Chorlton Water Park

Chorlton Water Park is a popular place to walk your dog. Despite being a large, populated city, Manchester actually has a number of great green spaces. This will be the first of a number of blog articles looking at some of the better dog walking locations we have locally. Some of these locations are less popular with families and therefore ideal for dogs and their owners who prefer peace and quiet. Others like Chorlton Water Park are used by a large number of Manchester residents but are still great for some dogs.

Chorlton Water Park History

Chorlton Water Park stands on the site of what was once Barlow Hall Farm. In the 1970’s when the M60 motorway was being built gravel was removed and the gravel pit flooded to create the lake that now is the centrepiece of Chorlton Water Park.

Designated as Manchester’s first local Nature Reserve, Chorlton Water Park has a good mix of open fields and more wooded areas.

Facilities

As somewhere popular with families, dog owners and anglers, visitors may be curious to know what facilities there are. For those that go to Chorlton Water Park by car you will be pleased to hear that there is a public car park on Maitland Avenue, postcode M21 7WH. For those who are fans of the app What Three Words use \\\month.tile.maps to locate Chorlton Water Park. The parking is free and it even has public toilets.

Once in the park there are a number of park benches and picnic tables, ideal if you are a family who have brought a packed lunch in the summer. For those families with young children there is a play area complete with swings and slides which seems to be popular. It should be noted that dogs are not allowed in the play area.

I’m not aware of a permanent cafe or shop but it’s not unusual to see an ice cream van in Chorlton Water Park. Another popular mobile refreshment option is Perk Up Coffee which serves hot drinks and sweet snacks but is only there are weekends.

The lake is popular with anglers who can buy either a day ticket or season ticket from Chorlton Carp Anglers. At the time of writing a day ticket costs £10.00 for adults with a £5.00 concession rate. For those that feel they will become a regular visitor for the purposes of fishing you have two season ticket options:

• Day Only Season Ticket costs £30.00 and allows you to fish from 8:00am to dusk.
• Regular Season Ticket costs £60.00 with £35.00 concession allows you to fish anytime including night fishing.

It should be pointed out that swimming in the lake is not allowed.

Chorlton Water Park For Dog Walking

The park is rightly popular with dog owners. There is a wide path that surrounds the lake. In places it should drain better in winter than some locations but not all dogs will stick to the path. Other areas of the park are prone to becoming muddy but living in Manchester we have to expect that with the amount of rain we get. The more wooded areas should provide some relief from the heat on the very hot days of summer. Having said that people are not allowed to swim in the lake, I have seen websites mention the lake as a good place for dogs to paddle. If your dog loves the water you should take care here, particularly around anglers. I would argue that there are better dog walking locations if the aim is to allow your dog to swim.

Dog owners will be pleased to know that there are a decent number of dog waste bins around the park. The variety within the park should offer something for all dog personalities. Those who love to fetch a ball will like the open fields whereas dogs who like to sniff and scent mark will like the more wild areas of the park.

Being a popular place with families means it might not be the ideal dog walking location for every dog owner at busier times. Some dogs don’t like being around noisy children and then the smell of picnic food could also be a distraction for some dogs in the summer. It’s a big enough place however for most people to find some degree of solitude most of the year.

What are your thoughts about Chorlton Water Park? Is it somewhere you take your dog(s)? Feel free to leave a comment with your views. If you are interested in other dog walking locations in Manchester please visit our dog walks category.