Formby Beach & Pinewoods
Huge sand dunes, a proper beach and red squirrels in the pinewoods behind it. The dunes alone will occupy them for an hour. Free entry if you have National Trust membership.
Days out with the kids in Formby
1 place in Formby, Merseyside. Everything below is within easy reach if you live locally.
1 in Formby
Formby is one entry in this part of the coast, but the entry is a full day. The National Trust beach stacks three outings into one: dunes big enough to count as an activity in themselves, a wide clean beach, and red squirrels in the pinewoods on the walk in. Arrive before mid-morning on any sunny day, because when the car park is full it is simply full, and Trust membership pays for itself here fast.
The village behind has cafes for afterwards and not much else, which is fine - nobody comes to Formby for the town. When the beach is done, the coast keeps going: Crosby's iron men are ten minutes south, Southport's cheap Victorian pleasures fifteen north. Sand in the car for a fortnight is part of the deal, and everyone signs it willingly.
Places in Formby
Also worth the drive
Not in Formby, 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.