Derby Park
Sefton's largest play area sits in a Victorian park ten minutes' walk from Bootle town centre, with a zip wire, two ball courts and statues to be climbed on and told off for climbing on.
Days out with the kids in Bootle
2 places in Bootle, Merseyside, 1 of which cost nothing. Everything below is within easy reach if you live locally.
2 in Bootle1 free1 indoor
Bootle earns its page on the flume, the only one in this part of Sefton and the reason to drive here instead of defaulting to Southport. The leisure centre also has a 25 metre main pool with a moveable floor, so the depth changes to suit the session, at £7.30 for adults and £4.70 for juniors.
Then walk ten minutes into Derby Park, where Sefton's largest play area sits inside a Victorian park that opened in 1895 and has had over £750,000 spent on it, all free. Two venues, one decent half day.
Places in Bootle
Bootle Leisure Centre
There is a flume, and it is the only pool in this part of Sefton with one. Alongside it, a 25 metre main pool with a moveable floor, so the depth changes to suit the session.
Also worth the drive
Not in Bootle, but close enough for a day out.
World of Glass
Free, indoors and better than it sounds: interactive science aimed at younger children, glassblowing demos, a picnic area and a small playground outside.
Sherdley Park
St Helens' biggest park. Play areas, open space and a walled garden, and it costs nothing.
Dream, Sutton Manor
A 20-metre white head rising out of a reclaimed colliery, with woodland trails around it. Genuinely strange and memorable for kids, and a short walk rather than a hike.
Sankey Valley Park
A green corridor of canal towpath and parkland running from St Helens down towards Warrington. Flat, traffic-free and ideal if the bikes or scooters are coming.
Wild Gorse Hill Nature Fun
Family nature sessions running through August at two St Helens parks. Pitched at exactly this age group.
Holiday Clubs (HAF)
Funded holiday clubs with food included, ages 4 to 18, for families on benefits-related free school meals. Worth a look even if you assume you won't qualify.
Prescot & Whiston Play Centres
Space World in Prescot, Sensory Hive in Whiston and Boomerang: the council-listed indoor options when it rains and everyone is climbing the walls.
Family & Friends Playcentre
Soft play with a full role-play village attached, which is the bit that holds a four-year-old's attention long after the frame stops being interesting.