Top Rated Parks to Visit in Boating Lake

"Open every day of the year, from morning until nightfall – and completely free to visit – the vibrant Fletcher Moss Park and Botanical Garden in Didsbury is a lovely place to spend an afternoon. In spring, the space comes alive with a burst of colour from its various wild flowers – with deep purples and warm oranges. It’s home to a host of wildlife, too – including a wide variety of birds."

"Named after Mr. Fletcher Moss (who donated the park’s grounds to the city), these Botanical Gardens are part plant showcase, part wildlife habitat, and part recreational facility. The plant life here is renowned for its beauty, and contains several unusual varieties. Some of the older specimens have grown there since the foundation of the park a full century ago."

"Fletcher Moss Park is a wide network of paths around the area around the Gardens, through Stenner Woods, round Millgate Fields, and along the river Mersey. Much of the area is a Local Nature reserve and there is a variety of wildlife to see and vistas to enjoy. At first, finding your way around can be a little confusing, and a map of the area might help."

"These are parks are quite simply beautiful, and you can get married in them too!. They’re filled with interest like a a natural amphitheatre and Sebastopol cannon."

"Richerman, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons. Peel Park is a public urban park in Salford and has a significant history, being the first park to open in the UK funded entirely by public subscription, in 1846. The park has some beautifully maintained wild flowerbeds and a wide variety of specimen trees – all of which are managed by volunteers."

"Located right in the heart of the city, Picadilly Gardens is the tranquil antidote to an otherwise buzzing city centre. Throughout the year there are events on including music and art events. From Wednesday to Sunday there is the Street food market which is perfect for a delicious bite to eat."

"It would be wrong to say to come to this park to escape the city’s hustle and bustle. Instead, you will be able to feel the buzz of the Mancunians meeting, eating, drinking and joking. If you want to sit down on one of the many benches or seats and people watch, this is the park for you."

"Nestled between Garstang Road, Sir Tom Finney Way and Blackpool Road, Moor Park's size is the first thing that comes to mind - as it is Preston's largest, and oldest park. Split into several areas, the park has a small observatory owned by the University of Central Lancashire, a bowling green, skate park and several fields. Over the years, Moor Park has played host to many music events hosting names such as Calvin Harris, David Guetta and Rihanna."

"Philips Park, Prestwich is also the home of Bury’s first mountain bike trail and first Countryside Centre. The Environmental Summer Play Scheme is based at the Barn Countryside Centre and uses various locations around the LNR. The playscheme offers local children the chance to experience the environment and its wildlife on their doorstep with a varied programme of activities including pond dipping, mini-beast safaris and environmental games."

"Facilities are children’s play area, a visitors centre with toilets, a pond, a conservation area with a dipping platform, angling. Once the ash tip for east Manchester’s power station, it was greened up in the 1980s and since recent investment, is a key green space within the Medlock River Valley. Clayton Vale is a Local Nature Reserve and is a great place for families to enjoy woodland and riverside walks, cycling, picnicking, or pond dipping."

"You can walk along the canal, through the Castlefield Urban Heritage Park on your way to the Museum of Science and Industry. Castlefield Urban Heritage Park. Admire the old industrial buildings, soak up the atmosphere of the canal, and see how Manchester used to be in years gone by."

"A striking relic of the Industrial Age, the Warrington Transporter Bridge crosses the River Mersey in the town and dates back to 1915. This Grade II-listed monument is the last of three transporter bridges over the River Mersey in Cheshire and was constructed to link two parts of Joseph Crosfield and Sons’ chemical and soap factories. Made of steel beams, the bridge has a span of 61 metres and stands 23 metres above the river’s high water level."