New Brighton Seafront
Beach, marine lake, Fort Perch Rock at the river mouth, and the driftwood Black Pearl pirate ship built from beach findings that children treat as the best playground on Merseyside. Chips on the front to finish.
Water & swimming in Wirral
Splash pads, lakes, beaches, aquariums and pools. Bring a towel and a change of clothes.
Water & swimming in Wirral
West Kirby Marine Lake & Beach
A mile-long flat promenade loop around a giant saltwater lake on the Dee estuary, with dinghies and paddleboards for hire from the council-run watersports centre and a sandy beach alongside. Free unless you get on the water.
Water & swimming elsewhere in the North West
Family Swimming
Both boroughs run family swim sessions through the holidays, several with shallow teaching pools and inflatables laid on. The cheapest way to burn two hours on a wet day.
Blue Planet Aquarium
Sharks over a moving walkway tunnel, all under cover. A dependable answer to a washout forecast that still feels like a proper day out.
Summer of Play, Hare Hill
Water play and outdoor games in a walled garden setting through the holidays. Free if you already have National Trust membership.
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.
Anderton Boat Lift
A Victorian lift that hoists whole canal boats fifty feet in the air, and you can ride it. Genuinely impressive to a small child, with a visitor centre and café on site.
Sea Life Manchester
Ocean tunnel, rays, seahorses and rockpool touch sessions, sized for smaller legs - you can do the whole thing in a morning and pair it with Legoland next door.