Stamford Park
The Altrincham park that has everything in one place: two age-split playgrounds, a basketball court, tennis, a cafe, toilets and a car park. Grade II listed, Green Flag, and flat.
John Leigh Park
Altrincham, Greater Manchester
Sir John Leigh handed this land to the council as a public park in 1917 and it has stayed exactly what it was meant to be: fourteen acres of sloping ground above Broadheath, formal gardens at the top, sport at the bottom. It carries a Green Flag Award.
The two play areas are split by age, infant and junior, which is a small thing that changes a visit completely when your children are four years apart. There is also a Pets Corner with rabbits, guinea pigs and birds, a trim track, a bowling green, free tennis courts and, importantly, public toilets including accessible ones.
The one gap is parking. Trafford's own page lists facilities and does not include a car park, so you are on the street around Oldfield Road, in an area where the residents got there first. Aim for a weekday morning or the first hour of a Saturday.
Know before you go
- Two playgrounds, split infant and junior. If you have a toddler and an eight year old, this is the reason to pick John Leigh over Stamford Park.
- Pets Corner is the thing everyone remembers. Rabbits, guinea pigs and birds, free, and a reliable ten minutes of quiet.
- Trafford do not list a car park. Oldfield Road is residential, so go early or be prepared to walk a few streets.
Looking for more parks & outdoors near Altrincham?
Also in Altrincham
Halecroft Park
Hale's local park, and one of the few small ones in Trafford with its own car park and toilets. Playground, tennis, ornamental beds and a wildlife garden the Friends group planted.
Denzell Gardens
A walled Victorian garden on Dunham Road with a sunken garden, an orchid meadow and an ornamental pond. Green Flag, and quiet. There is no playground here, so know that before you drive over.