Brockholes Nature Reserve
A nature reserve with a visitor village that floats on the lake - genuinely floats. Easy flat trails, hides, a good playground and free family crafts in the summer holidays.
Rascals Play Centre
Preston, Lancashire
Bamber Bridge, a couple of minutes from where the M6, M65 and M61 meet, which makes it one of the easiest centres in Lancashire to get to and the obvious stop on a long drive north. Multi-level frames with slides and trampolines, a ball pool with a ball shower, and a sports court for basketball and football.
It runs long days: 9.30am to 6pm most days, 7pm on Thursdays, and 10am to 5.30pm on Sundays. Walk-ins are fine for general play. Parking is free, the wifi is free, and the cafe covers halal and gluten-free.
The Tuesday evening SEN session, 4pm to 6pm, is the detail worth knowing. Quieter, calmer, and the sort of provision that is easy to miss because centres rarely shout about it.
What it costs: Prices are on the venue's own prices page rather than the front page. Card payments only, no cash.
Know before you go
- The SEN session runs Tuesdays 4pm to 6pm and is deliberately quieter, which is the sort of thing that goes unadvertised and matters enormously to some families.
- Cashless. Card or contactless only, so do not arrive with a pocket of change and a plan.
Looking for more days out in Preston?
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The Harris
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Ribble Steam Railway & Museum
Steam trains along Preston's dockside with a museum shed full of engines, a playground and a tea room all on one ticket that covers all-day travel. A Saturday railway, so check the calendar before you promise anyone a train.
Avenham & Miller Parks
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Wild Discovery
The small zoo inside Ribby Hall Village, open to anyone and not just people staying there. Meerkats, otters, wallabies, porcupines and an exotic house, done in an easy couple of hours.
Cuerden Valley Park
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. A quarter of a million visits a year and most of Warrington has never heard of it.
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