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!

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.

The epitome of a hidden gem. Located just off parsonage road in Didsbury, the Marie Louise Gardens…read moreare the loveliest little green space in the area. The gardens have a poignant history as they were given to the citizens of Manchester in 1903 by Josephine Silkenstädt, in memory of her daughter who died at the age of only twenty-six. There is actually a website of their own for all this stuff, so check that at (as listed above) for more information. In this instance the council description of the gardens as a '3.4 hectare oasis' is not an embellishment, as the rest of their park propaganda seems to be. These are a lovely little green area perfect for a walk or picnic, and they are always very quiet, often giving the feel that you have your own little private garden space. There's also a lovely little pagoda thingamajig. Excellent place, well worth a visit. Check out the photos I've added, some of which date back to the early 20th century, documenting the history of this lovely space.

I shall refrain from using the cliché 'hidden gem' to describe these gardens, but they do receive…read moresurprisingly few visitors to say that they are located a short walk away from East Didsbury, West Didsbury and Northenden. In fact, in the spring and summer, I'd say that humans are outnumbered by grey squirrels by at least 20 to 1. A few years ago there was talk of part of the gardens being sold to developers (who are currently busy building flats on the land next door) but as with Chorlton Meadows, this is a story of people power. The Friends of Marie Louise Gardens successfully campaigned to prevent this development and have now secured funding for restoration of the gardens. Some people call squirrels rats with tails but I, for one, am glad that the Friends were successful and that the squirrels have plenty of space to safely bury their nuts for winter. At all times of year these gardens are a beautiful place for a walk or to sit on a bench and contemplate and philosophise. Bring some monkey nuts if you're not afraid of the extremely tame squirrels coming to eat them out of your hand.

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.

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!

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.

I'd prefer to keep this place to myself but seeing as I'm trying to share some pretty cool places…read moreI'll only tell all my Yelp friends about how nice this place is - we can keep it to ourselves and those who are smart enough to use our app regularly! Basically this place is super cool, situated in lovely woods just through from Cheadle Hulme with an entrance very close to Life Leisure swimming pools - a perfect place to spend a lovely summer day - maybe with friends, maybe with family, maybe with a special someone - or maybe all together at the same time. There's a carpark which was £1 for 2 hours and from here you can walk up to their gardens and park area which are rather secluded but still have plenty of opportunity to sunbathe - in fact there were loads of groups of people when we visited enjoying picnics, ball games and good times - very very chilled atmosphere! There's also a full free BMX track if that floats your boat, a kiddie play ground and a cafe and ice cream huts. Overall a lovely place to spend a nice day - now it's time to zoom off and look at those weather forecasts!

Bruntwood Park provides recreational and sporting facilities to all. it also offers a play area of…read moreexcellence to the Borough of Stockport and to many visitors from the North West region. There are a variety of facilities available in the Park. An eighteen-hole par 3 pitch and putt course utilises existing contours and is in harmony with the existing mature trees. A fully accessible child's playground occupies a central position providing adventure and fun for children with all the equipment carefully chosen and landscaped. Refreshments are offered at a refreshment kiosk and the original Victorian conservatory has been converted into a restaurant catering for Park users wishing to relax in pleasant surroundings. A great day out for all tastes and interests.

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.

I took the grandkids here to play for a little while which helped to sustain the mundane. It's a…read morefairly large area of green space and located near allotments. The idea of allotments is simply genius. It's really lovely to have these green spaces and as kids aren't fussy they played away but the adults will notice that the weather-beaten swings, roundabout and other equipment have become well worn and shabby. It wouldn't take much investment or time by the local council to restore freshness here. The play area that we were in was specifically tailed off for kids to play in and there's a gate which is meant to be kid proof secure so they can't 'escape' but the gate is not effective any more, pretty far from it in fact, and certainly not safe or secure. Our grandkids are so young that they have low boredom thresholds so after 20 minutes of play it was time to find the canal and go for a good walk.