Haigh Woodland Park
Woodland trails, big playgrounds and a hall lawn made for picnics, with a miniature railway, high ropes and crazy golf as the paid extras. The free bits alone fill an afternoon.
Mesnes Park
Wigan, Greater Manchester
Wigan's showpiece park, restored to its Victorian best with £6.1m of Heritage Lottery money: formal flower beds, a bandstand, a replica Coalbrookdale fountain, a waterfall and lake, and a children's play area that arrived new with the restoration. It sits right on the edge of the town centre, so it stacks easily with a Wigan errand run.
The centrepiece is the pavilion, a cast iron and brick confection housing a Frederick's ice cream parlour and cafe with seating overlooking the park. Order of service that works: playground first while everyone is fresh, then ice creams from the pavilion, then let the waterfall and the wide paths soak up whatever energy is left.
The park's odd little tradition is the bronze statue of Sir Francis Sharpe Powell, the local MP who paid for the place. Rubbing his shoe is meant to bring luck, and enough people have done it that the toe is polished gold.
Know before you go
- The pavilion cafe is run by Frederick's, the local ice cream firm, and has two floors of seating, so a rainy shower does not end the visit.
- Find the statue of Sir Francis Sharpe Powell and rub his shoe. Locals have done it for luck for generations, which is why it gleams.
Looking for more parks & outdoors near Wigan?
Also in Wigan
Three Sisters Recreation Area
Three colliery spoil heaps turned into a proper nature reserve: a lake with swans and kingfishers, 3km of flat pram-friendly paths, a playground and a woodland trail with a xylophone in it. Free parking, free everything.