The secret spots you thought only you and your mates knew about
Children Playing in the River Bollin (colourised)(Image: Cheshire Image Bank)
If somebody asked you to remember your top childhood memories, it’s likely your mind would transport back to blissful summer holidays when our young lives seemed so much simpler. Days when the sun never seemed to stop shining, and we were surrounded by the friends whose names and faces we still remember.
Whether those memories were of bike rides, or finding a secret spot only you and your gang knew about, the places we went to are tinged with a magic sense of nostalgia. Perhaps it involved paddling in a hidden beauty spot, hunting for tadpoles, or building a rope swing, many of our most treasured days were spent outdoors and in nature.
Previously, the Manchester Evening News, put together a list of these places we got up to mischief in our younger years. So with the school holidays approaching and the promise of long summer days ahead, we’ve taken those suggestions and added another to put together a list of seven places we loved to spend our lazy summer days as kids.
Barrow Bridge paddling brook
Dean Brook, upstream of Barrow Bridge(Image: Photo © David Dixon (cc-by-sa/2.0))
The paddling brook in Barrow Bridge, Bolton, was a popular beauty spot to cool down during the hot weather. Just upstream of Barrow Bridge, this weir was the perfect platform to splash about with your shoes of.
A nostalgic photo of the spot taken in 1971 that was posted on the Bolton History Facebook Group attracted hundreds of likes, with people taking to the comments to share their memories.
Peter Redford posted: “I remember it well. Many a happy Saturday there and walking along the river bank up towards Scout Road to the cigarette tunnel. [Then] to the shop at Barrow Bridge for hot Vimto”.
Sue Thompson said: “Fabulous memories of our childhood days out with our picnic, taking two buses to get there with our friends. I still talk about this beautiful place now 50 years on”.
Daisy Nook
Daisy Nook Easter Fair in Failsworth, Oldham, photo 1980
Daisy Nook Country Park in Failsworth straddles the border of Oldham and Ashton-under-Lyne and was known originally as the village of Waterhouses. In 1855, Lancashire Poet and writer Ben Brierley published a piece called ‘A Day Out’ in the Manchester Spectator newspaper – which featured a fictional beauty spot called Daisy Nook – and the new name stuck.
Some of the main features of Daisy Nook include Crime Lake, as well as a fun fair that has been held there for over 160 years and was the subject of a painting by artist L.S. Lowry. In a nostalgic post on the I Grew Up In Manchester Facebook group, people shared their memories of days out at this beauty spot.
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Margaret Nevin said: “Used to go the the fair in Daisy Nook. Got on the Waltzes once and the chap who ran it spun us round so much l felt sick until l got home [laughing emoji]”.
Meanwhile, David Hutchings posted: “Lived in Droylsden, loved walking to and around Daisy Nook through Littlemoss. Plus the Easter fair with mum and dad, we always seemed to return with a coconut and a goldfish.”
River Bollin
The River Bollin was ‘like an oasis’ for kids growing up in Wythenshawe(Image: Image courtesy of Mike Taylor)
A beauty spot just off the beaten track in Castle Mill has been described as being like ‘an oasis’ for kids from Manchester. With idyllic river banks surrounded by lush greenery, people remember cooling off in the clear waters with many long summer days spent there during childhood.
Up until the early 1970s, there was a large open air swimming pool in Castle Mill, near to Manchester Airport.
Many shared fond childhood memories of the River Bollin on the popular We Grew Up in Manchester Facebook group recently. Linda Davenport, said: “Brought up in Wythenshawe and loved cycling with the family down the country lanes to have a picnic and a paddle in the River Bollin.”
Children Playing in the River Bollin – 1940s(Image: Cheshire Image Bank)
While Catherine Mackey, remembered: “The Bollin…such wonderful childhood memories. Walk through the farmers field by the airport and on to the woods. It was like a little beach there [..] brilliant place!
Debdale Park
Hidden trails at Debdale park, Gorton(Image: Manchester Evening News)
Nestled inside the M60 and squeezed between two train lines lies the biggest inner-city park in Manchester, Debdale Park in Gorton. Tranquil lakes, woodland walks and wildlife isn’t what you’d expect to find within a sprawling metropolis, yet it’s what you’ll discover if you visit.
Made up of grassy spaces, gardens and woodland the park offers visitors a rural escape from the hustle and bustle of the city and is a haven for wildlife and different varieties of birds – woodpeckers, parakeets and owls have all been spotted here.
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On the edge of the park is the Debdale Nature Centre, which is run by volunteers and provides a hub for the local community. Originally the land was used to create two water reservoirs in the 1820s to supply the local area.
Manchester city council bought the land in the 1850s then, after WWI, the land was converted for use as a public park. In 1963 the reservoirs ceased to supply water to the area.
Commenting in the Greater Manchester History, Memories and People Facebook group, one person remembering their childhood in Debdale Park said they remembered “swimming in the reservoir,” and: “Seeing who was the bravest (most stupid) diving or jumping off the highest part of the wall into the water.”
Witch’s Tunnel in Platt Fields
Witch’s Tunnel in Platt Fields, Fallowfield, Manchester(Image: Exploring with Jake | https://www.facebook.com/Abandonend/)
Platt Fields, two miles from the city centre in Fallowfield, boasts numerous facilities including a boating lake, bowling greens, tennis, crazy golf, the Platt Hall Costume Gallery and Shakespearean gardens. The park was acquired by the city in 1908, but its history dates back to the 12th century and Platt Hall was reputedly the home of Lt Col Charles Worsley, Manchester’s first MP and one of Oliver Cromwell’s most trusted officers.
One of the main attractions for kids on an adventure to Platt Fields Park is the ominously named Witch’s Tunnel. It was a rite-of-passage for kids from Fallowfield who would venture nervously into the pitch black tunnels, egged on by their mates.
Reminiscing on the Witch’s Tunnel on the Facebook group We Grew Up In Manchester, Russell Buck posted: “We used to dare each other to go the full length of the Witch’s Tunnel at Platt Fields using torches.”
Maria Lilly Rose, remembered: “Oh I remember the Witch’s Tunnel. My auntie took me through it when I was about eight – scared the life outta me, lol.”
The Lanny
Wooded area at the end of Lower Broughton Road known locally as the ‘Lanny'(Image: Manchester Evening News)
An untouched area close to the city centre with cobbled roads and ‘magical’ woodland holds fond memories for Salfordians who grew up in the ’60s. The Cliff, or The Landslide – or, as it’s known among locals, Lanny – along the top of Lower Broughton Road, was once ‘the place to go’ in its heyday as a popular recreational spot.
Deborah Winters, who runs a Facebook page dedicated to the site where people share their memories of The Cliff, says it’s still a magical place to venture. The 64-year-old, who now lives in Higher Crumpsall, grew up in a big family Arts and Crafts house halfway up Lower Broughton, and has fond memories of summers spent at the Lanny.
“We were always on the Lanny, it was fascinating,” Deborah said, who used to head there with her older brother John.
“You could see the cobbled street at the top where the old tramlines went along, and you can see where the land gave way now. It’s right near the River Irwell, it’s a lovely wood.”
Reflecting on her childhood, Deborah says she would have family picnics down The Landslide, where she played outdoors and made rope swings.
“There weren’t many places to go back then, but Lanny was the place to go. You were told not to go there [without adults] because the river is at the bottom, but every kid went, especially in the summer, it was just so exciting.”
Micker Brook/Red Rocks
Micker Brook in Cheadle(Image: cc-by-sa/2.0 – © David Dixon – geograph.org.uk/p/2624876)
This idyllic area of Cheadle in Stockport, near to The Alexandra Hospital, has been a place where youngsters whiled away the hours for generations. Many warm summer days have been spent cooling off in the brook.
Posting on the We Grew Up In Manchester Facebook group, Sharon Fairfield said: “Loved red rock, jumping into the water, must have been mad lol but it was great.”
While on I Grew Up In Manchester, Bram Raine said he “used to jump off the top of the falls – was great fun.”
There were far too many suggestions to include in one story, but other popular places kids growing up in and around Greater Manchester would spend with their mates in the summer holidays included Heaton Park, the lime hills in Clayton Vale, Boggart Hole Clough, Styal Woods and Pickmere Lake.
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