Clifton Country Park facts for kids
Clifton Country Park is a fantastic place in the Irwell Valley near Clifton, Greater Manchester, in North West England. It's a special kind of park called a local nature reserve. This means it's protected for its nature and wildlife, and it's also a great spot for people to visit and enjoy.
The park sits right next to a big bend in the River Irwell. You can find it close to the railway line and the A666 road in Clifton. It's easy to get to, especially from Junction 16 of the M60 motorway, which is only a short distance away.
Clifton Country Park covers a huge area of 119 acres (that's about 48 football fields!). It has lots of different parts, like thick woods, open fields, and calm lakes. The park also has a cool history from the time when factories and mines were common. You can still see parts of the old Wet Earth Colliery coal mine and Fletcher's Canal in the woods. Plus, there are two interesting sculptures from the Irwell Sculpture Trail to discover. A fun new addition is a fairy tale trail around the lake, with wooden carvings of characters, including a full-size Gruffalo!
Welcome to Clifton Country Park!
Clifton Country Park is a really important place for nature and for people in the Croal/Irwell Valley. It includes Clifton House Farm, Clifton Marina, and the historic Wet Earth Colliery. This park is a key spot on Salford's walking and recreation paths.
People have made a special plan to help protect the park and make it even better. This plan also points out two areas called Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). These are places where nature is very special and needs extra protection, often because of rare plants or animals. The park's marina area is also a focus for planting more trees and creating a greener space on the western side of the Greater Manchester area.
Fun Things to Do!
Clifton Marina is a popular part of the park. It was originally a gravel pit, which is like a big hole dug to get gravel. This pit was created in the 1960s when the M62 motorway (now part of the M60) was being built across the Irwell Valley.
Today, the marina is a favorite place for many activities. People love to walk and jog around the lake on a smooth path. This path is great because it's easy for everyone to use, including people in wheelchairs. There's even a visitor centre with accessible toilets.
If you enjoy fishing, the marina is a fantastic spot! It's full of different types of fish like carp, bream, roach, tench, pike, and perch. Many of these fish are quite large. In October 2006, a huge 41-pound (about 18.6 kg) mirror carp was caught here by Jason Clarke. This was the biggest carp ever caught in Lancashire at that time!
