The visitor village floats, actually floats, on the lake at this Wildlife Trust reserve, and children clock the strangeness immediately. Around it: flat trails, hides, a huge adventure playground, and crafts, nature trails and live entertainment in the school holidays.
Entry is free and you pay £6 to park for the day, which makes it the cheapest wild day in Lancashire. The visitor village is open 10am to 4pm daily, but the Kestrel Kitchen cafe only opens at weekends in term time (every day in the Lancashire school holidays). Leave the dog at home: Brockholes asks visitors not to bring dogs.
What it costs: No entry fee. The car park is £6 for the day and is open 6am to 9pm.
A bonfire night with no fireworks, built for little ones: bouncy castles and soft play, a magic show, face painting, balloon animals, marshmallow roasting and the bonfire lit at 6.45pm. Adult tickets include free parking. No dogs, as at all Brockholes events.
A grotto beside Meadow Lake: decorate a Christmas cookie and make a craft while you wait, then a five minute slot with Father Christmas and a toy from his workshop. Adults do not need tickets, only the children. Service dogs only, so the family spaniel stays home.
Breakfast at Kestrel Kitchen in the floating visitor village, with Santa going table to table, photos, and a gift for every child with a ticket. Unlimited tea, coffee and juice, vegan and halal options, and it is shared long tables, so you will be making friends. The gifts are for child tickets only, so a free under-2 goes home empty-handed.
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Preston's museum, gallery and library reopened in September 2025 after a £19m rebuild, and it is still free. A proper children's library, changing exhibitions and a cafe under one Grade I listed roof on the Flag Market.
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650 acres of woods, meadows and river between the M6 and M65, with a visitor centre, a cafe and a river shallow enough to paddle in. Around 300,000 visitors a year and most of Warrington has never heard of it.
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One email a week: what is on this weekend within a sensible drive, and the places worth booking before they go.