Crosby Beach
A hundred cast-iron men stare out to sea along two miles of sand - Antony Gormley's Another Place, and the strangest, most memorable free afternoon on this coast. Sand, statues, ships from the port gliding past.
Days out with the kids in Crosby
2 places in Crosby, Merseyside, 1 of which cost nothing. Everything below is within easy reach if you live locally.
2 in Crosby1 free
Crosby's beach is the strangest free afternoon on this coast: a hundred cast-iron men staring out to sea along two miles of sand, Antony Gormley's Another Place, with container ships from the port gliding past behind them. Children treat the statues as a game the tide is also playing; stay between the beach entrances and off the mud beyond, because the signs mean it.
Crosby Lakeside Adventure Centre sits on the marine lake behind the shore, running paddle sports and watersports sessions for older children in season, with a cafe for the spectators. That is the town's offer, and it makes an honest half-day. Formby's squirrels and dunes are ten minutes up the coast and Liverpool's free museum quarter twenty minutes south, so the iron men never have to carry a whole day alone.
Places in Crosby
Crosby Lakeside Adventure Centre
Sefton's watersports centre on Crosby Marine Lake, with pay and play paddle sessions in season and the Gormley iron men on the beach over the road. More of a booked-session place than a turn-up attraction, so plan before you drive.
What’s on in Crosby
1 dated event coming up.
Wildflower Wander at Lunt Meadows (opens on Lancashire Wildlife Trust)
The Learning Centre · Crosby
10 Aug. Monday 10 August, 1pm to 3pm
Discover the wonderful wildflowers blooming in our meadows!
Listed by Lancashire Wildlife Trust · collected 2 Aug
Also worth the drive
Not in Crosby, 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.