Days out with the kids in Congleton

Congleton is where this batch stops being thin. Congleton Park gives you twenty five acres along the River Dane, twelve Green Flag awards, a play area rebuilt for £100,000 and a paddling pool, none of which costs anything, with a cafe open 9am to 4pm every day.

Astbury Mere is a flooded sand quarry ten minutes' walk from the town centre with a flat mile long path all the way round the water, and Brereton Heath out on Davenport Lane has a permanent orienteering course, which is the single best thing here for a child who objects to walks. All three are free to walk into and only the car parks cost anything, up to £4.30 at Brereton Heath. Not one of them has a roof, so check the forecast first.

Little Moreton Hall, off the A34 south of town, is the one with a roof, if a famously crooked one: a moated Tudor house where the floors tilt and the staircases spiral. It is the dear option at £44 for a family with Gift Aid, free for National Trust members, and the opening days vary, so check the calendar first.

Places in Congleton

Astbury Mere Country Park

Congleton~50 min

★★★★★4.5(1,555)

A flooded sand quarry ten minutes' walk from Congleton town centre, now fourteen hectares of water, woodland and wildflower meadow with a flat mile long path round it. There is no playground.

Free entry, parking 60p to £1.50Ages 2-11

Brereton Heath Local Nature Reserve

Congleton~45 min

★★★★★4.6(1,497)

Fifty odd acres of birch and oak wrapped round a fifteen acre lake, out between Congleton and Holmes Chapel. Give the children the permanent orienteering map and it stops being a walk.

Free entry, parking £1.80 to £4.30Ages 3-12

Congleton Park

Congleton~50 min

★★★★★4.6(1,066)

The free outdoor paddling pool is the summer draw, run for under elevens with an attendant always on duty. The rest is twenty five acres of Victorian park along the River Dane.

Free, including the paddling poolPaddling pool late May to early SeptemberAges 1-11

Castaway Play

Congleton~50 min

★★★★☆4.4(965)

Five themed play worlds in Congleton, including a covered sandy beach with a water splash area, a pirate ship with gold panning, a jungle zip line, pedal go karts and a disco room. One admission price; term-time weekdays are cheaper, but it closes at 3pm on those days.

£14.95 a child at peak, from £8.95 off-peakIndoorsAges 1-10

Little Moreton Hall

Congleton~50 min

★★★★★4.7(3,854)

The wonky moated Tudor house on the A34 south of Congleton, all leaning timber and floors that tilt. Free spotter trails keep children hunting while you look, but it is pricey without National Trust membership.

Family £44 with Gift Aid, National Trust members freeAges 5-12

What’s on in Congleton

4 dated events coming up, 1 of them this weekend.

Also worth the drive

Not in Congleton, but close enough for a day out.

Walton Hall & Gardens

Warrington~10 min

★★★★★4.7(6,537)

The reliable default: gardens, a children's zoo, a big playground and plenty of room to run. Pay for parking, nothing else.

Free entry, parking £4 to £5Ages 4-11

Jungle Parc

Warrington~10 min

★★★★★4.5(10)

Treetop rope courses in the woods at Walton Hall Gardens. The Warrington site runs the Adventurer course, built for children from age 4 with a minimum height of 1.05m, with over 60 activities at different heights. Children £19; supervising adults walking below go free.

Children £19, supervising adults freeAges 4-11

Gulliver's World

Warrington~15 min

★★★★☆4.0(9,643)

A theme park deliberately built for ages 2 to 13 rather than teenagers, so both of them can ride most of it. The classic full-day option on your doorstep.

Full day ticketAges 4-9

Apple Jacks Adventure Farm

Warrington~15 min

★★★★☆4.0(593)

An adventure farm off Stretton Road built for 4 to 12s: tractor trailer rides, zip wires, drop slides, jumping pillows, roller skating and a tent full of inflatables. Despite the name there are no animals to see, and in October it turns into Spooky World's daytime Fun-By-Day.

Day ticketWeekends and school holidays in season; October is Spooky World Fun-By-DayAges 4-12

Giggles Play Mill

Warrington~10 min

★★★★☆4.2(164)

Two-tier soft play frame, low climbing wall, pirate ship, crawl tubes and a bouncy slide, plus Messy Monday and sensory sessions during the week.

£6.75 a child, adults freeIndoorsAges 4-8

Jellybeans Play Centre

Warrington~15 min

★★★★☆4.3(504)

Bigger than the average soft play: multi-level frame, a spooky room, an astro slide, a climbing wall, two mini bowling lanes and a slot racing track. The bowling is what makes it work when you have a toddler and a seven-year-old to keep happy at once.

£6 off-peak, £12 at weekends and half termsIndoorsAges 4-9

Fun2b

Warrington~10 min

★★★★☆4.2(200)

Straightforward multi-level soft play with a café that adults can actually sit in. Nothing fancy, reliably works.

Session priceIndoorsAges 4-8

Tenpin Warrington

Warrington~10 min

★★★★☆4.2(1,663)

Soft play plus bowling under one roof, which solves the two-different-ages problem in a single trip. Ask for the barriers if anyone is under about six.

Per game / sessionIndoorsAges 4-11