Mill Dam Park
Kirkby's main park on Mill Lane, with an adventure playground, a lake, wetland and woodland paths, a green gym and a cafe with toilets open daily 9am to 5pm. Free, and ten minutes' walk from Kirkby station.
Days out with the kids in Kirkby
2 places in Kirkby, Merseyside, 1 of which cost nothing. Everything below is within easy reach if you live locally.
2 in Kirkby1 free
Kirkby keeps things simple, and cheap. Acorn Farm is a community farm that does the basics properly: small animals to handle, two play areas, and horse rides at weekends and in the school holidays. Entry is £4 an adult and £3 a child, so it becomes an easy repeat visit rather than an annual event. Nobody has to plan around it, which is half the appeal.
Mill Dam Park on Mill Lane is the free half of the town. There is an adventure playground, a lake, wetland and woodland paths and a green gym, and the cafe with toilets is open daily from 9am to 5pm, which answers the question every parent asks first. It is about ten minutes' walk from Kirkby station, so it works without a car, though there is a car park if you bring one. Between the two, a whole Saturday costs very little.
Places in Kirkby
Acorn Farm
A community farm in Kirkby doing the simple things properly: small animals to handle and horse rides at weekends and in the school holidays, two play areas, and entry at £4 an adult and £3 a child, which makes it an easy repeat visit rather than an annual event.
What’s on in Kirkby
1 dated event coming up.
Little Lambs Toddler Group (opens on The Good Shepherd)
The Good Shepherd · Kirkby
2 Nov. Monday 2 November, 10.15am
In partnership with Triple C, Little Lambs runs on a Monday from 10.
Listed by The Good Shepherd · collected 1 Nov
Also worth the drive
Not in Kirkby, but close enough for a day out.
World of Glass
Free to get in and better than it sounds: hands-on stations on glass, lenses and fibre optics, a Victorian street and the old Tank House, with live glassblowing around midday and 2pm for a small extra charge. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
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.
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.
Family & Friends Playcentre
A small play centre in the old Prescot Gospel Hall built for under-fives, with a role-play street, a soft play house with slides and a ball pool, and a baby corner. Weekday mornings only, closed Tuesdays, and adults go in free.
Knowsley Safari
Drive through the reserve from the car, then the sea lion and birds of prey shows. Reviews are split on value, and several warn that families expect a full zoo and find fewer headline animals, so set expectations first.
World Museum, Liverpool
Five floors, free, and it covers three things small children reliably love: giant dinosaurs, an aquarium and a space gallery. The best wet-weather day within half an hour.
What’s on near you, every Friday
One email a week: what is on this weekend within a sensible drive, and the places worth booking before they go.