Heaton Park, Manchester

Heaton Park is located not far from Bury and has been up and running for as far back as I can remember. My grandparents went there as children and as our family has grown and expanded we've all spend long days having fun at Heaton. It's brilliant just to go to have a picnic, which we've done on many occasion. There's an ample amount of parking, however it's easy to reach the park from the tram; it stops just outside. The park frequently holds festivals (more recently, and famously, one of the last ever Oasis concerts) but on a more childfriendly ground vehicle displays, circuses and fairgrounds often stop off here. There's always a busy schedule for Heaton, so it pays to check it up on their website and see if there's anything you fancy. Permanent parts to the park include the animal centre which is a farm and home to many lovely animals. There are learning sessions for children and school groups. There are also a few free play areas for young children, as well as golfing activities. Other attractions include a beekeeping class, a garden centre and Pitch and Putt. For a small fee you and your children can go on the mini train around the park and also try out the rowing boats on the Heaton lake. Fantastic fun, cheap and loads to do. There are toilets onsite.

We went on a sunday for a walk and fresh air. It was quite a cold day so we took some soup in a flask. It was the first time we had been and we found it really easily, as its just off the motorway. We walked up to the animal centre which our daughters loved and nipped into the cafe for some chips and to warm a bottle of baby milk. They actually had a microwave for customer use and Avent bottle warmer which was great. They also had changing facilities and the toilets were quite clean for a park. We walked down to one of the play areas which was for more older children not toddlers or babies. The Ice-cream man was out and we didn't get away with it when our daughters spotted it. So it was ice-cream all round even though it was a very cold day. Great park though, we will go back maybe when its a bit warmer as there is a lake where you can hire boats.