Zip World Manchester
Treetop nets, high ropes and forest tubing in the woods of Heaton Park, and it is outdoors, not indoors. The cheap one is Treetot Nets: an hour bouncing on nets in the trees for ages 1 to 5, from £5, with a grown-up joining in.
Fletcher Moss Park and Botanical Gardens
- Cost
- Free entry, free parking
- Ages
- 0 to 11
- Where
- Manchester, Greater Manchester
- Weather
- Mostly outdoors
- Booking
- Just turn up
Fletcher Moss is the Didsbury family's Sunday walk. The rockery, started with alpine plants a local couple collected in the mountains of Europe, tumbles down a slope, and beyond it are meadow, woodland and easy access to the Mersey. Most paths take a pushchair. The RSPB was founded here in 1889, a good fact for a bird-spotting child.
Entry and parking are free. There are three car parks and none is huge, so a sunny Saturday means circling. Coffee is sold at the Parsonage and there is a cafe in the park, though its hours are not published. There is no big playground, so bring a ball, or a bag for conkers in autumn.
What it costs: Free entry, dawn to dusk. Tennis courts charge. Toilets open about 9am to 4pm (Parsonage 9:30am to 4pm).
Know before you go
- Three car parks: Millgate Lane (M20 2SD), Stenner Lane (via Ford Lane) and Wilmslow Road. They fill at weekends.
- Toilets close at around 4pm, earlier than the park, so plan for that on long summer evenings.
- Take the path down to the Mersey for the riverbank and the water meadows after the gardens.
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