Bollington Recreation Ground

Park

Explorer Tom

Bollington Recreation Ground has enough going on to make a leisurely lap feel like you have accidentally entered a small sporting festival. Just off Adlington Road in this Cheshire town, its eight acres mix cricket, football, tennis and a play area; come for a stroll and you may leave with strong opinions about bowling technique. The ground opened in 1901, which gives it a longer service record than many a local athlete. It has grown into a place where pitches, courts and quieter corners share space without demanding that every visitor wear trainers. The council lists a football pitch, a cricket pitch with practice nets, a floodlit bowling green and tennis courts. There is also a skateboard area and a basketball practice hoop, for energetic sorts. Children get a play area and space for a kickabout; one roundabout is designed for wheelchair access. A pavilion has changing rooms and toilets, while the Friends of Bollington Recreation Ground help keep an eye on the place and its community life. Green Flag recognition is a fair nod to grounds that can host a match yet still make room for someone who simply wants a bench and a breather. The council says the recreation ground is open all year, with entrances from Adlington Road, Wellington Road and Round Gardens. There is parking at the Adlington Road entrance. Book the tennis courts before turning up and bring your own rackets and balls; the court will not conjure them from thin air. Take a turn round the paths, watch whichever game has captured Bollington today, then pick your own side. Mine is whichever one remembers to bring the picnic.