As we move into the school holidays, Manchester’s impressive array of scenic, family-friendly adventure parks dust off their swinging bridges and polish their zip lines for another season of thrilling outdoor entertainment across the North West.
Here are some of the best outdoor adventure parks around Greater Manchester.
Perfect for younger children and just an hour’s drive from the city, Blackpool’s Outdoor Revolution offers a High Ropes course which takes adventurers on a fearless journey through a range of low-level obstacles before traversing an 8-metre platform, wobbly bridges, moving tyres and rope swings.
Sitting on the banks of the Medlock, Manchester’s newest and first city centre public park features a wondrous adventure playground with sunken trampolines, slides, crawl tunnels, slides, balance beams and more in the heart of its 6.5 acre urban oasis.
From swinging logs and balance bars to Indiana bridges and a vast network of zip lines, Heaton Park’s 15-metre-high elevated rope course promises ‘the perfect way to lose an afternoon in the tree canopy’, with thorough training and a variety of course options available for ages 7 and above.
Alongside an endless choice of slides and rides, Chester’s beloved Crocky Trail provides a fabulously scenic mile-long adventure route which includes wobbly bridges, whimsical roundabouts and mind-bending mazes amongst Cheshire’s unrivalled natural landscape.
Ideal for ages 4 to 12, Apple Jacks Farm offers Warrington’s best family day out with a staggeringly extensive array of outdoor activities, including zip wires, drop slides, obstacle courses, fence mazes, roller skating, archery and, from July, pig racing.
Located just two miles east of the Welsh border, ‘Curious Treehouse Adventure’ Bewilderwood unsurprisingly holds the title of Visit Cheshire’s 2023 Visitor Attraction of the Year. Based on the captivating children’s books by author Tom Blofeld, the enchanting outdoor park features a ‘wonky world’ of treehouses, slides, giant swings, sky-high mazes, a telescope tower and more.
Blackpool’s recently opened aquapark is perfect for anyone who prefers their adventures off dry land. Taking over what was formerly the Blackpool Wake Park site, the space is open to everyone ages six and over.
Little ones and parents alike can enjoy the venue’s floating playground with various slides and hurdles, wakeboarding, paddleboarding and open-water swimming. There’s also an on-site cafe to refuel after your big day on the water.
- Words:
- Wolf McFarlane
- Published on:
- Wed 17 Jul 2024
Known as the ‘mini-Lake District’ of Manchester, Rivington’s Go Ape adventure course features a treetop challenge across 13-metre high platforms, a zip wire over the picturesque reservoir – the only zip wire over water in the country – and a free-falling Tarzan Swing.