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.
Blakemere Village
Northwich, Cheshire
A shopping village among the pines on the A556 near Northwich that has quietly become a proper family stop: free entry, free parking, a big free adventure playground pitched at roughly ages 2 to 10, and a woodland walk that costs nothing either. Around it sit 100-odd independent retailers, a restaurant, a coffee bar and a Cheshire Farm ice cream shop.
Be clear-eyed about what it is, though. The shops are the core business, and the family extras are priced individually: an indoor playbarn, crazy golf, a miniature railway, a low ropes course, funfair rides, segway hire, archery, and Cheshire Falconry with its eagles, owls and hawks. It can be a free afternoon or an expensive one depending entirely on how firm you are walking past the ticket desks.
What it costs: Entry and parking are free. The playbarn, crazy golf, miniature railway, low ropes, funfair rides and falconry experiences are all charged individually.
Know before you go
- Agree the budget in the car park. The free playground and woodland walk fill an afternoon on their own; the extras add up fast if you say yes to everything.
- Open daily 10am to 5pm, and the Birds of Prey centre does flying displays and experiences worth booking ahead.
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★★★★★ 4.3 across 4,095 Google reviews.
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Lion Salt Works
The last open-pan salt works in Britain, kept exactly as the salt men left it, with interactive galleries that explain why Cheshire is full of holes. Genuinely interesting, and next to Marbury for a run afterwards.
Marbury Country Park
An arboretum running down to Budworth Mere with flat paths, a community orchard and swimming swans. Quietly lovely, and minutes from the Anderton Boat Lift for a combined afternoon.
Arley Hall & Gardens
Proper grand gardens 20 minutes from Warrington, with a woodland Grove to explore, sculptures to find and an adventure play zone with a zip wire and den building. Adults £13, kids £6.50, and booking online is cheaper.
Weaver Hall Museum and Workhouse
Northwich's old Union Workhouse on London Road, now the museum of West Cheshire's history and the salt that built the town. Under-16s free, adults £4.30, fully accessible, and the car park is large and free.
Brio Northwich
The small pool runs at 30 degrees, which decides whether a three year old lasts forty minutes or eight. Two pools, a water slide and a jacuzzi, inside the Memorial Court in the middle of town.
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