Top 30 Best Wildlife gardens in Manchester

“We had a fantastic day at Manchester Bees forest school today. It was lovely to see my two children grow in confidence throughout the day and get involved with so much, including lighting fires and drilling! Thanks to Siân for making everything so accessible for my daughter, who is deaf. The children went straight into the bath when we got home, and the water turned brown with mud! That’s the sign of a great day!”

“Beautiful gardens.. Easy access all round. Plenty of benches and a picnic table. Lots of interesting things to see. Particularly liked the Japanese garden. Free Car park”

“We came to the dog walking evening on the 27th of June. We had wanted to visit the gardens since they opened but this gave us, and our furry friends, the ideal opportunity to explore. What a resounding success it seemed to be. We absolutely loved it and cannot wait for the next one in July. Everybody we spoke to said the same as us. The gardens themselves are beautiful and we all enjoyed exploring. It is a place that is ever changing and I would like to see it in the different seasons. I really hope the dog friendly evenings remain a regular thing.”

“Lovely park for families with young children. You pay £4 for parking and the rest of the facilities are free to use. Decent play area and the little farm is a great touch with lots of peacocks.”

“Fantastic council owned park. Grounds are so well maintained and are a credit to all involved in their maintenance and upkeep. Nice cafe dog friendly with decent range of drinks and snacks but is slightly expensive. Nice little children's zoo and play area as well. Something for everyone.”

“It's a lovely garden with a nice combination of beautiful plants, trees and grass, so if you want a bit sun or run, just, walk your dog or just breath some fresh air this is the right place for you.”

“Great day out for the family FREE entrance only donations which is good but if recommend a minimum of £5 as I've seen people put about 80p in from such and amazing place for the kids Kids get to play see animals and have a walk around a river what more could you ask for fit FREE? owners was nice and friendly greeted us as we entered and told us about the area and what's going on today which was good HIGHLY RECOMMENDED 5 ⭐”

“Came to this park for the Dino kingdom experience. Such a nice big park. And was so clean and tidy. We noticed a lovely play ground but didn't have chance to go on it as we were leaving. Will more than likely come back here again to walk around and explore more.”

“Best place I’ve ever been to, I love the plants, especially the grass.”

“Amazing service. My boys look, smell and feel beautiful. One of my dogs has skin allergies, Garden Tails were equipped for this and used the appropriate products. Gosia treated my fur babies like her own. Thank you so much”

“I have no hesitation in recommending Wayne of Olympian Water Gardens. He has such creative ideas while still being open to suggestions as well as excellent professional skills to bring it all to life. Most of all he loves what he does which means he goes the extra mile with an attention to detail that is second to none. Wayne kept us informed every step of the way, was friendly and courteous, did everything he promised and more.”

“Highly recommended, fantastic service and beautiful flowers x”

“First of all, a big thanks to Nanette for such a brilliant day! My partner booked the birds of prey experience for both of us as a Valentines Day gift and it was full of knowledge and fun! It was easy to see how much passion Nanette has for wildlife which we admired and we even put to bed any bad opinions on vultures as Nanette wanted to showcase how these birds are actually quite funny and interesting regarding how they have their place in disease prevention in third world countries. There are so many birds here and all are beautiful and have their own character. Thanks again for such a great knowledgeable day and we’ll definitely be back soon for the Meerkat experience! Matt and Lauren x”

“Great outdoor safe,fantastic countryside walks well worth a visit”

“Lots to see and do at Quarry Bank. Plenty of picnic benches for packed lunches, accessible toilet and baby change facilities were good. My 6 year old enjoyed completing the Easter egg hunt and I thought the gardens were magnificent. Good family day out.”

“Enjoyed our visit here very much. The house is amazing and the staff are friendly & very informative. Lots of safe parking spaces. Lovely gardens and parkland to walk around. It was great seeing the deer who are very tame and placid wandering around the park.”

“I haven't been to the park for a while, I really enjoyed it. Lots of areas have been deliberately left to go wild. There is also a lovely new playground. Lots of work going on to improve it.”

“I've been in the process of getting my first reptile for a while now - slowly saving and getting everything I need for a good, solid bioactive setup before I get myself a crestie. This place has been a lifeline, and everyone who works here is a legend! I went up to the counter and said "I think I'm in dire need of help" and lo and behold, they got me everything I needed and then some. All the staff are really nice, they know their stuff, and they have anything you could possibly need. The animals all seem super happy and well looked after. I'll be shopping here for a long time to come!”

“Went on a windy cold January day and the park was magnificent!!! It’s only 4 miles from Manchester and on a clear day you can see the Mancunian towers and buildings from the hilltops. There’s a tram stop just beside it so very easy to go to. Wasn’t too crowded at all probably because of the wind. The animals were out and about enjoying the little sun they could find. The gardens are well kept. Some of the food stalls were closed but the cafe and pub were both open for food and drinks”

“Really nice park, done a lot of work on it since I last visited. Small and large play areas. Water fountains to play in. Nice walks around through the woods and small animals and birds to see.”

“Really great place to walk or jog. Also beside the river, so it's good to bring some seeds for the birds.”

“It’s nice park, usually go for a walk with my daughter, she loves it too.”

“This is a beautiful peaceful place to walk through..”

“Really nice national trust park. Has a Cafe and lots of fresh farm produce shops available. Also has a farm and garden but I think they cost extra. Lots of wildlife to be seen along the trails. Only complaint is a lot of the trails are shared with cars and due to the location you often hear planes flying very low.”

“Excellent for dogs & if you love scenic woods an water. Paths too & off track. Lots of routes. Love it.”

“This stunning spot is great for bird watching and a wonderful habitat There are bridle paths for horse-riding and clearly marked footpaths for ramblers or gentle family walks. Enjoy fresh air, woodland and wildlife!”

“The park is so quiet and peaceful. For those who haven't been there yet, I highly recommend it. It has a short maze for kids to go through, a play area and a rock climbing area too. It has a Café and a small garden that you can look in to. I used to work there and we thought of many ideas. We wanted to open it up as a public place which I tried to do by inviting people in when I was there working, but now, it's like it's a bit forgotten... I don't know if the people who have access to it are still working on it or not, but it would be great if they are, because maybe after Covid, we could get together again and see how we can re-do it. I had some quite good ideas, and I think that if we start to work there again, we can see if we can open it up as a nice place for absolutely everyone, maybe mine the other people who working there ideas can still work out. Thank you for reading this review on Dunwood Park.”