World of Glass
Free, indoors and better than it sounds: interactive science aimed at younger children, glassblowing demos, a picnic area and a small playground outside.
Meadows Leisure Centre
Maghull, Merseyside
The changing village is the underrated bit. Family cubicles, and a properly accessible changing room, instead of the shared bench arrangement that turns getting two children dry into a wrestling match. Those are not universal in Sefton pools.
The swimming is better than Maghull's profile suggests. Main pool 25 metres over five lanes, second pool 12.5 metres and built for learners, which is the one that matters if your child is still at the stage of standing up and shouting. There is a library in the same building, and a fitness suite with 65 stations plus close to a hundred classes a week if the adults are the ones who need the outing.
Prices are the Active Sefton 2026 rates that have applied since 1 April. £7.30 an adult, £4.70 a junior, dropping to £6.00 and £3.80 with a Sefton Saver Plus card, which is £15 a year for adults and £7.50 for children. Open 6.30am to 10pm Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm at weekends, so the weekend window here is more generous than Bootle's.
Know before you go
- The learner pool is what makes this worth choosing over a straight 25 metre pool, and it is not open for every session. Ring 0151 288 6727 and ask which slots have it running.
Worth knowing: Under-8s must be accompanied in the water by an adult at all times.
Looking for more water & swimming near Maghull?
Nearest to Maghull
Sherdley Park
St Helens' biggest park. Play areas, open space and a walled garden, and it costs nothing.
Dream, Sutton Manor
A 20-metre white head rising out of a reclaimed colliery, with woodland trails around it. Genuinely strange and memorable for kids, and a short walk rather than a hike.
Sankey Valley Park
A green corridor of canal towpath and parkland running from St Helens down towards Warrington. Flat, traffic-free and ideal if the bikes or scooters are coming.
Wild Gorse Hill Nature Fun
Family nature sessions running through August at two St Helens parks. Pitched at exactly this age group.
Holiday Clubs (HAF)
Funded holiday clubs with food included, ages 4 to 18, for families on benefits-related free school meals. Worth a look even if you assume you won't qualify.