Stalybridge Country Park

The old mills and viaducts loom over Stalybridge like ghosts of Lancashire's industrial heyday, but the country park itself is a proper breath of fresh air. What you get here is a mix of woodland walks, open grassland, and the River Tame running through it all - enough to make you forget you're still technically in the Pennines rather than proper countryside. The viaduct is the star turn, a Victorian engineering marvel that frames the valley nicely if you've got your camera handy.

Walkers will get the most out of this. There are decent trails threading through the park, some steep enough to work up a sweat but nothing that requires Everest training. Families with younger kids might find an hour or so here satisfying before they start asking about ice cream. The open areas are fine for a wander and a picnic, though it's not the sort of place you'd spend a full day unless you're combining it with other walks in the locality.

Greenfield is your nearest town, and the park sits well within striking distance if you're based at Dovestone Holiday Park just down the road. It's the kind of spot that fills a gap in a day's itinerary rather than being the main event itself. Free to visit, obviously, and there's no faffing about with gates or time restrictions. Go when it's not raining, because the paths get properly boggy and the whole thing loses its charm when you're ankle-deep in mud.