Manchester

Those craving fresh air or a stress-free family day out should get the tram to Altrincham and amble over to Dunham Massey, a pretty National Trust estate and adjoining village. You'll find ducks to feed, parkland and deer to marvel at and, if you're happy to pay the entry fees (adults £10/children £5), an interesting Georgian mansion house and formal gardens to explore. For sustenance – and particularly superb traditional cakes – head to the quaint ramshackle Lavender Barn Tea Room (Dog Farm, School Lane, +44 (0)161 941 2153) or the Swan With Two Nicks (Park Lane, Little Bollington, +44 (0)161 928 2914), a cosy pub that serves Dunham Massey Brewery beers (dunhammasseybrewing.co.uk). There is also good speciality and delicatessen food shopping, locally, at Little Heath Farm Shop (littleheathfarmshop.co.uk, +44 (0)161 928 0520) and Red House Farm (+44 (0)161 941 3480, redhousefarm.co.uk). Both have cute animals on display to keep the kids entertained.

Salford's SFTOC new music festival (1 May, tickets £18 plus booking fee, soundsfromtheothercity.com) is a big annual day out for denizens of the Chapel Street arts scene, its stages stretching across pubs, churches and creative spaces along this main road out of central Manchester. Highlights this year include new Kompakt electro-pop signings Rainbow Arabia, the Wave Pictures, Swedes Those Dancing Days and awesome ambient-trance outfit D/R/U/G/S.
Tony Naylor, food and travel writer

Bristol

If you know someone who is a member of Henleaze Lake's swimming club, celebrating its 93rd season this year, be extra nice to them. Waiting lists for membership to the club, which gives access to a flooded quarry-turned-lake hidden behind suburban houses in chi-chi suburb Henleaze, have been up to five years long. It's well worth it for a chance to picnic beneath weeping willows, daringly dive from three high boards, or wallow in the cold, weed-fringed water with outdoor swimmers of all ages. With no music or barbecues allowed plus old-style wooden changing rooms, it's got a delightful 1950s air.

If you don't know a member, the best bet for some alfresco water action is to jump on a train to Weston-super-Mare (try Sand Bay, where you can actually swim) or Portishead for its modern lido (portisheadopenairpool.org.uk), lovely cafe and views over the Bristol Channel to Wales (on a clear day).
• Lake Road, Henleaze, henleazeswimmingclub.org. Entry for non-members (only permitted if accompanied by members) £7
Laura Dixon, travel writer

Glasgow

A trip to Millport is a trip back in time to a place where a paddle steamer is a legitimate form of transport, sweeties are sold by the quarter and holidays are taken within a 50-mile radius of your home. Nestled in the Firth of Clyde on the Isle of Cumbrae, Millport (millport.org) has been a destination for Glaswegians going doon the watter on the bank holiday for generations. Attractions include cycle-friendly roads, decent pubs, stunning views, crazy golf and a rock painted to look like a crocodile (official name Crocodile Rock, obviously). Later in the summer you can take the heritage route of the Waverley, the world's last working paddle steamer, from Glasgow and back. For now the island can be easily reached with a train from Glasgow Central to Largs and then a 10-minute ferry ride. Bikes can be hired and ice-creams purchased in the town.
• Caledonian MacBrayne runs ferries from Largs to Cumbrae (adult £4.90 return, child £2.45, calmac.co.uk); the Waverley sails from Glasgow to Millport on 29 May, and various dates through the summer (adult £27 return, child £13.50, waverleyexcursions.co.uk)
Rosamunde West, editor of The Skinny, listings magazine for Scotland (theskinny.co.uk)

Edinburgh

The scenes of camaraderie on display among the hordes of sunshine groupies that descend upon Princes Street Gardens, the Meadows or Holyrood Park are a joy to behold; however, square inches tend to be at a premium on the warmest days. No less compelling are the striking panoramic views of the city to be had at Inverleith Park, adjacent to the decadent Botanic Gardens in the Stockbridge area of town. And there's space in which to revel, lots of it. One of the largest urban parks in Scotland, tree-lined walkways and playing fields for a variety of sports abound, and a pond rather magnanimously shared by the ducks and the swans –it's as good a picnic setting as any.
• Inverleith Park, Arboretum Place (inverleithpark.co.uk)
Paul Mitchell, travel editor, The Skinny

Newcastle

For a Saturday quayside stroll, wander along to the Tyne Bar in the Ouseburn Valley for their first Easter Day Market (noon-6pm, Maling St, thetyne.com). For Sunday serenity, slide down to the £6m refurbished Jesmond Dene Park for the best suntrap in the city, with new landscaping, coffee shop and pets corner, – including a cute, white, one-horned pygmy goat we've told the kids is a unicorn (jesmonddene.org.uk). Still want more egg action on Monday? Bring the brood down to Ponteland Park for the Great Easter Egg Hunt (in aid of charity Legacare) with rides, bonnet parade, mad hatters' party and prizes for best fancy dress (11am-3pm, West Road, Ponteland, visitnorthumberland.com).
Scott Tyrrell, poet – Scott will be performing at Annie Moir's Prague Fringe preview show, GLUE, at the Cumberland Arms, Byker, on 11 May (7.30pm, £3, cumberlandarms.co.uk), and in the Poetry and Words tent on Friday and Saturday at Glastonbury

Leeds

You don't have to travel far from the centre of Leeds to enjoy the beautiful outdoors. A 10-minute bus journey or short hop from Headingley train station takes you to Kirkstall Abbey, a Cistercian ruin that dates back 850 years and provides a stunning backdrop for a picnic. With the Aire running alongside, you can enjoy a riverside stroll while soaking in the sunshine and sheer romance of the surroundings. Then find shade in the family-friendly Abbey House museum over the road, where kids love dressing up and exploring the replica Victorian streets, while bigger kids refuel in the cafe with coffee and cake.
• Kirkstall Abbey, Abbey Road, leeds.gov.uk/kirkstallabbey; Abbey House Museum, adult £3.80, child £1.70, leeds.gov.uk/abbeyhouse
Simon O'Hare, deputy editor, Leeds Guide (leedsguide.co.uk)

London

Those clever East Enders – pretending to the world that their part of town is all bricks, mortar and tough streets so no one notices they've got two of the lushest open spaces in the capital. At 32 acres, the Isle of Dogs' Mudchute Farm is London's largest city farm and, aside from its 200-plus animals, it boasts the glorious Mudchute Kitchen cafe and extraordinary views of Canary Wharf. Meanwhile, along the river, the Thames Barrier Park has rightly won awards for its playful waves of hedges, fountains to romp in, and Green Dock, whose micro-climate hosts an uplifting array of colourful plants and butterflies.
• Mudchute Park and Farm, Pier St, Isle of Dogs, free admission, +44 (0)20-7515 5901, mudchute.org; Thames Barrier Park, North Woolwich Road, free admission, lda.gov.uk). Both are accessible on Docklands Light Railway
Dixe Wills, author of Tiny Campsites (punkpublishing.co.uk)

Liverpool

The riverside walk that is Otterspool Promenade runs from Aigburth to Grassendale in south Liverpool and is a gem for those who don't know the outer suburbs of the city.

The three-mile walk along the River Mersey has parkland, a fantastic children's play area and free parking; all with views across to the Wirral. The prom's wide open space is perfect for kite flying or picnicking, and many people use the prom for running, cycling or simply for a long, uninterrupted stroll along the river – given a good hour or more you can get within 15 minutes of the Albert Dock, walking toward the city centre.
• visitliverpool.com
Ian Moore is director of the Write Now Festival, a series of one-act plays at the Actors Studio, Seel Street (runs until 23 April, writenowfestival.co.uk)

Birmingham

Birmingham is a surprisingly green city – often you have to trek across acres of lushly landscaped mature parkland in order to get to your own little piece of concrete. If you're in the city centre then a trip to the beer garden of the Prince of Wales (behind the National Indoor Arena) is a must, a tiny Victorian pub that counts Lady Gaga (honest) as a recent convert. If you have kids, or just a childish disposition, then the Nature Centre is the sweetest and tiniest place to see animals in Brum. Monkeys, owls, otters and meerkats. You can get an ice cream too.
• Prince of Wales, 84 Cambridge St, +44 (0)121 643 9460; Nature Centre, Pershore Road, adult £3.50, child £1, +44 (0)121 472 7775, birmingham.gov.uk/naturecentre
Jon Bounds, founder, birminghamitsnotshit.co.uk

Sheffield

The Steel City lost its lido in the 1980s during the last age of austerity, and it's a long haul to the sea by public transport, but Sheffielders take comfort from living in the most densely wooded city in Europe. There are 170 woodlands with an estimated 2.5m trees, in whose green shade you can while away the bank holiday, but if you're up for it, the Round Sheffield Walk is quite a challenge. It takes in Sheffield's south-west corner, from Endcliffe Park with its swings and busy cafe through Whiteley Woods and the Porter Valley to Ringinglow and down the Limb (the boundary between Mercia and Northumbria), through Ecclesall Woods – my patch, and you're welcome for a brew – past Beauchief Abbey to Gleadless. It's 14 miles, but you can opt out anywhere and take a bus home.
• The walk begins at Endcliffe Park, Rustlings Rd, sheffieldroundwalk.co.uk
Ed Douglas, travel writer and mountaineer