Finally went on my advanced riding trek 2day after having it cancelled before due to bad weather…read morebut had no problems rebooking even though my groupon was out of date and by waiting got to ride in perfect conditions :-) Arrived in plenty of time and was greeted straight away, filled out my form then drove to the other site where the ride leaves from. Rode a beautiful mannered Jake :-) Absolute star and had a fab trek with plenty of canters and gallops havent rode for a while but felt so safe and in control with Jake at all times. He can go fast but as soon as you ask him to slow up he listens immediately.Perfect gentleman.. We were taken on our trek by Ruth who totally makes you feel at ease and welcome from the first time you meet her :-) A great trek out with super friendly people had a fabulous day ..Thanks so much Cat

had a great time couldnt belive how amazing the horses were. Had a lesson in the school the first…read morefew times i went and today i went on the farm ride with one of the instructors it was such good fun, every one who rides should try it, i have been to all the other riding schools but now the only place i will ride is at mill farm you can tell all the horses are not only cared for but truly loved.

I've been along to roller derby before but it was along time ago in a land far far away. I enjoyed…read moreit then and I enjoyed it now. Manchester Roller Derby has the added interest of being a part of an active co-ed league. We went along to this their 5th anniversary bout. They were in a local leisure centre on this occasion (Carnall George H in Urmston) not the most convenient spot in Manchester but accessible by a combination of tram and bus. I don't believe this is their home track but I get the feeling the bouts tend to move around with the availability of track space. There was a pleasantly large crowd but there were still plenty of seats and loads if visibility onto the track. They had supporters stalls for all the teams playing on the day with surprisingly desirable merch (especially the supporter t-shirts with your fave competitors name and number on the back) and a cake stall for celebratory birthday cake. A double header between Manchester / Wirral and Manchester / Birmingham was on the cards for the day and we set up shop in the stands. The supporters are an enthusiastic bunch and I found myself clapping and cheering for all the teams (though I should have been supporting MRD primarily). One of the fun trademarks of roller derby are the fun antics and the payer names which were not lacking. With pseudonyms like Fish 'n' Whips, Jim Jams (who was a Jammer and was wearing pyjama bottoms), Veggie Kray, Smack Bauer, Knit One Hit One and Steph Leopard. They had a pass the parcel game in the stands, a raffle for merch and a 'Throw a Duck' comp in the half times. If you've never been along to roller derby it's a full contact, fun and active sport to watch and the basic rules are simple enough to pick up in a couple of minutes explanation. I do recommend heading along to a bout and throw some support behind a local sport team in an fresh and interesting non mainstream sport. No paid endorsements or hefty salaries here they do it because they love it and it's really good fun.

Great place for bouldering (and some short climbing self belays). Fantastic atmosphere, everyone is…read morefriendly.

Massive new bouldering centre in Trafford Park with a huge selection of problems and very welcoming…read morestaff. Nice, bright and airy building with loads of space to climb or even just watch others climb. Couldn't find a traverse wall anywhere but the place is so big I may just not have seen it. A small gear shop if your need some new shoes or trousers and a membership desk come coffee shop as you enter with a large viewing platform built on top. Hopefully they will have a monthly standing order membership though as not sure how NY have the money spare to pay for a yearly membership even though that is the most economical way to climb if you're keen.

I came, I saw, I conquered (to an extent) one of the most basic climbing walls they had, but hey ho…read more- you have to start somewhere! My very first time at the MCC and first time climbing generally and I have to say that I really hope I'll be going back soon! We went for a taster session between 5 of us which lasted an hour and cost £60 between us - not bad value I think! Liam the instructor was a really cool guy (in fact all the staff were pretty chilled and friendly) and was all about the safety first, followed by teaching us on the kiddy walls - then onto the "am I really going to have to climb up that mofo" walls! After we all had a chance to get up and down the big walls a few times we then went on to some bouldering which was really cool but I could definitely feel it in my shoulders the next day - intense but good fun and you really work up a sweat! Special mention should go to what a cool place is - just check out the snaps! An old church/cathedral converted into what is an amazing space and setting - just wow!

I have always wanted to try climbing in the past, but have always been put off by the initial cost…read moreof equipment and just the general worry that I may not like it. Well, I have put that behind me. I decided to throw the idea out to the people of yelp and managed to gather together a small group of rotund gentlemen (like myself), and one pretty lady, to have a go at our local climbing wall. It was in a converted church, which was pretty cool. The MCC offer a 1 or 2 hour taster session, with the idea being that the more people you get to come the cheaper it will be. We went for the 1 hour and have to say that that was more than enough. We were introduced to our instructor Liam, who managed to show us how to put on all the equipment so as it would cause the most amount of damage to our genitals during the hour. He then took us to a child wall for our initial go at climbing. The air was filled with hushed curse words as a room full of food bloggers were rapidly been overtaken by small children on the climbing wall. Then, to the large wall! Wait?! Already?! YES!!!! And so, two at a time we were sent up the large wall. And it wasn't easy. my forearms are still aching now as I type! But it was fun. Everyone was aching together. Everyone was helping each other and egging people on. After this, we had a go at bouldering. This basically like the wall, but without ropes and only up a wall that is about 10'. Liam put stickers at some of the highest places and we all had to try and get one. Well, the things we will do for a sticker. It was carnage. People were falling off walls onto the crash mats like we were in action movies. Then, an hour was done. fantastic. I want to go back again :-)

It's been open a couple of years now. I live 15 mins away & don't understand why I haven't been…read morebefore. I booked a snowboarding taster session to see what it was like. £36 quite expensive but it's real powered snow ! I arrived with my friend at the changing rooms they give you all you need warm trousers & a coat. Just make sure you bring thick gloves (ski gloves) or you can buy there for a few quid. Danny came out to greet us, nice guy and took us about on the beginner slope (10 per group) He quickly showed us how to strap into the board & showed us some techniques how to move when one foot is strapped in. For some reason me being a complete weakling, I couldn't lift the board with my foot very easily. So as we hopped up the beginner slope I became a liability oops! Danny was really nice & showed me what to do. I eventually got to slide down with immense fear ! I remembered skiing when I was younger in school with no fear doing jumps & stuff. Why is it when I hit 30, fear crippled me?! I enjoyed the session my ankles & legs hurt during the session & after. Danny said it we because I was using muscles I'm not used to. Recommend the session but if you would think you might be a Liability like me go for the private one. I'm not giving up though ! Chill Factore is a great place, ski & snowboarding shops, a skiing Travel agent & even a Nandos ! I'm sold on that. A viewing area upstairs by rock climbing if you want to watch your family & friends on the main slope with a bar too Definitely worth a try! My friend told me if you sign up to their newsletter they send out cheaper prices for lift passes. Enjoy!

Two of my nephews received a 'Ski Fun Taster' session as a Christmas present and as one of them was…read moreunder 10, needed an accompanying adult. Uncle got the short straw. They advise you to arrive in plenty of time to sort out your ski boots and get your skis fitted, so once we'd checked in at the reception desk we were instructed to head over to the equipment hire place and everything was arranged efficiently. There are lockers to keep your belongings (bring a pound coin with you). The rest of the adults in our group promptly headed to the upper level to get a decent view of the slope (i.e. get a drink at the bar / prep the camera phones so they could video us falling over). There were 10 of us, of all ages, in the session with one instructor who first spent some time teaching everyone about the different parts of the skis and other basics. Then it was on to the training slope - it's only a slight gradient and not on the main slope so you won't need to worry about other skiers whizzing past you or have to get on any drag lifts. For the rest of the session, the instructor gave us a few different basic movements to do whilst we slowly skied down one-by-one, allowing everyone to get used to balancing with two planks of fibre glass under your feet :) The boys loved it, even though one of them was rather hesitant at first and the other continually fell over as we had to side step up the slope with our skis on. As it was only a Taster session, it was obviously very basic to introduce complete newbies to skiing. I've got a feeling they'll both be wanting Beginners lessons after this! Tip: Pricing is cheaper at Off-Peak times (up to 6pm on weekdays). Peak times are after 6pm on weekdays, all weekends, Bank Holidays and selected school holidays.

Now I love Topgear, I watch re runs on Dave, a lot of people do. I was thus very excited about the…read moreprospect of go-karting as part of our christmas staff work party. It was awesome!!! I had not a clue that we had just round the corner the largest indoor and ONLY 3 level karting track in the UK. I was blown away as I spent the whole day mindlessly thrashing the kart around the track. Let me tell you, if you ever go, be prepared because it will exhaust the hell out of you, but GOD DAMNNNNN I haven't had so much fun in a long time. There's this one part of the track which had a dip. Now, if you accelerated fast enough after cornering well you could actually lift off and be airborne. That's cool enough but wait there's more...... post lift off and upon landing the rapidly rotating wheels give you a kick up the backside by shooting you down the straight at a rate of knots. Now no matter how many times I did it I couldn't get enough of that...eeeeeeeeeeek If you go with some friends I guarantee this is an absolute delight as a day activity. People get so competitive it's hilarious, myself included. As soon as you've done your allocated number of laps you leap out of your kart and race to the monitors to check your times. The prices are fairly reasonable and I think you can get discounts if you book a group, but if I remember correctly they are in the region of £30+ for an hour. You do find yourself pretending you are Schumacher no matter how hard you try not to. For first timers you have to do timed laps to build up confidence and technique, so you just arrive and drive, which is what we did. However as you get better you can compete in a grand prix style races. Thus in conclusion I recommend you just.....GO GO GO GOOOOOOOOOOO as Murray Walker would say...

Helped a lady who's car had a flat battery, in the tesco garage next to the Halliwell jones rugby…read morestadium Warrington, for my services she posted me 2 tickets for the carting, at the time we only lived 2 miles away, but didn't use the tickets until September of this year, 22 mile journey but well worth it, will be doing it again no danger.

Situated just off Rochdale Road next to the North City Shopping Centre and Market - with ample…read moreparking. The centre includes a 25 metre, five lane swimming pool with a movable pool floor designed. There is a health suite which includes spa pool, sauna and steam rooms; a state of the art 49 station gymnasium. There is also an exercise studio with a programme of fitness classes and martial arts for people of all ages.

Ok..When my work schedule changed, so did my commitment to the gym..after working a 12 hour night…read moreshift there was little time to digress to my usual spot in town...so I quit... It was only then I realised I passed this gym every morning on my way back home...so I thought I would give it a whirl... Conveniently located near the LIDL... I decided to go for a morning swim...thinking who is going to be swimming at 8am in the morning... After paying £2? I entered the large unisex changing room....and noted the communal showers which face the tiny paddling pool...where everyone can watch you take a shower...great...not quite the concentration camp ones..but... At this time in the morning you can expect a lot of the pensioners , who are split into three lanes...the slow, medium and fast paced swimmers.Self consciously when entering the pool I thought I would play it safe and start off in the slow lane.. ..the game here is to swim clockwise without crashing into another swimmer, or drown by choking on their backsplash .. The pool to say the least is small and crowded... After a few tries, I tried to convince myself,,''its so cheap. £16 a month for swimming and the gym''... I asked for a tour,,, I was led to the most pokey gym, that contained archaic equipment, with the stench of encapsulated sweat... the ''spa/ Jacuzzi'' stung my eyes , and this was stood a good ten paces away...due to the high chlorine content... My advise is perhaps chance the swimming pool after 9am, as it becomes emptier..however the size of the gym is not great and everything looks worn....also their opening hours do not suit my needs (7am to 22:00 Monday to Friday and 9:00-17:00 weekends.....oh and you have to take a one hour induction before they allow you to use their gym..... I've joined the gym at my workplace instead...

After a bad experience from joining Total Fitness when I was younger, I took picking my next place…read moreto work out very seriously. I usually try to find every other alternative to fitness; yoga, roller derby, pole dancing, but one thing I cannot do in Manchester, like I could easily in Preston, is run. There are no parks in my area and I live next to the motorway... However! Living next to Salford Reds stadium has its benefits! They have their own gym called yourgymuk which has its very own website and isn't a huge chain like the other giants. The benefits? - Smaller, friendlier gym - People willing to help you, give advice and SMILE - An option to pay monthly WITHOUT a contract - and it's STILL cheaper than joining the big bad chains! - Brand new equipment - A fantastic clean environment - TV's to watch whilst you work out - A big selection of easy to use equipment - Personal trainers - Lockers, showers and changing facilities, hair dryers - the lot! - Vending machines with protein shakes, padlocks, energy bars and drinks If you're not sold, you will have to see for yourself that this place has much to offer. I didn't feel uncomfortable and easily spent an hour and a half in my first session to test out the equipment. Very satisfied and can't wait to go back :)

Great little new gym based at the new Salford Reds Stadium. The staff are friendly but tend to be…read moreghosts when I go there which is usually during the quieter times so they probably don't need a lot of staff there at those times. The equipment is clearly labeled and easy to use even if you didn't attend an induction or have never been to a gym before. Pincode entry so its safe and secure however you have to bring your padlock for a locker but you can purchase them in a vending machine in the entrance along with protein shakes, waters and other fluids. As I said I go during quieter times like middle of the day or late evening so its never packed when Im there so can always get a full workout without having to wait for any equipment to be free. The people who attend don't bug each other and for the ladies there is no leering guys to stare at you which Ive heard is a problem at previous gyms. All in all great little gym for a decent price contract and non contract and its extremely local, walking distance even.