Stockport Air Raid Shelters
A labyrinth of tunnels carved under the town centre that sheltered thousands in the Blitz, explored with a self-guided audio tour. Atmospheric in the best way for 7-and-ups.
Lyme Park
Stockport, Cheshire
Lyme sits where Cheshire runs out and the Peak District starts, and it feels like it: moorland light, red deer moving between the trees, and a great stone house looking down the valley. The Crow Wood playscape gives younger kids climbing, slides and a lookout tower in the woods, and the wider estate soaks up as much walking as your family can hold.
Mr Darcy climbed out of this lake in 1995, which is worth precisely one photo stop before the kids drag you back to the adventure playground. Take the mile-long lakeside loop if the little ones are flagging; take the Cage hill climb if they are not.
Know before you go
- Crow Wood playscape is the bit the kids will remember - head there first, the house can wait.
- The deer are wild. Autumn rut season means keeping a real distance, which is its own spectacle.
Looking for more parks & outdoors near Stockport?
Also in Stockport
Reddish Vale Farm
A proper small farm park tucked into the Tame valley on Stockport's edge: cows, goats, shire horses and alpacas, zip wires outside and a play area under cover for when it rains. Book online, the gate price is higher.
Etherow Country Park
A big lake crowded with waterfowl, a flat path alongside it and a cafe where you left the car: the easiest small-child walk in the Stockport area. Entry is free, the car park is not.
Bramall Hall & Park
A black and white Tudor manor house sitting in around 60 acres of parkland with woods, brooks and lakes. The park costs nothing, under 16s go into the hall free, and all-day parking is £3.
Hat Works Museum
The UK's only museum of hats and hatting, back open after a four-year refurbishment. The galleries are free and you can try hats on; the Victorian factory floor is a £7.50 guided tour. An hour well spent, not a full day.