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
- Cost
- Free - pay to park at Chancel Lane
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Where
- Wilmslow & Styal, Cheshire
- Weather
- Mostly outdoors
- Booking
- Just turn up
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.
Looking for more parks & outdoors near Wilmslow & Styal?
Sending it to the group chat?
What visitors say
★★★★★ 4.6 across 1,151 Google reviews.
Read all 1,151 reviews on Google - filter by star rating thereAlso in Wilmslow & Styal
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.
Head Over Heels Wilmslow
A big, polished play centre on the Stanley Green estate at Handforth with Safari Falls, an immersive jungle room, a large frame, a disco room and a separate under-threes village. Sister to the Chorlton one and priced like it, though the school-day unlimited ticket takes the sting out.
Alderley Edge (National Trust)
A red sandstone ridge with pine and beech woods, old mine workings and views to the Peak District. The Wizard's Wander is a 1 mile easy loop, there is a tea room by the car park, and walking is free. Parking is not.
Oxygen Wilmslow
A trampoline and activity park in Handforth with about 65 linked trampolines, a giant airbag, an interactive sports pitch, climbing walls and three storeys of soft play. An hour of Open Play is £15.95 each, so it adds up fast.
What’s on near you, every Friday
One email a week: what is on this weekend within a sensible drive, and the places worth booking before they go.