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!

Bosworth Water Trust is a leisure park set over 50 acres, 20 acres of which is water - used for all…read moretypes of water sports. There you can go sailing, windsurfing and kayaking or have a days relaxing fishing. Day and season tickets are available for the lakes - there are two, a large and small. The small lake has less 'traffic' on it and is a quieter days fishing. There are hiring facilities for the water sports and you can pay for lessons. We've been a few time to use the caravan and camping site located on the side of the waters edge. The pitches aren't massive but it's not bad for a weekend.There are good washing and shower facilities for all who are camping. They have a small shop but it's not got loads in for the camper, I'd recommend bringing what you need. There is also a bar but I thought it was a bit expensive. For an afternoon it's a nice day out - there is a fairly good play area, space to kick a ball, a walk round the lake etc. I think it's only about £2 to get in. Outside the park, there is the town of Market Bosworth, Shackerstone Railway, Twycross Zoo and Bosworth Battlefield. Every year they host events such as the raft race or Hinckley half mararthon.

Jan 2017 - OK, so the lake is now called Queens and is run by Leigh Angling Association. It is not…read moreas well looked after as some venues, but for me this is half the attaction. That it not to say it is not comfortable to fish - it is, it ha gravel most of the way round and comfortable well spaced pegs (about 16-18 of them). It is just the vegetation is slightly overgrowing, though the small venue means that casting never really is an issue anyway. Fish are clearly healthy and not overfed, I have seen all sorts caught - gudgeon, perch, roach, bream, crucians seem to be there in the right proportions. And of course carp - there is a good stock of fish in the 8-14lb region, enough to keep you busy but not overstocked. The biggest I have seen out of there is 17lb, but I have been told that there are 2 20lbs+ there. Tactics - most seem to work, depending on the day. I have noticed that in the summer they seem to go mad fro krill-based boilies and paste. In the winter, I have been very successsful with corn and boilies (not so much maggots for some reason?), with up to 5 carp in a short 5-6 hour session, and only 2 blanks! People - at it's busiest on a summer weekend, I have never seen more than half of the pegs filled. And that was a one-off! average number of taken pegs in busy times is about 4-5. I guess it's not a really challenging water, with no monsters..with Fan Lodge just down the road too! But the people that are there are extremel friendly, polite and respectful. It is also fairly suited to kids as it is so quiet, plus ther are huge bushes full of blackberries which keeps them extremely busy in the summer!

It has grown over the years from a bog standard farm and play area to an enjoyable afternoon for…read moremost of the family. The admission fees are: £3.50 Adult admission £2.50 Child admission (over 3 years old) Children under 3 get free admission There are a number of animals all over the grounds from llamas to meerkats to birds of prey. Paths are a bit difficult for pushchairs/wheelchairs as a lot of them are in fields or gravel around the small lake. There is a brand new play area next to the ice cream/coffee shop which is perfect for parents to relax whilst watching the children have fun. However if the weather is bad there is an indoor play area with two sections. The first section is a limited babies/toddlers area with rather used and worn down toys. The second is for young children - a soft play area and mini ball pool. The soft play area is very claustrophobic and if you have a reluctant/stroppy kid it is extremely difficult to get a full grown adult in and back out with them in one move! The staff range from friendly to pretty much inaudible but nevertheless get the jobs in hand done and serve you promptly. The coffee shop is fairly limited but in the summer is perfect for a cool drink or simply an ice lolly. There is a lake and crazy golf offered as alternative farm free activities. The lake is fairly pictoresque and can have approved fishing fun as far as I'm aware you have to bring your own gear. The crazy golf is usually very busy and they have limited number of clubs - get there quick and be prepared to hang around in the hope someone comes back soon returning their clubs. Its an ok day out - its constantly improving with greater publicity and funding.

nice place to take the Kids .farm animals to feed an indoor &outdoor play area & a small cafe…read more.enjoyed it

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.

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!

I live close by and its a great place to go for a nice walk, small play area for the kids, also the…read morerailway that normally runs twice a week, at the moment the lake doesn't have that much water in as earlier this year was emptied to do repairs on the dam, the work now has been done and is filling up naturally, will be around 2012 before completely full again. see some pics and details at my site at http://www.kevinsimon.co.uk/?p=274

I agree with marg - a great place for a day out, whether you want to picnic, see or ride the…read moretrains, bring your boat or just walk your dog. There are two places for refreshment, a book/nic-nac store (inside a train carriage), plus a toy shop.