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Due north of Manchester, the Forest of Bowland AONB feels much more remote. Here you'll find massive expanses of fells and peat moorland, short hills, and lots of outdoor recreation opportunities. Popular things to do in the area include walking, cycling, and wildlife-watching, and the lack of city lights makes it ideal for a night of stargazing.
Just over the border with Wales, inside the Clwydian Range And Dee Valley AONB, Loggerheads Country Park offers a visitors centre, a historic mill, and a few miles worth of short trails that lead alongside the River Alyn, past wooded groves and limestone cliffs. Keep your eyes out for Bloody Cranesbill, a type of wildflower named as such because its leaves turn red in the autumn, much like a tree.
Manchester is very much a summer destination, and the likelihood of good weather is at its highest between June and August, with highs in the low 20s, though you should still be prepared for rain no matter when you visit. The summer months also offer plenty of things to do, and music fans from across the UK flock here in June for the celebrated Parklife Festival in Heaton Park.