A park can offer a much-needed oasis during a heatwave, and this one certainly has a lot to offer
06:28, 08 Jul 2026Updated 07:21, 08 Jul 2026
Worthington Park in Sale has more to it than meets the eye (Image: MEN Staff)
As temperatures soar this week, Greater Manchester’s parks and green spaces come into their own. They offer respite from stuffy flats and houses, a place to walk on a balmy evening and a moment to reconnect with nature.
Sometimes a good park can be found in a place where you least expect it. This was my experience during a recent visit to Worthington Park in Sale.
Before my visit I assumed it would be on the smaller side, perhaps a field with a few flower beds and picnic benches. At first, this is exactly what I found.
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I entered the park through a small gate on Charlton Drive, following a short path which gave way to a large green lined with trees. I’ll admit I was a touch disappointed at this point – I’ve been to a lot of parks and gardens throughout Greater Manchester and know that size very much isn’t everything – nearby Walkden Gardens is tiny but packed with features – yet this open field lacked any points of interest.
The memorial to James Prescott Joule(Image: MEN Staff)
I set off on the path around the perimeter, walking past the Green Flag hoisted high above the flower bed. I then came across a memorial to James Prescott Joule and a distant bell rang in my brain, which had been long dormant since I sat my GCSE physics exam many years ago.
Born in Salford in 1818, this physicist made significant contributions to the study of energy, with the unit ‘Joule’ even named after him. He spent his latter years living in Sale and the nearby Wetherspoons pub is even named after him, The J.P. Joule. He died in 1889 and is buried in Brooklands Cemetery.
In the park is a bust of the scientist, along with a round decorative memorial with features including a thermometer and the equation for a Joule. It goes to show that you can never go too far in Greater Manchester without coming across a connection to the world of science and industry.
One of the park’s two play areas(Image: MEN Staff)
Picking up the path once more, I realised Worthington Park is considerably larger than I’d previously thought. Instead of leading me to the perimeter, I found myself coming across not one but two play areas (targeted at different ages) situated among the trees, a large tree-lined avenue and eventually a bowling green.
I strolled past shaded picnic benches and ornate carved wooden statues, as well as a pair of majestic lions surrounded by shrubs. The wide path led me round a vast open lawn – much larger than the first one – which a map informed me was suitably called ‘the big field’ (the other lawn is called the Joule field).
A picnic bench under the trees is perfect during the heatwave (Image: MEN Staff)
The park’s ‘sunken garden’ caught my eye, and although the flowers were a little overgrown, it did look like a tranquil spot to sit and watch the world go by. I continued to follow the path around the Big field, eventually coming across a plaque which informed me on the history of the park.
It was created after local woman and resident of Sale Old Hall, Mary Worthington, donated the land in 1900. She opened the park with a golden key and planted a red oak tree. The park was known as Sale Park until 1950, when it was later renamed Worthington Park in honor of Mary during the Golden Jubilee.
Continuing on my walk, my opinion on Worthington Park had very much shifted, but there was still one thing lacking – a cafe. Then I turned a corner and stumbled across a tiny coffee stall set up from the back of a 4×4.
An iced coffee from Extreme Coffee which comes to the park on a daily basis(Image: MEN Staff)
Extreme Coffee serves a selection of hot drinks and biscuits, along with dog treats for four-legged friends. I was informed that it’s there daily, from around 10am to 2pm. I ordered an iced coffee (£3.50), which was just the pick-me-up I needed. I overheard someone mention that there’s usually an ice cream van parked up too, although sadly it was absent during my visit.
Nearing the end of my walk, I noticed how busy it was becoming with dog walkers, people on their lunch breaks and toddlers waddling after their parents. While the park was a new discovery for me, it’s certainly a popular asset for those who live nearby, and I imagine its shaded paths will be even more popular during the next heatwave.
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