a canal boat every morning, which transported me to the opposite side of town. The Riverbus service runs during the months of finer weather, and is scheduled to start again at Easter. It was such an entertaining journey, I always arrived at work in a buoyant mood. I concede, the head attire was too much, but you know the phrase - when in Rome, wear a pirate's hat. Leeds City Cruisers offers a variety of packages besides the early morning Riverbus. It can be privately hired out for parties, I often see it soothingly chugging along the water with raucous feather boa clad ladies giggling, signalling a hen party is in full swing. Parties of up to 50 people can catered for, with a full bar and a choice of a hot meal or buffet. The website offers a comprehensive list, detailing the various prices for trips of smaller groups. A two hour cruise with a cream scone and tea, with free admission into the neighbouring Royal Armouries Museum costs an extremely reasonable £13.50 per person. I can't recommend the experience highly enough, it almost feels as though you are on holiday in your own city, due to its originality. Having moved abode, I do resent my alternative method of transport to work. Driving is so mundane, I will have to replace it with an equally exciting journey. Zorbing, anyone?

With most of the developments surrounding it given over entirely to posh flats, office blocks and…read morepricey restaurants, it's quite easy for ordinary (i.e. poor) people such as myself to almost completely forget that Leeds has a canal. Leeds City Cruisers are setting out to change that, offering cruises in their specially made wide beam boat along the Aire and Calder waterways. The boat is available to hire for private parties, and individuals can book places on their regular Sunday Lunch and themed dinner cruises. I joined the Sunday Lunch cruise, which although not cheap at £25 for two courses was a great way to spend an afternoon, with delicious food and a well-stocked bar for company. The sunshine definitely helped, and I'm not sure if I would have had as good a time if the rain had been pouring down, but as it was it was a lovely, relaxing experience and an interesting opportunity to see Leeds from an entirely new perspective.

It was about £10 per person in the boat for an hour. You will need one person to row and one person…read moreto steer... and for the love of god, STEER. So many folks were grabbing content and filming that they aren't paying attention, then they go crashing into other boats. It can be chaotic on a busy day. It's a fun afternoon out, unless you realize you don't know how to row, then it might be a struggle.

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!

Highly recommend! Getting around Windermere via Windermere Lake Cruises is a must do. Taking the…read moretrain into the area drops you at Windermere station. From there, a short bus ride takes you down to Bowness. Windermere Lake Cruises offers a variety of options for getting around, from the very scenic "Red Cruise" which takes folks from Bowness pier to Ambleside and back (can get off to explore that area and catch a later boat back), to "Yellow Cruise" which goes the other direction towards Lakeside where you can catch the old steam historic train. You can also rent small boats to drive yourself around, and some other options. It's just wonderful to see Windermere lake from directly on the water! Beautiful cruise across the lake with some commentary providing information about various things along the ride. Make sure to check time tables and plan your outing. Last rides around the lake are not that late into the evening so you will want to make sure you make it back to where you want to be before the cruises stop running!

A relaxing, luxurious boat ride across a beautiful lake. They serve drinks all day, and you can sip…read morea cappuccino from a real mug while you listen to a narration about the sights and watch the shore go by. Some of the boats are historic, and the speed is so slow and steady that motion sickness seems unlikely. Great for couples, families, kids. Highly recommend for a relaxing vacation activity!

This is a relaxing easy way to see the river and hear from a guide. I didn't think it was a…read moreparticularly informative tour, but it was still fun to do on a nice day. The boat goes about 1 mile down the river, so you don't see that much more than just walking along the river. The guides provide information about some of the buildings along the river. It was interesting to hear that the river used to be much more commercial business, and is now mostly lined with homes and restaurants. This tour was around 8 pounds per person. So it wasn't particularly expensive. They are cash only.

Yorkboat cruises on Lendal Bridge, have several boats that run on regular intervals up and down the…read moreriver Ouse. They do a great, 1 hour cruise along to the official residence of the Archbishop of york, the Palace. It is great for an hour in the afternoon when you have nothing else to do or as part of your tour of York, there is so much to see along the river as you go and so much to take in within the hour period on the river. They serve snacks on board and also have a licenced bar, so it is a great hour sitting topdeck in the sunshine, enjoying a beer with some friends cruising along at a leisurely pace. The company also does private bookings for groups and special occassions, you can book for lunchtime cruises and also Evening, restaurant Cruises, which on a nice summers evening can be quite romantic, as the boats are lit up while you go up and down the river in the dark, it shows the City in a different light cruising this way, seeing the city lit up at night from the river is stunning. It is so reasonably priced for what you get on the tour, highly reccomended.