Ashton-under-Lyne & Tameside, Greater Manchester
Werneth Low is the big green hill south of Hyde, 80 hectares of meadow, heath and wooded cloughs. Lower Higham Farm was bought by public appeal in 1920 as a memorial to the town's First World War dead, and the war memorial at Hackingknife went up in 1921. From the top you look across the whole of Manchester, and on a clear day you can pick out the Welsh mountains. The memorial is a good target for small legs.
There are three car parks, at Lower Higham, the Quarry and Windy Harbour. Lower Higham has the visitor centre in an old farmhouse with displays, an orchard and herb garden, a picnic area and an accessible toilet. The lanes up are narrow, so drive slowly.
It is at its best for a windy afternoon with a kite, or in winter when the council says the migrating geese come over. Stick to the paths from mid March to the end of July, when ground-nesting birds are on the fields.
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A council-run indoor adventure centre in Droylsden: Clip 'n Climb walls, a 54 metre crawl-through cave, a high ropes course hung from the ceiling, bouldering and soft play, at leisure-centre prices. Weekends and school holidays only for most of it.
A big family-run farm park on the Ashton and Oldham border: feed the cows, alpacas and goats, hold the rabbits, then lose an hour on the jumping pillow. Card only, and from October most days are ticketed events.
Tameside's fun pool, with a wave machine, a wild water rapids ride, bubble beds and the Red Ripster slide. Only open for fun sessions on Thursday and Friday evenings and at weekends, and they sell out.
Tameside's free canal-side museum, with a walk-through 1920s street and a play zone for under fives. Closed Mondays, open bank holidays.
Tameside's all-rounder on the Ashton and Stalybridge border: a big sandpit playground, summer water fountains, a boating lake, a miniature train, crazy golf and an aviary. Free to get in, pocket money for the extras.
One email a week: what is on this weekend within a sensible drive, and the places worth booking before they go.