Debdale Park, Gorton

Usually when I visit Debdale Park, I’m in my trainers running round it with my team mates from Belle Vue Racers, or helping to marshall the race we organise there in the summer.

However, last weekend we found ourselves in the vicinity, as we’d taken a trip to Inspire in Levenshulme to check out the monthly arts and craft market organised jointly with local artist Emily Pitts. I thoroughly recommend it – we particularly liked the knitted hats at More Tea Vicar and the canvases by Caroline Coates. Inspire serve fantastic cake too. Just saying.

The sun was shining when we finished at Inspire, so we headed for the familiar surroundings of Debdale Park. It was pretty packed there, a sure sign of a good park. Obviously the sunshine helped, but this place has a really welcoming and pleasant feel to it, from the beautiful flowerbeds to the well used tennis courts.

We headed straight for the playground. To be honest, this is a little well worn and frayed around the edges, but it’s kept clean and there’s plenty to keep younger children occupied.

From the playground, you get a great view out across the reservoir. We went for a walk along the path next to the water, before heading back towards the surestart centre and playground. You can walk all the way around it, to the donkey sanctuary and outdoor centre on the other side, but we weren’t feeling energetic enough for that.

As you can see from the photos, this is a lovely place to while away an afternoon, and a great tip if you’re looking for free things to do in Manchester.