So my quite frankly surreal and random love of water is a bit of a problem for someone living in…read moreYorkshire isn't it? Ha, I laugh in the face of your chortles. Of course not. We have water and plenty of it. We've also got electricty and phone lines outside of London too. I know, it's surprising. What I'm talking about is "real" water and what better place to go than Eccup Reservoir. It's a pearler of an area for some real clarity and fresh air. Beautiful walks ahoy then sailor and more natural splendor than you can shake a stick at. They've also invested heavily in preserving the glourious Red Kites and it is now home to over 100 of the bad boys. Great to see them in full flight. So twitchers can have a field day and the rest of us can also enjoy the array of wildlife on offer. There are also rumours and various sightings (not sure if Special Brew was involved) of a mysterious big cat in the area. Personally I don't believe them as the Yeti would've eaten it. A sure fire hit and worth a trip out to Alwoodley for anyone's money.

My boyfriend convinced me to go on a cycling mission to Eccup reservoir recently. He has a knack of…read moremaking a million miles away sound really close and as I was pressed for time I began to whinge part way there when I realised this wasn't the 15 minute bike ride I'd planned for, being about seven miles up hill! Upon arrival I stopped whingeing immediately. The sun was just beginning to set, and the reservoir, which is HUGE looked absolutely breathtaking! We stopped to catch our breath and as we gazed out across the water I couldn't believe we were within cycling distance of home. Before it got too dark to see much we cheekily jumped a couple of gates to get closer to the water. The reservoir was so still and the trees formed silhouettes against the darkening sky as we stood on the pebbly shore. If you feel the urge to get out of the city for some peace, fresh air and beautiful views, Eccup reservoir is the perfect place!

grumpy gits went to go fishing and wouldnt let us fish saying we had the wrong stuff claiming they…read morewould steal are car and rod if we didnt leave i would advise not to go here very bad and rude staff. The people claimed we needed aload of certrain liceneces etc but even tho its pay 10 pound for a permet for the dat. The person in charge (Thomas Marshal) does not like kids at all and kicked us out as soon as we was outside having fun. Especially when adults complain we don't go out enough and as a KID he probably went fishing (without a permit or and licences rods environment rods or even a fishing licence) Claimed we caught a load of fish to kill and eat even though we was going to realise it EVEN THOUGH WE DIDNT EVEN CATCH A THING HIGHLY DISAPOINTED!!!!!!!!!

From the owner: Birkwood Farm Fisheries was established in 1996. Originally a single lake run by Dick and Sandra it…read moresoon evolved into the complex it is today; 5 lakes with river and canal fishing. Supported by Chris and Sharon this is a family run business. At Birkwood we aim to offer anglers a great fishing experience which is safe, clean, tidy and welcoming.

What a find! Allerthorpe Lakeland Park is a water sports centre with all the usual canoes, kayaks,…read morerow boats, windsurfing etc etc but there are also some lovely lakeside walks, play area and a really good cafe. Didn't know it existed until I passed it looking for a small business in Allerthorpe. I'll be travelling back here with my family for the day. There also appears to be caravan and camping site next to the lake. Wildlife at your feet too! Brilliant!!

A three pond complex, the top pond (Canal pond) is the match lake and contains a lot of silver…read morefish, carp to 10lb, Tench and perch. The middle pond contains larger carp, a cat fish (supposedly around 40lb), lots of roach to around 1lb, bream to around 2lb, small perch, and tench to 5lb. The smaller bottom lake doesn't get fished much and is stocked as per the Canal pond but with a catfish (supposedly around 30lb). Day tickets cost £5 for up to 2 rods, and the money is collected on the bank. The car park reed lined pegs on the middle pond are the most popular and on a weekend you will need to be there 'queueing' well before the gates open to get any of them. The middle pond generally has a 1m depth at a rod length out from the bank with a maximum depth of around 2.5m. There are toilet facilities, and on weekends a 'burger bar' van is resident in the car park between the top and middle ponds. Had huge bags of roach, with tench, perch and several decent carp by fishing alongside reeds about 2m from the bank with a 14 hook fished just over depth and loaded either with 3 red/yellow maggots, or 6mm halibut flavour soft pellets over a carpet of strawberry flavour crushed hard pellet groundbait. Keep loose feeding 6-10 maggots around your float on the 'little and often' principle and I found it was a 'fish a chuck' most of the day.

Just 20 minutes by train from Manchester and around 30 minutes from Leeds - sandwiched in the…read morePennines is the glorious Dovestones. Most people walk around the 1st reservoir and enjoy the stroll. You can however walk around as many as 4 reservoirs in total and increase the challenge. If your particularly fit or an experienced Walker then walk to the tops and enjoy some fantastic views. The place changes every day with the weather, and lots of different routes to take so you won't get bored. Always wear good shoes/boots and take your waterproofs just in case. There is ample parking on weekdays, but very busy at weekends.

Our mission to go for at least one walk in the great outdoors each month of 2016 continues - at…read moreDove Stone Reservoir up in the hills of Saddleworth. Hoping lots of folks would have been put off by the cold weather and fallen snow, our group were met by total carmageddon at the official car park (which was full on a Sunday lunchtime and proved difficult to find a space). After a couple of circuits without success, we drove back to the main road, up the hill a few hundred yards and found plenty of room at the Binn Green car park. It's supposed to be pay and display but there were no machines - double winner. We took a stepped path down from this car park (it's a tad muddy in winter so choose appropriate footwear) and then eventually met the main paved/gravelled route around the reservoir. It's pretty flat all the way and there are gorgeous views to be had, so lots of photo opportunities. The shorter circular route is about 3 miles, whereas if you include the route past Yeoman Hey and Greenfield Reservoirs this increases to 5 miles. We were getting hungry by this point so decided to just do the former!

i always visit the park every sunday , i carnt belive its actualy free its like something you see…read moreand think you would have to pay a entrance free , a massive pond for fishing , park for the children , sand pit , slides and swings. i usualy go fishing on the pond with a reasonable price to fish , lovely people and litter free!

What a great find!…read more Pugney's is just off Jn 39 on the M1 and it has a big lake where you can hire canoes, kayaks, dinghies, windsurfers and even pedaloes. Around the outside of the lake you can take a small train ride (for the younger children), there is an activity park (no swings and slides though) and even places built specifically for bird watching. Today I went on a pedalo with my two children. It only cost £6 for the three of us and it gave my legs some much needed exercise having to do the pedalling for all three of us! Afterwards my eldest went on a kayak (only £3.70), he had never been on one by himself before but he quickly picked it up and really enjoyed himself. The cafe sells paninis, jacket potatoes and sandwiches all at reasonable prices and there are two ice-cream vans ouside. There are also benches outside for people who want to bring their own food. The best thing of all is that there is no gift shop so my children can't pester me to buy them something! Pugney's is overlooked by Sandal Castle and this is only about three minutes drive away and well worth a visit afterwards!

My main memory of Pugney's country park is of dropping my Thornton's turkish delight bar in there…read morewhen I was about eleven, and being grudging and outraged for the rest of the walk. I suppose that wasn't 'Puggy's' fault! In spite of that, it's an attractive local spot and attracts all the water sports enthusiasts and a horde of waterfowl, is a nice spot for a walk and handy for Sandal Castle. (Also known as the spot where the Grand Old Duke of York marched his ten thousand men, up, down and half-way). It is however a bit short of public conveniences and eateries, which might increase tourism in the spot. Just a thought!

A bittersweet experience was had on my first ever visit to Chorlton water park. Driving here is a…read morelittle strange with it being situated in such a densely populated area. You get the feeling your Satnav is taking you to the wrong place. Don't worry it's not. An old reservoir was transformed into a huge lake a while back and that's the park's main feature. A mile radius around the lake acts as a perfect biking/ hiking trail which isn't too strenuous and is littered with relaxing spots with great views. There's an icecream van to cater for all your refreshment needs and does a lot of business on a hot summer's afternoon. It's a perfect venue to have a picnic and for young families (There's a large play area for kids) All in all a lovely green space in a heavily populated urban area. My only beef with the place was the unsafe nature of the car park. Make sure you park in an area that's camera visible. I returned after a pleasent afternoon to find my windscreen cracked quite badly. I hadn't parked under a tree, falling debree was thus out the question so I suspected some sort of foul play. My little trip therefore cost me nearly £150. Perhaps the place is cursed for me, but don't let that put you off.

When I first moved to Chorlton and I heard people talking about this water park I had visions in my…read morehead of chutes and river rapids. Sadly, the water park bears absolutely no resemblance to Stoke-on-Trent's Water World or Florida's Blizzard Beach. Instead it is a large man-made lake with a path around the edge which attracts walkers, joggers and cyclists. The path is well-surfaced and links on to the Mersey Valley trail, which is unsurfaced. However, there is a car park and visitor centre if you don't fancy the trek down from Chorlton or Didsbury. The water park was formed in the 1970s when gravel was dug up from this area to build the M60, and the area was flooded to form the lake. Despite the fact that the water park is surrounded by the M60, the busy Princess Parkway and Chorlton town centre it is a surprisingly peaceful and serene place - so peaceful that it is the place that the hippies flock to for the summer solstice.

A great adventure playground that will keep all but the most fussy of kids entertained, be warned…read morethough it can get a bit muddy. The grounds of the estate have miles of paths to explore/walk the dog and alarge lake give ample oppurtunity to feed the ducks/fish.

Although not exactly in the middle of the countryside, St Ives lets you get away from the…read morerelatively busy hustle and bustle of nearby Bingley and offers beautiful woodland walks, tasty food and a bit of something for everyone. St Ives boasts it's own golf course so if you are that way inclined you can while away a few hours hitting balls into holes (can you tell I'm not a fan!) It also has a beautiful lake with a lovely walk around it which is ideal if you have youngsters who will enjoy feeding the various ducks and other wildlife. They recently introduced a wildlife viewing area where you can sit and watch squirrels and various birds eating from conveniently placed feeding tables. There are lots of paths and walks you can enjoy around the estate, including one which takes you through a large woodland area with many large carved statues for you to discover - the dragon is our favourite! Extra points if you can find the massive carved wooden chain (hint: it's in a tree somewhere near the lake!) There are several large car parks and a children's playground and also tearooms to enjoy, so there really is something for everyone. Definitely a place where you can go have fun with your family, or even relax and get away from it all.