Sometimes it feels as if green spaces are hard to come by in Manchester, especially ones which feel a bit more wild and rugged. Yet only two miles east from the city centre is a pocket of countryside which will make you forget about the urban sprawl which surrounds you.
Clayton Vale sits in the valley of the River Medlock. It contains grassy meadows, wooded areas and, of course, riverside walks.
It’s less landscaped and manicured than other public parks - you won’t find smooth lawns and flowerbeds here - but it’s a space where you can reconnect with nature and escape from the city. It offers a rural atmosphere without the need to leave the city.
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A designated Local Nature Reserve, Clayton Vale is full of wildlife and different habitats. As you walk around you may spot a rabbit or two hopping through the meadows while frogs and toads reside in the ponds. Heron and kingfisher can also be seen along the river.
There are smoother paths which follow the course of the river through Clayton Vale, perfect if you’re planning a relaxed stroll, walking the dog or going for a run. High up are more rugged tracks suitable for mountain biking.
Throughout the park are plenty of benches to sit on, where you can take a moment to enjoy the peaceful surroundings and the changing colours of the trees. Clayton Vale feels like an untouched patch of land, but in fact it’s a relatively new green space.
The land was redeveloped in 1986 and prior to this it had a complex industrial history. The site has been the location of a range of buildings, including farms, a tannery, a printworks and a smallpox hospital.
The smallpox hospital was established to serve as an isolation hospital for sailors with infectious diseases, who arrived in the city when the Manchester Ship Canal opened. Then the site was used as an ash tip for east Manchester’s power station.
What was then an industrial wasteland has since been transformed, with thousands of trees and shrubs being planted on the site. Today Clayton Vale is a green oasis which is a world away from its industrial past.
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