Playgrounds in North West

Nearly everything on this list is a free park, and the spread is heavily weighted to Manchester (46 places) and Stockport (11). The most useful way to sort them is whether they run two playgrounds split by age. Platt Fields Park in Fallowfield has a dedicated toddler zone plus a separate area that a Manchester parks list describes as having zip lines and climbing walls for under-12s. Stamford Park in Altrincham and Worthington Park in Sale use the same setup, and John Leigh Park in Altrincham fences its toddler section while the main playground sits unfenced near the road. Alexandra Park in Manchester has multiple play zones too, though a contributor to that same list felt the older-children's area was sparse and uninviting.

For confident climbers, Mayfield Park is the outlier: reviewers single out its climbing frames as unlike anything else in Manchester, with the caveat that under-fives find them hard. Stamford Park in Stalybridge is the summer choice, with a fountain zone that soaks children, a paid mini train and a bird sanctuary. Bruntwood Park in Cheadle covers the widest age range, from a toddler playground to a cycling track, zip wire and archery, but parking is paid.

Several places are really walks with a playground attached. Chorlton Water Park's play area suits six and over and toilet supplies run short. Orrell Water Park in Wigan has a short two-lake circuit built for prams. Wythenshawe Park and Gardens is the fullest free day, with a farm area and a bee centre. A North West adventure playground list picks Pennington Flash Playground as free, noting pay-and-display parking and dogs on leads. Blacon Adventure Playground in Chester adds farm animals and den building; its own site says nothing is sold there, so bring a picnic.