The older I get the less cool I seem to be able to exude to my friends' kids. This amuses me and…read moreconcerns me in equal measures. I've never really been that fond of kids, but as they get older they grow out of being kids and more into being young adults and then I realise I do have more of a common ground with these young folk and no idea how to reach it. One of my friends suggested I grabbed a couple of the stroppy teens, hauled their butts and their skateboards into the back of the car and took a drive out to Hyde Park Skate Park. It's summat to do for a nice afternoon, and it's not the usual museums I feel obliged to force down their throats, nor the consuming crap that their mothers scorn me for. This seemed like a happy compromise, under the one condition that they promised not to break any of their bones. Deal. Great place for them to roam free, with enough leash room for me to pick a green spot to crack open a book and peer over the edges whilst they practised their moves, and there seems to be a good solid group of people practising their skills and just generally showing off to people seated around the periphery. If the kidlets slash young adults are feeling sociable they'll mutter and mumble over at each other and trade some skills and secrets all trouble free, all in the name of improving their own techniques. There's a steady mix of skills knocking around, from the novices just finding their feet or wheels, to the more confident show boaters ready to perform all what they've got. Either way, if you've got a book to read, you won't get much read.

A Mecca for local kids and students alike, and apparently the coolest place to hang out if you're…read moretoo young to get served in the pub, the Hyde Park Skate Park is also quite good for skating too. It's concrete with metal coping, and has a decent collection of ramps, banks and ledges to keep even the most adventurous extreme sportsmen and women entertained. There's a fairly high concentration of BMXs, and the usual animosity between them and the skaters, but other than that it's a fairly accepting park that, thanks to its location in the heart of studentville, doesn't really pay much attention to new faces.

I think this park has been really nicely done and what looks like a small patch of grass from…read moreStretford Road actually extends way back with a nice adventure playground for kids plus football pitch. Whoever was saying they couldn't understand the Treasure Island theme of the playground someone missed the giant climbing frame in the shape of a shipwreck... Obviously it's never going to be the most peaceful place to sit, owing to its roadside location, but the grass bordering Stretford Road slopes up to some trees which is ideal for sitting on a sunny day. A nice place to stop by for a little while.

Hulme Park is decent. It's a green space in the middle of Hulme, which alone makes it nicer than…read moreanything else in Hulme. According to the council, it is the first large scale new park to have been built in Manchester for over 50 years, and was built in 1999 at a cost of £3 million pounds. Sounds reasonable, however... The council also claim that the recreational facilities on offer include an adventure playground with a Treasure Island theme, a high quality football pitch, a basketball/netball court, a skateboard area, a "sunken sensory garden" and last but by no means least, a granite paved performance area "known as" Zion Square, and picnic tables. I'm afraid I find myself obligated to dispel the images conjured up by a few of these descriptions. I would describe them as perhaps more than a little over the top. A bit of embellishment on the council's part here to say the least! Why have they tried to make a small green park sound like a suitable venue for a family holiday? As for the adventure playground, there's a few swings and slides which are pretty nice for kids, but the Treasure Island theme remains a mystery to me. High quality football pitch, not really but there is a place to play football. The skate park exists, so no problems there. As for the "sunken sensory garden", come off it! All there is is normal grass! I don't even know what a 'paved performance area' is but I do know that this concrete slab is not the talk of the townspeople who affectionately refer to it as 'Zion square'. Sounds like a Shakespearean market. It's a decent place to take the dog for a poo, and its got a nice view of the Hilton hotel, why didn't the council just say that?

Stockports Rollergrove has been going for years! its a great place the kids love it you pay about…read more£4.00 inc. boot hire and the kids get to skate for hours they set the scene with loud disco music and flashing lights. There is a cafe within the rollergrove so refreshments are always available Private parties are catered for at a reasonable price.

Magnificent old deer park - worth a walk at any time of the year.read more