Fletcher Moss Botanical Gardens - An Oasis of Tranquility in Manchester

I've lived in Manchester for just over 9 years now, it almost feels like I've always lived here, but over the past week or so ...

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I've lived in Manchester for just over 9 years now, it almost feels like I've always lived here, but over the past week or so I've been wondering how well I actually know my adopted home. Sure, I know all of the usual places, like the Northern Quarter, Spinningfields, Chorlton, West Didsbury and the City Centre, but beyond that, I felt like there must be a lot I'm missing out on.

The weather forecast for the Bank Holiday weekend was shockingly good - for the uninitiated, Bank Holiday weekends tend to be drab affairs punctuated with terrible weather and/or huge traffic jams - so I thought to myself "What can I get upto this weekend in Manchester?"

For most residents of West Didsbury and Chorlton, the place to go is Chorlton Water Park - I'd already been there a couple of times a few years back and it was pleasant, if not a little busy - so I did a little research and found an interesting looking place called Fletcher Moss Botanical Gardens near Didsbury Village and off we trotted!

Despite having lived in West Didsbury for 6 years, I'd never even visited Didsbury Village! It turns out that it really does have a villagey feel to it, it really didn't feel like we were in one of Britain's biggest cities, but rather a quaint little hamlet in the countryside, with birdsong filling the air and even a wedding party posing for photos.

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The gardens themselves are pretty spectacular, an all you can eat buffet for the senses. The bright, colourful exotic flowers lining the pathways around the gardens and unusual, foreign trees dotted around give the place a very peaceful, calming atmosphere. Perhaps the beating sunshine helped with that, but I suspect even on a cooler, cloudier day it would still be a nice place to visit.

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Also, just outside the gardens themselves is a huge woodland area meeting the River Mersey (yes, I'm still talking about Manchester here!) that's perfect for walking, running, cycling and OOTDs! The woods were surprisingly beautiful, epic trees reaching almost straight up for the skies with odd plants such as Brazilian Rhubarb sprouting up along the ground. 

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My favourite area of the park though is a semi-hidden field with buttercups as far as they eye can see that's blocked off to the public by a small gate. I wasn't going to let a small matter like a tiny little gate get in the way of a good photo op though!

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As for my outfit, I decided to do a little throwback to Japan, pairing up the most Kawaii skirt in the entire world with a simple grey knotted crop top that I bought in Tokyo from (groan) Forever 21! Yes, I travelled halfway round the world to buy a basic essential from Forever21. I'm justifying that by saying that their store in Manchester was closed down the last time I went to the Trafford Centre, give a girl a break!

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Grey Knotted Crop Top // Forever 21
Lilac Princess Skirt // Shibuya 109
Feline Flats // ASOS
Kim Crinkled Silver Bag // Monki

The lilac princess skirt - struggled to describe this in a way that befitted it's greatness - was purchased at Shibuya 109, a huge department store full of the Japanese equivalent to high street fashion retailers, some of which had a distinct kawaii edge to their fashion. I remember wearing these exact same shoes from ASOS when I bought the skirt, and the Japanese girl in the store was absolutely besotted with them!

This little trip to Fletcher Moss Gardens has got me thinking, what else is there hidden away in Manchester that I don't know about? I'm guessing not too many people even know about these gardens anyway, as despite it being such a lovely sunny Saturday, the place was practically deserted. I'm definitely open to any suggestions, particularly as I've just got back from visiting the Manchester Art Gallery today for the first time ever - what an enlightening weekend!


Lima is a Northern girl who chose life. Fashion and Makeup to her are just a little bit of fun, because life is already way too serious as it is. She's all about colour, because colour breaks down barriers, opens up the mind to new possibilities and makes everything feel a bit brighter.

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12 comments

  1. family travel times29 May 2016 at 22:41

    Gorgeous pics and what a lovely place to discover and spend some time in this bank holiday (although it looks like it's lovely to visit any time!)

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  2. Unknown29 May 2016 at 22:50

    I lived in Manchester for three years and I never made it here - gutted! Love your outfit, too!

    Erin xx
    islandbell.co.uk

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  3. Nancy30 May 2016 at 08:09

    Wow you look like a fairy!
    *.*
    www.glamretrostyle.com

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  4. MissPond30 May 2016 at 17:04

    I love Fletcher Moss, it's so close to where we live :) It's a great place to get some peace and quiet! Love your outfit :) x

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  5. Unknown30 May 2016 at 19:40

    Beautiful photos! I love your skirt, it's so pretty and your knotted top is so cute!
    The Fletcher Moss Gardens sound wonderful, I would to visit :)

    El xxx

    www.elsfashionfix.co.uk

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  6. Me31 May 2016 at 04:33

    I love the Fletcher Moss Gardens. They were the location for a shoot on which I was the mua - the photos were published in Zeum magazines website - see here https://zeum-mag.com/2013/09/09/darker-tropics-by-rosie-woods/

    It was Autumn when we did the shoot, but looking at your photos, I really need to do another in summer. Love your skirt xxx

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  7. Unknown31 May 2016 at 09:25

    Oh my god you are so gorgeous, I love your skirt so much! What a stunning location too <3
    www.britishmermaid.blogspot.co.uk

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  8. Unknown31 May 2016 at 11:31

    I dont know what I love the most. Your makeup, your dress, your hair. Your just like a little colour explosion! The gardes remind me of Kew Gardens near me, just so beautiful and a little magical.
    xx

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  9. Unknown7 June 2016 at 10:52

    you look so pretty and the gardens looks amazing. I have hayfever so i make sure i stay away from gardens even if i take my tablets but wish i could visit damm you hayfever lol

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  10. Serenbird10 June 2016 at 16:56

    Your makeup is amazing! And the scenery is woow!x

    http://www.serenbird.com/

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  11. Poshmanc30 October 2016 at 14:01

    Hi, I hope you don't mind me asking, but as a Muslim, how do you get away with the clothes that you do? Being an Indian / Pakistani Muslim myself, I had terrible problems with the gossipy community in Manchester, even though we lived in the suburbs miles away from them. I was in punk in the 80s and one of the first Asian girls in Manchester to break the traditional mould. To save my parents from any shame or embarrassment I left in 1989 and now work in the music industry in London.

    ReplyDelete

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