I have lived near Wythenshawe park all my life and it's somewhere I have been many, many times. It is an ideal place for many things and for me it is great for walking the dogs in. I shall give a little bit of information of Wythenshawe park and my personal opinion on it.



The location:
Wythenshawe park is fairly big and located in Baguley. The park has the long and very busy, main road named Altrincham road on one side of it and the M56 motorway running past it on one side. The park is easily reached from various points and is not that far from Manchester airport either or other surrounding areas such as Altrincham, woodhouse park or even Manchester city centre itself.



How big is the park?
The park is fairly big and has plenty of space for people just wanting to relax in the sun, walk their dogs, have a game of football and all the other usual park things! In all the park covers more than 250 hectares. Not all of the park is just made up of field as there are other facilities in the park which I will go through.




Facilities:
So where to start? The park has many things for visitors to enjoy including, as expected first of all, a playground for the children! I remember always going here as a child as the play area was much better than the park within walking distance from us. The slide in particular when you are young is quite high and was lots of fun! They have swings, climbing frames and lots of other little bits and bobs - in the summer and especially at weekend the playground is packed with families. There is normally always an ice cream van parked up too at weekends and this is an added highlight for the youngsters and adults alike!
The park also has it's own golf and crazy golf courses - many a time have myself and my dada had a game of crazy golf here - I have never played 'real' golf here and so am not sure how good the course would be to a professional but, I think it is a 9 hole course. You can rent all clubs and balls should you need to although I am not sure of current costs - the fees never used to be too high though. If golf isn't your thing there are also tennis courts and bowling greens too - again you can rent all the stuff you need for a small fee. There is also an athletic track which in the summer is used by lots of local schools for events.
For those less energetic there is also a horticultural centre in the park too. I have actually not been in here for some years now but, I believe it may have had a refurbishment in recent years. The greenhouses were always so nice to walk around and you used to be able to purchase some things too. Dogs are not normally allowed in this part of the park except for guide dogs so it's worth knowing that in advance if planning to go in and you have the dogs with you! If you do like the flowers then you may also like having a wander around the grounds of the Hall located in the park. Wythenshawe hall has been there since 1540 when it was built by the Tatton family who then sold the park to Lord Simon of Wythenshawe. Nowadays the hall is open to the public from March to September and can also be hired for private functions such as weddings and the grounds of the hall certainly make for a great photo backdrop! There is also a tea room to get light snacks and drinks located behind the hall - this is open nearly all year round everyday from 11am to 5pm. Facing the hall on one of the large park fields is a statue - many people do not know who it is but, it is actually of Oliver Cromwell who 1644 had his troops occupying the hall!
Also located in Wythenshawe park are stables - the horses have a huge field to roam in and you can see them from the main field. The stables offer lessons to those interested although I am not sure of rates for this. The farm is in conjunction with the stables where you can see the farm animals and if you so wish you can even sponsor an animal - the farm is actually a registered charity too and is open all year round too.




Events at Wythenshawe park:
From an early age I have been going to Wythenshawe park and I do love how much the place has to offer to visitors - of course there is more than ever now than there used to be when I was a child but, there has always been events going on year round. One of the main events for me is always bonfire night. The park puts on a huge firework display and has a lovely big fire. Usually there is a fairground on the night too and for many years now this has been my first choice of park to go to being the closest to me to do a professional display.
Other events that take place include things such as a health walk which is on every Tuesday to get people fit. It is completely free of charge and you just have to turn up! They do two walks - the first at 1pm and the second at 2pm. Also on Saturday between 1-3pm there is an event on at the athletic track for all disabled guest to come and get active using the adapted bikes they have - at a charge of £! Per hour it is not too expensive and another incentive to keep everybody as active as possible!




Parking at the park:
If like me you actually live quite close to the park but, just slightly too far to walk in a reasonable time, or live no where near there is parking available. There is a charge for this which is £1 per car and this is for as long as you want! I think this is very reasonable when compared to other parks in the region such as Tatton which charge more than double that!




Overall opinion:
I think Wythenshawe park is a great place for everybody - myself and my husband have walked our dogs many times in the park and the huge open fields mean there is always lots of space and even though there might be lots of visitors it never feels too busy. The playground keeps children happy for hours and the range of other things to see and do mean you could easily spend a whole day here. I would always recommend this park to anybody as I am sure there will be something there for you to keep you entertained for the day.