Astbury Mere Country Park
A flooded sand quarry ten minutes' walk from Congleton town centre, now fourteen hectares of water, woodland and wildflower meadow with a flat mile long path round it. There is no playground.
Little Moreton Hall
- Cost
- Family £44 with Gift Aid, National Trust members free
- Ages
- 5 to 12
- Where
- Congleton, Cheshire
- Weather
- Mostly outdoors
- Booking
- Just turn up
Little Moreton Hall is a timber-framed Tudor manor inside a moat, off the A34 south of Congleton, and in real life it leans even more than the photographs suggest. Children tend to get it straight away: the floors wobble, the staircases spiral, there are Tudor toilets to be appalled by, and the ducks on the moat have no fear of people at all.
The Trust runs free spotter trails that give a visit a shape. Wandering Wolves has children hunting for the wolves that have slipped off the Moreton family crest, running until 1 November 2026, and October half term adds an autumn wildlife trail. Costumed living history staff on the ground floor and room guides upstairs take the questions, including the ones about the protection marks cut into the timbers to ward off evil.
Without membership a family ticket is £44 with Gift Aid, which is a lot for a house you will see in a couple of hours; members should go without a second thought. Bring a picnic for the lawn or use the tea rooms, which open Wednesday to Sunday and every day in the school holidays. The ducks will join you either way.
What it costs: With Gift Aid: adult £17.60, child (5 to 17) £8.80, family (two adults and up to three children) £44. Without Gift Aid: £16, £8 and £40. Under-5s free. National Trust members free.
Know before you go
- Pushchairs cannot go into the Hall or the tea rooms; you leave them under the tunnel as you cross the moat. Borrow a baby sling from the Welcome Building instead.
- Last entry to the Hall is 4pm. Opening days vary, so check the calendar on the National Trust page before you set off.
Worth knowing: Best from about 5; pushchairs cannot go inside the Hall.
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