Lytham Hall
78 acres of free parkland and woodland around a Georgian hall, with a cafe, seasonal trails and cheap pay-and-display parking. The hall tour is the only ticketed bit, and with kids in tow you can happily skip it.
Ashton Gardens
Lytham St Annes, Lancashire
Laid out in the 1870s as St George's Gardens and bought for the town by Lord Ashton in 1914, these ten acres had a £2 million Heritage Lottery restoration in 2010 and it shows: repaired gates and railings, resurfaced paths, replanted rose beds and proper lighting. Flat, pram-friendly and free, one street back from the seafront bustle.
The play area's centrepiece is a galleon climbing frame, and around it sit bowling greens, a skate park and public toilets, with the Pavilion tea room for the sit-down. The rose garden and the Grade II* listed war memorial make up the wandering half. It works best as the quiet opening act of a St Annes day, before the beach and pier take over.
The war memorial is worth two minutes even with impatient company. Walter Marsden, who sculpted the bronzes, had fought in the First World War himself, and it is one of the most affecting memorials in the North West.
Know before you go
- Do gardens and tea room first, then release everyone onto the beach and pier - the square is a couple of minutes' walk away.
- The galleon suits the under-eights; older ones tend to drift towards the skate park.
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