Whitehead Park sits in Elton, just over a mile from Bury town centre, and covers about 7.8 hectares once you count the King George V playing fields attached to it. It was opened by the Prince of Wales in 1888 after Sir Henry Whitehead and Lord Derby put money in, and it has held a Green Flag Award every year since 2005. The council describe it as level throughout with well-maintained footways, which matters if you are pushing a buggy.
For families the useful bit is the spread of kit: a children's play area, a separate youth zone, a multi-play ball zone and two tennis courts, with the football pitches and a croquet and boules lawn round the edges. Two free car parks, at Lonsdale Street and Newbold Street. What it does not have is refreshments, so treat it as an hour of running about instead of a whole morning out.
What it costs: Free. No admission charge and no parking charge published. Car parks at the Lonsdale Street and Newbold Street entrances. There is no cafe and Bury do not list public toilets here.
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One email a week: what is on this weekend within a sensible drive, and the places worth booking before they go.