“A walk in nature walks the soul back home.” – Mary Davis.
A Summer Stroll
Ah, Summer. You feel like a distant, much-missed memory as I sit writing this on a wet, bleak January evening, reminiscing about my time at Chorlton Water Park.
Still early on into these 111 adventures, I tackled this one on the same day as the Curry Mile. At the time, I was working two jobs. One in an office & one at a busy city center story (I won’t say which, but there could be a good few blog posts about that too!) I worked 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, and then Saturday and Sunday at the shop. (Did a masters last year, catching up on debt.) I did the two-job malarkey for about half a year, but eventually missed being able to live a small semblance of a life. I called in sick to go out and do something. (naughty!) Picking up the book a week or two before this ignited the flame to quit my second job, and then once I started properly, that had settled it firmly. After pulling a sickie to go out for food and nature parks, I made the decision to quit my second job and only did a couple more shifts after that. Honestly, I still feel like five days is too much..
The park is slightly far out from the City Centre, but there is a direct tram that runs regularly. Take it to Sale Water Park, and it is a short and pleasant walk down the river. Especially nice in the summer. I have not experienced what the park is like in the winter. It would be interesting to get some different photos and a different perspective across the seasons; there are too many things on this list left to do so, not this year unfortunately. I did pick this one specifically to do earlier on because of the weather. This list takes a lot of planning!
Our guides tell us that this was Manchester’s first designated water reserve and is home to over 65 types of birds. I wish I had paid more attention to the birds I saw on my visit, but I had only read this entry after my visit. (Doh!) The books also mentions potentially spotting Pramactive, a local group of mums with hula hoops. (Treuherz, J. and Figueredo, P. 2024). So, if birds and mums are your thing, this could be the place to be!
I traversed the park first. Walking around the park with my legs out to tan and my tunes on. (Earphones in ear, I’m not one of those people). I stopped to admire the view of the lake from certain points and to snap a few photos. There are some nice little areas nestled under trees at various points around the park where you can sit and chill near the lake. It would be good for a picnic. Pick your time wisely, though, or get there first, as these spots do get snapped up. The park was not heaving with people, however, and it is large enough that you can quite comfortably find somewhere to relax peaceably. Even if it is not directly next to the lake, pretty much anywhere around the park offers a nice view. I preferred sitting out in the direct sunlight anyway.
The Meeting Place
Before I did enjoy the rare Manchester sun, I went to the Meeting Place, a little outdoor café truck with a cutesy outdoor seating area. An outdated sign hangs on the wall in July, saying Happy New Year. Why not? Lovely little café, shaded from the sun if you wanted a break from the heat. (Although why? We get so little!) I got coffee, sparkling water, and some crisps. I’m no coffee connoisseur (I wish I were), but it was perfectly suitable for me. I think they did more food, but I had just been to Curry Mile (see previous post).
The Manchester Evening News has a very flattering post on the Café, and the photo of the curry from there does look delightful. If I had done more planning beforehand, I might have done this one on a separate day to Curry Mile. It describes the venue as having a festival feel. (Clarke, L. 2025). I think this makes sense. (Although I’m not a good judge, as I don’t go to festivals).
There was a missing poster up on the boards, which a man came to collect, explaining that his brother had been found now and he was OK. Other than that, it was relatively quiet. For a short while, I had the place almost to myself, but it started to get a bit busier.
Tidbits
After the coffee break, I went to broil out in the open sun to read and admire the views. I had a good vantage point to people-watch. Although I can’t say I saw anyone particularly interesting. Not as interesting as the missing brother man anyway. It was mostly reading my book (frustratingly, I can’t recall what I was reading at the time, I could track it down on Goodreads against the time read, but that would be a bit sad.) burning in the sun and admiring the lovely lake. No swimming in the lake, by the way. If security catches you, they will remove you, according to the Manchester City Council. Coarse fishing is allowed, though! (Manchester City Council. Undated). I was sat next to these peculiar rocks with painted faces.
Compared to the previous entries, especially the first two (Gaskell House & Peterloo Memorial), there is not a great deal of research to be done on this one. As much as I loved Chorlton Water Park, I do find it a bit more difficult to compose a piece of writing with a sufficient quantity to satisfy. (My own needs really, no one else reads these). Some interesting tidbits I managed to find include that the park was given the UK-MAB Urban Wildlife Award for Excellence in 1997 (snazzy!), and it was opened on a site where a pit remained from years of sand & gravel extraction. (Less snazzy). (UK Urban Ecology Forum. 2026).
Conclusion and Ranking
I wish I had decided starting to write about the entries earlier. It is hard to recall all the events perfectly enough to write about them in great detail, and I feel like I have not done justice to Chorlton Water Park. I would go back to get more to write about, but I still have a way to go through the list, and it is cold now. Maybe I will do a revisit blog another time because I evidently have too much spare time.
I would definitely recommend a visit to this one, and it is an easy POSITIVE. You should visit.
Insta – @Dickinson95
References
- Clarke, L. (2025). “I went to the café hidden by a lake in Greater Manchester where £10 gets you four curries’” The Manchester Evening News. Available at: https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink-news/i-went-cafe-hidden-lake-32079457
- Manchester City Council. (Undated). “Chorlton Water Park.” Available at: https://www.manchester.gov.uk/directory_record/439727/chorlton_water_park/category/301/all_parks_playgrounds_and_open_spaces.
- 2 – Treuherz, J. and Figueiredo, P. (2024). 111 Places in Manchester That You Shouldn’t Miss. 4th Edition.
- UK Urban Ecology Forum. (2026). “Chorlton Water Park”. Available at: https://urbanecologyforum.org.uk/awards/awarded-sites/chorlton-water-park/
111 Places to Visit in Manchester Challenge 
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