Quarry Bank Mill
A working cotton mill where the looms still clatter and the Apprentice House tells the children's side of the industrial revolution straight. A new Play Hub inside the mill and river walks outside round it off.
The Carrs Park
Wilmslow & Styal, Cheshire
Open parkland since 1935, with the River Bollin looping through the middle of it and 71 acres of flat grass either side. The basics are all here: a children's play area, tennis courts, a basketball hoop, outdoor gym kit, picnic spots and riverside and woodland paths, with an accessible route through the park. Open all year, always free.
The trick The Carrs has that other parks do not is where it goes. Footpaths link straight into Styal Country Park and the Dean Valley, and the level riverside path reaches National Trust Quarry Bank in about 3km. Paddling feet in the shallow Bollin on the way back is traditional. Take the free Twinnies Bridge car park at the Styal end if the Chancel Lane machines offend you.
What it costs: The park is free. The Parish Hall car park off Chancel Lane is pay and display with about 60 spaces; the Twinnies Bridge car park at the Styal end is free.
Know before you go
- Park free at Twinnies Bridge and walk in, or pay and display at Chancel Lane if you want to start next to the play area end.
- The riverside path to Quarry Bank is about 3km each way and flat - doable with a buggy, but remember National Trust entry charges apply if you go into the mill.
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Lindow Common and Black Lake
Lowland heath on the western edge of Wilmslow, an SSSI and Local Nature Reserve with Black Lake in the middle. A surfaced path takes a pushchair round, which is unusual for a heath. No cafe, no toilet, no play equipment.
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