Alexandra Park
Oldham's Victorian showpiece, 72 acres built by out-of-work cotton spinners. Lake, duck pond, cafe on the water, seven free tennis courts and a playground with a proper accessible section.
Gallery Oldham
Oldham, Greater Manchester
Gallery Oldham is the town's museum and art gallery, joined to the library in the cultural quarter off Greaves Street. The newest permanent gallery, Our Beautiful Oldham, is the reason to bring children: it was developed with early years families and is full of hands-on bits, a shoal of fish to swim with, a reading nook inside a tree and a birdsong hunt, moving through parks, woods, meadows, water and moorland.
Elsewhere there is historic taxidermy on the stairwell (golden eagles and great bustards), a Rothwell car in the foyer, and the Cotton Stories and Oldham and the World galleries for older children who can manage a touchscreen and a bit of reading. Crossing the bridge to the restored 1883 gallery and the Oldham Panorama is a small adventure in itself.
It is free, open Tuesday to Saturday from 10 till 5, and closed on bank holidays. The gallery says school groups and early years sessions make it busy at times, and will tell you the quieter times if you ring 0161 770 4742.
What it costs: Free. Open Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm. Closed on bank holidays. Nearest car park is Waterloo Street pay and display, which has three hours free on Saturdays.
Know before you go
- Saturday is the day to drive: Waterloo Street car park gives three hours free.
- Oldham Central tram stop is about two minutes away, which makes this a genuinely easy car-free rainy day.
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Tandle Hill Country Park
110 acres of beech wood and open grass above Royton, with a play area, an orienteering course and a hilltop war memorial you can see Manchester from. Free car park, small.
Chadderton Hall Park
The Chadderton park with the cafe, and therefore the toilets. Play area with a sand pit and accessible swings, free tennis, a river walk and ornamental gardens, all on a flat site with parking.
Dunwood Park
Small, tidy and 300 metres from a tram stop, which makes Dunwood the one you can do without a car. Playground, three tennis courts, a bowling green and free parking if you do drive.
Daisy Nook Country Park
Canal, lake and woodland in the Medlock Valley between Failsworth and Ashton, with a cafe, toilets and a sandy play area by the car park. The short walk goes through a 'dark tunnel', which is the whole selling point for a four year old.
Dove Stone Reservoir (RSPB)
A reservoir walk on the edge of the Peak District above Greenfield: 2.5 miles round the water with moorland crags on every side. Free to walk, pay to park, and no cafe, so bring the flask.
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