Delightful park, beautiful swans. Great for getting a peace of mind and going on runs.read more

Considering I eat and drink out as much as possible, there has to be some sort of action plan when…read moreit comes to shifting the pounds. That's why I'm exceptionally lucky to live next door to Alexandra park, a leafy oasis in the red brick jungle of Edgeley. Not only are there 3 reservoirs with a multitude of fishermen hogging the banks, there's also tennis, basketball and football courts all free and fully unlocked to the public 24/7. There's also the Edgeley crown green bowls pitches to the north of the park which are super popular with an older clientele, plus there's all ages going for it in the tai chi each morning. It's a great place to go for an early morning run, walk your dog (wow - everyone seems to know each other!) and I personally go to shoot a few hoops most morning to get my basketball on (wind permitting...) Perfect for folks with kids - there's a huge playground onsite!

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.

The Armitage Centre is fine. As Rob says, its got all you need for a little fitness centre, and…read morethere aren't any others in the area. Though it is open to the public, I think you'd feel a little out of place as a non-student, though there are a few gym buffs who have been knocking about in there every day since I first went four years ago. The gym itself is very small, but has everything you need, and has TechnoGym equipment, which seems almost everywhere these days, probably because it's the best. Its exactly the same equipment they have at Virgin Active, and though much more squashed together, its less than half the price to use. Another great thing about the Armitage is the little 5-a-side football pitches, which you can either rent out or play on in a league. Leagues run every night of the week so its convenient for everyone. If it rains heavily its probably worth cancelling though, as the concrete pitches are not level and huge puddles make playing a serious health issue. They're the only pitches nearby except Power League, which is incredibly expensive. Nothing special but nothing wrong with it.

Manchester University's all in one sports centre! It welcomes a student's interest to sports but at…read morethe same time is open to all; the costs vary due to the same. It houses sports some basketball courts to massive football fields to the 5-a-side as well at the back. Not only this, but it caters as a conference and exhibition centre. Thus, it functions as a conventional sports centre during the university semesters and then as the exhibition centre, giving people a chance to always be a part of it. It also has Netball, hockey and volleyball courts giving you the chance to explore whatever interests you! It also has a fully equipped gym which attracts quite a lot of students with their student deals et al! Its a great all in one place to come work-out, play around and catch up with friends! I've always loved the fresh atmosphere it cities!

Reasons to visit this great park! 1. It has beautifully…read morelooked after gardens for you to explore the shrubs, bushes, flowers, trees and wild life. 2. Waterfall and pond in the garden. 3. The pathways are well tended and the notices at least insist people keep their dogs on a leash (even if the people don't always adhere). 4. Rose garden. 5. Tennis courts which need a little tlc depending on when you visit. 6. Parking nearby. Either £2 in 'The Didsbury' car park or alternatively free street parking. 7. The quietness and tranquility amidst the hustle and bustle of town life. 8. Many seated areas. 9. Coffee shop 10. Errr like if the other 9 reasons weren't enough then I suppose you might be wowed by a stroll along the river Mersey!

There's no better way to spend a sunny afternoon in Didsbury than to join a few friends for a…read morepicnic in Fletcher Moss Gardens. There's some beautiful exotic trees, shrubs and flowers to look at. Not least in the rock garden, which is dog free. The rock garden also has its own pond and I swear I've seen terrapins or turtles in there. Nobody ever believes me, though! Throughout the rest of the park, you'll find plenty of benches where you can bask in the sunshine, as well as a great little café, which does the best flapjacks and cakes in the world! There's also a beautiful arboretum that's lovely to sit in and a couple of tennis courts, which seem to be in almost constant use during the summer months! These tennis Courts are sometimes used for open air theatre productions in the summer. I saw Oscar Wilde's The Important of Being Earnest there one year, and there was a lovely atmosphere.

My favourite park is Park Ji-Sung, but this one isn't bad either…read more So what makes a good park? Its all swings and roundabouts really, and this ones got both. Its also got a bowling-green, but unfortunately there's something missing. I couldn't place it at first, but eventually I realized, it's the old people. What's the point of a bowling-green without old people, also known as bowlers? Without Vivian, Vigh, Maureen and Doris, the bowling green is an empty waste of space providing fun for exactly no-one. Still it does no real harm, and there's probably a geography dissertation to be done on its vital importance to the food chain, so lets judge the park without considering this square of grass (I wonder why they keep it short..) The swings are blue and red. I like yellow swings so this is a bad point. The trees are green, this seems right so it's a plus one. The grass is short, so its good for football, that's a good thing. The roundabout looks like a death trap, so that's a negative. And its got 15 year olds drinking alcopops on it, but they seem to like it. Hmm, in conclusion, its good for people aged 15-50. Old people don't like it and its dangerous for small kids.

Actually quite a nice big park. Mature trees, and lots of…read moredifferent segments to wonder around when the weather allows. There's also a duck pond with a variety of birdlife, and their offspring. I was super surprised to find parrots in the trees around the pond! Probably at least 5 or 6 of them too. One day some enterprising music promoter will hold a small music festival in the old band stand. Or so I hope.

A pleasant park for a sunny day. I came to Fog Lane Park when some mates invited me to play…read morecricket (for the first time in my life). It was one of those rare sunny weekends in Manchester where everyone was out and the city was crowded. Having spent Saturday morning in city centre, I figured it'd be even more packed at the parks, seeing as how when the sun's out most spaces of green are covered with blankets and barbecues. Shockingly, Fog Lane remained fairly empty - seems most people stick closer to the centre of town or at Platt Fields. A fairly large park, this place has a bit for everyone looking to do something outdoorsy. There are a handful of tennis courts and a basketball court (broken backboards, but meh), a little skateboarding area, playground equipment for the kiddos, a bocce ball field, a huge open field for assorted sport, and several winding pathways leading through scenic regions of various flora if you're just looking for a stroll. That being said, that's only what I've seen, and I doubt I even saw half of this place. It's huge! Getting there from city centre is fairly easy - just take the magic bus down and walk a few streets over to get to the park. The surrounding neighbourhoods look nice, too - feels like a very family friendly sort of place.

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.

Heaton Moor Park is a great little park nestled amongst the leafy suburbia of Heaton Moor…read more The park itself is laid out in a fashion I can really best describe as a 4-leaf clover shape, with each "leaf" being a different and unique part of the overall park. There's the "clover green", which is basically just a clover-shaped patch of grass; the tennis courts which are, y'know, tennis courts; the crown bowls green and associated hut; and a children's play area. The park itself is maintained by a local group, the "Friends of Heaton Moor Park", in conjunction with Stockport MBC and they've recently added a new "Woodland Walk" near the clover green. It's essentially a little pathway through the trees and shrubbery which sits in that corner of the park, but it's a neat little idea and one I'm sure will go down well with families once it warms up a bit. The Heatons Summer Festival is hosted in the park every year, and Heaton Moor Road is host to a vast array of pubs and restaurants just a few streets over if you fancy a beer or two. A great little patch of greenery you should definitely check out.

What a great place Heaton Moor Park is (don't get confused with Heaton Park or you could end up in…read morea totally different part of Manchester!) Fantastic parky woodland, some botanical gardens on offer, facilities such as a bowling green and loads of room to chill out - get down here for a nice day out if the sun is shining! Very easily reached in the heart of Heaton Moor and about 5 minutes walk from some great bars, restaurants and shops there's a lot on offer around here if you need to nip and pick up a cooling bottle of wine, a few beers or an ice cream to have while walking around the park. Home to the Heatons festival every yeah which is a great celebration of food and drink - it's also probably only about 5 minutes walk from the Heaton Chapel train station which gets you to Piccadilly in 10 minutes!

This is a classic Ten Pin Bowling experience. There's nothing here that's going to surprise you,…read morebut at the same time there's nothing you could reasonably hope to find at a tenpin bowling alley, that isn't offered here. The basics include 26 bowling lanes and 14 pool tables including both American and English tables, which I don't even understand. They have a full bar (crucial) and an American style dodgy diner where you can get a burger and some greasy chips, the perfect accompaniment to a game of ten pin. They also offer something called 'Cosmic Bowling' where all the lights go out and the whole room and all the lanes turn luminous blue with disco lights and spotlights flying around. Wooooooooo. It claims to be bowling with a nightclub atmosphere, which it really is not. But if you want to bowl with loud music and flashing lights then by all means give it a go! There's also a Quazar Lazer shooty gun thingymajog, but that's a whole different game isn't it. I'll stick to the bowling.

For me, going bowling is an excuse to get dressed up in a fancy fifties frock and pretend I'm in…read moreGrease 2. So, even though I'm a terrible bowler, I love it! When a few of us decide to go, we usually end up at this massive Ten Pin in Didsbury's Parrs Wood complex, mainly because you can get a really good deal if you book ahead online. As you bowl on one of the alley's many lanes, you can have a shimmy to the weird 90s pop videos that play on the screens above. You can also give yourself a bit of Dutch courage by visiting the bar, which offers 4-pint pitchers of Strongbow and Carling. Be warned though, too much will make poor bowling skills even ropier!