The 30 Best Forest areas in Manchester

“We absolutely adore Siân's SEN Holiday Forest School Sessions. We joined in the summer of 2023 and quickly fell in love with the holiday sessions. It can be quite challenging when our usual group activities come to a halt, as our entire family thrives on structure and routine. Our daughter has an immense passion for the outdoors and revels in any messy or sensory play. If it were up to her, she'd make the great outdoors her permanent home! Right from day one, Sian extended a warm welcome and dedicated time to truly understand how our daughter prefers to engage. She has patiently built a strong connection with our daughter at her own pace. The activities provided are nothing short of amazing, especially for our daughter, who immerses herself fully in sensory experiences (as you can see in the photos!). Furthermore, the lunch and snacks offered here are fantastic. Our daughter can be quite particular about her safe and unsafe foods, but every visit here has her enjoying the delicious lunch provided. We sincerely appreciate the tremendous effort you put into creating safe and nurturing environments for children with special educational needs. ❤️”

“My son’s been attending here now since just after the Easter half term this year. My sons developed in so many ways , he can be quite stubborn at the best of times , standards here are super high and work with every single child needs no matter how high or how low. Staff are incredibly on form with teaching and how they run things and have a very highly standard of professionalism which you can see. They are open and honest with each parent . Reporting back each day if anything needs to be addressed or reported. There on form with everything. Highly recommended nursery for your child to go too especially if your wanting a nursery for your child with such high standards of learning and still at the same time as your child being able to still be a child at the same time”

“Our little girl attends 2 days a week and absolutely loves it! We’ve found that the staff have been professional and caring at the same time, making the transition to our daughter attending nursery a smooth one. They cater to her individual likes and needs and we know she is in good hands with people who genuinely know and care about her. The initial consultation with Natalie was a real pleasure as she took time to explain things clearly without being pushy at all, something that we found did happen when we viewed other nurseries. We would recommend this nursery to anyone, but especially those who are nervous about putting a child into nursery for the first time.”

“Had a great time here playing pool (card accepted, name on blackboard, winner stays on) with the friendly locals.”

“Took my 12 month old son whilst on a trip to Manchester and the venue was clean and tidy and he really enjoyed it.”

“Brilliant place to drink with friends and family the bar staff are amazing I would give everyone in there a 10/10”

“An incredible child care setting. Staff are amazing and so kind , very organised and passionate about this outdoor style of working.”

“Very quiet green area especially considering how close to Manchester City centre you are. Lots of different paths ways to explore and a large bridge to cross to the other side of the river. Would definitely recommend to anyone living near by.”

“The best dog daycare in the area! We've tried a few others and Domestic Doggess is so much better. No smelly warehouses or freezing cold caravans in a field. They have an amazing free range outdoor space full of obstacles and fun and a lovely warm, indoor area for rest and sleep. Emma, Jonathan and the team treat the dogs like their own family. Regular photo updates throughout the day, and nothing is too much for them. Both our dogs have been going here for years and they stay here when we're on holiday too (boarding). Thanks for everything you do for the dogs!”

“We had a joint birthday party for my daughter and her two friends. It was very well organised, we didn't need to do anything. The staff took care of arranging all the gifts and cards into bags. They gave out the children's dinner very quickly, juice was filled up. Most importantly the children had a great time. I will definitely be returning, and would 100% recommend to family and friends that are looking to hire a venue for a children's party. Thank you to all at Wiggleworks!”

“We had a great time here, we stayed in Cabin 1 and it was so peaceful. We had our 7 month old to think about and this worked well as we could have dinner and relax in the evening and she could sleep in the cot in the bedroom and we wouldn't disturb here like we would in a hotel in one room. Staff were lovely and friendly and the site was clean. Hot tub was great to chill in the sunshine. Lovely walks around Dovestone Reservoir just a stones throw away. Have already recommended to family and would absolutely recommend again particularly for young families who like lots of countryside walks and exploring the local area.”

“First time here and certainly won’t be the last, minced chicken with lettuce wraps and salt & pepper prawn were the most savoury light delectable starters with duck, rice and the star of the show, steamed whole sea bass for main. My oh my best sea bass I have ever eaten, moist, fell off the bone, intensely savoury liquor, no extra thickeners. Just wow. And Sunny. Sunny sunny sunny. You were the highlight of the evening. Please visit this place you won’t regret it, we will definately be back, same again please ❤️”

“A beautiful park with lots of easy walks around a gorgeous lake ,there is a large car park and nice clean toilets. A great little cafe and an ice cream van in the summer. A great place to visit all year round.”

“Love Etherow park some really good walks.”

“Nice area for walk, picnic, and get together. Views are awesome, 3 tracks for walk, including one middle of the lake. One side lake and one side river. Nice view of mountains and forest from parking side of lake. Lot of sitting places. Parking available 0.9 £ per hour, need cash or through App. Need some maintenance and cleaning.”

“Absolutely love Strinesdale foot paths and 2 large Reservoir's that allow fishing. It also has free parking and is that vast of a space you can walk round it and not bump in to anyone. Strinesdale also has a few picnic areas and amazing views out to the Pennines. There are 3 different routes you can take for that casual stroll or if you are looking to explore of the beat and track you can end up right in the hills and come out at a little farm house. All in all this is one of my favourite places to walk my dog and would recommend it to anyone.”

“Beautiful park. Great for walking dogs. Clean and tidy. Ice cream and coffee vans frequent.”

“Really good local walk with wild deer waterfall and river well worth doing”

“The building, i believe, is not open to the general pubic but luckily for me, i work for the company that maintains it, so I got to see inside and how grand it is pictures speak for themselves it's grade 2 listed and has links with Agatha christie and also prince albert is rumourd to have stayed the night here on a visit to Manchester to open a gallery”

“This is one of the most well maintained parks I've visited in Manchester. Abundance of trees present a tranquil atmosphere. Lovely walks and views of the reservoir - beautiful”

“Lovely place. Very clean especially for a public park. 2 nice fishing lakes which are gin clear. The cafe is very reasonable for a coffee (£1.60) for a proper coffee) bacon butties cooked fresh and lovely, helpful staff and regulars. I'm actually a bit reticent about giving it a good review as it's so good I want to keep it to myself. Current fishing prices: Day ticket £5 for 2 rods £8 for three available from the cafe or the bailiff. Membership is also an option at a very reasonable rate. Enquire at the cafe for details.”

“Awesome place for a walk and to see some top railway history really nice area.”

“its been 4 years since i learned here lol it was fun”

“Ravenbank School is not at 4 Fairfield Road it is Pepper Street Lymm.”

“Ashley has walked my springer spaniel for the last 8 months whilst I’ve been away with work and he’s absolutely loved it. It’s been a real relief for me knowing he’s been so well looked after and I wouldn’t hesitate to book him in again if needed. He will really miss her and the other dogs!”

“Love this space. Need to make sure it's kept for future generations”

“Clean and welcoming. Excellent breakfast and great owner”