Reddish Vale Country Park Visitor Centre

To say that this country park is so close to some pretty grotty council estates, the M60 and Stockport town centre, it is a really peaceful place to spend a few hours.
Check out the website
for some amazing pictures of the flora and fauna found in the park including bats, rabbits, hedgehogs, swans, kingfishers, thistles and mushrooms.
Within the park there are two lakes where it is possible to go fishing and feed the ducks, the River Tame, some streams and (towards the Brinnington edge of the park on the other side of the viaduct) some manmade art in the form of a tree which is completely covered in beer cans! Wear your walking boots as it can get quite boggy in certain areas of the park. If you’re cycling then be prepared to push your bike for certain parts of the trails, unless you’ve got calves of steel.
The vistors centre itself isn’t much more than a hut, but you can look at the map (if you’re anything like me then you’ll need it) and grab a can of coke. The whole country park is free to access, but there is a little farm just up the road from the visitor’s centre where you can pay a couple of quid to stroke the ponies, and a bit more to ride them — this and the country park would make a great day out for kids.