The Singing Ringing Tree
A wind-powered steel sculpture on the moor above Burnley that hums when the weather blows, with a view worth the short climb. It is a half-hour stop, not a day out, so pair it with a walk or Towneley Hall.
Thompson Park
- Cost
- Free entry, pay-per-ride extras
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Where
- Burnley, Lancashire
- Weather
- Mostly outdoors
- Booking
- Just turn up
Lottery money restored Thompson Park properly and it shows: Italian gardens, a boating lake, a big playground and a paddling pool, ten minutes' walk from Burnley bus station. Entry is free; you pay only for the extras, and none of them will hurt. Kayaks are £4, canoes £5 and rowing boats £6 on the lake.
Everything runs to a seaside timetable, so check before promising anything. Boats go out weekends, bank holidays and school holidays from April to October, 11 till 5. The paddling pool is filled on warm weekend and holiday days between April and September. The Boathouse cafe opens weekends and school holidays, 12 till 5. Parking at the Colne Road entrance is £2.50 for the day.
The miniature railway is the sleeper hit, built from scratch by volunteers and running since 2000: Sundays and bank holidays, noon to 4pm, £1 a child and £2 an adult. On a wet Tuesday in November the park is just a nice walk. On a sunny Sunday in July it is the cheapest full day out in East Lancashire.
What it costs: Park free. Miniature railway £1 children, £2 adults. Boat hire £4-£6. Parking £2.50 all day.
Know before you go
- Go on a Sunday if the railway matters - it only runs Sundays and bank holidays, noon to 4pm, weather permitting.
- Dogs are not allowed in the park, which is either a selling point or a dealbreaker depending on your household.
Looking for more parks & outdoors near Burnley?
Sending it to the group chat?
What visitors say
★★★★★ 4.6 across 1,965 Google reviews.
Read all 1,965 reviews on Google - filter by star rating thereAlso in Burnley
Towneley Hall & Park
The hall is back open after its £3.6m restoration, but the park was always the real family day: playgrounds, gardens, woodland trails and a cafe right by the play area. Park free, parking cheap, and kids get into the hall for nothing.
Air Unlimited Burnley
A warehouse of giant inflatables on Craven Street in Burnley: mega ball pit, launch slide, jump tower and ninja walls. Book the hour, buy the socks, and let them tire themselves out on something that cannot bruise.
Queen Street Mill Textile Museum
A Victorian weaving shed still holding 308 Lancashire looms, with the mill's own steam engine, Peace, and demonstrations of cotton becoming cloth. Children free, and the season ends on 31 October.
Gawthorpe Hall
Jacobean hall on the edge of Padiham with free gardens, woodland walks and a natural play area. Children go into the hall free with an adult, adults pay £7, and parking is free. A cheap half day with a house thrown in.
Discobowl Burnley
Bowling, an arcade, pool tables and Scrapyard Golf crazy golf in central Burnley. A junior game is £8, a family of four £32, and term-time weekdays drop to £5 a game before 5pm. The arcade is where the change goes.
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.