It’s a lovely place to visit on a sunny day with picnic areas, wild flowers and tree-lined paths
Fog Lane Park(Image: MEN Staff)
On sunny spring days Greater Manchester’s parks and gardens really come into their own. They offer places for relaxing picnics with friends, playgrounds for kids and acres of space for dogs to roam around in.
As the warm weather returns many of us will be heading to our local green space to relax in the sun.
On Friday the Met Office forecasts plenty of sunshine with highs of 20C, while over the weekend it’s set to become even hotter, reaching highs of 23C on Sunday.
Making the most of the glorious weather, hundreds will descend upon the likes of Fletcher Moss Park, Chrolton Water Park and Sale Water Park, yet there’s another park in Didsbury with plenty to offer, as well as being home to an interesting piece of football history.
Spring blooms (Image: MEN Staff)
Nestled between Wilmslow Road and Kingsway in East Didsbury, Fog Lane Park is a green oasis surrounded by residential streets.
Purchased in 1926 by the town planning committee, the park was among the city’s first public parks. It’s believed to be named from a certain type of grass which grows there, known as Yorkshire Fog.
The park features a variety of areas. There’s several huge fields, a wooded area with a path weaving through it, and more formal areas with flowerbeds and benches.
A tree-lined path in the park(Image: MEN Staff)
Some sections of the park are dedicated to wildflowers, and you can even see some late-blooming bluebells beneath the trees.
The park also has a huge playground for kids, football pitches, tennis courts, a bowling green, multi use sports area and a couple of ponds.
Housed in the pavilion next to the tennis courts and the playground is a cafe, which is open daily from 9.30am until 4pm. The white building features colourful mural on one side, but a blue plaque on the wall gives an insight into the park’s history.
Unveiled in October 2023, it reveals that the park was the training ground for The Corinthians, a woman’s football team founded in 1949.
Fog Lane Park cafe(Image: MEN Staff)
They played as the unofficial England side in a European Cup and World Cup – and won both – at a time when women’s football was ‘banned’ as female teams couldn’t play on Football League grounds, or pitches owned by clubs affiliated to the FA. The team went on to play across the world in front of crowds of thousands.
Later renamed the Woodley Ladies in the 1980s, many of the players formed the first Manchester City women’s team during its first season of 1988-89.
Even if you’re not one for kicking around a football, the park is a lovely spot on a sunny day for a picnic, walk or even just sitting and watching the world go by.
Fog Lane, East Didsbury, Manchester, M20 4UP
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