The West Lancashire Light Railway is a charity run entirely by volunteers on a short narrow-gauge line at Hesketh Bank, near Tarleton. Trains run about 400 metres from Becconsall station through woodland towards the River Douglas and Delph station, usually with one steam engine in service and a yard full of small industrial diesel and petrol locos rescued from old works.
It runs every Sunday and bank holiday from around Easter to early November, with trains from 11.30am to 4.30pm, and one ticket covers unlimited rides. That is what makes it work with small children: nobody gets dragged off after one go. Entry and parking are free, the tea room does scones, and dogs travel free too.
The special days are the ones to aim for. Still to come in 2026: Pumpkin Sunday on 11 October, with a free pumpkin for every child ticket, a Halloween evening on 31 October, a Children in Need day on 1 November, then Santa Specials on 6, 12, 13, 19 and 20 December, a short ride to Toyland to meet Father Christmas. Booking for the Halloween and Santa trains opens on 1 October.
What it costs: Normal running days: adults £5, children 3 and over £4, infants free, family (two adults and three children) £15, seniors and armed forces £4.50. Special event days: adults £7, children £6, family (two adults and two children) £18. Entry and parking are free; you pay for the train. Halloween, Pumpkin Sunday and Santa trains must be booked, from 1 October.
A short ride on a Santa Special steam train to Toyland to meet Father Christmas, with a present for each child and mulled wine or fruit punch and a mince pie for the adults. The short ride is the right length for under 5s. Booking is essential and opens on 1 October.
Seasonal: Sundays and bank holidays, Easter to early November, plus Halloween and December Santa Specials. Check before travelling.
Looking for more days out in Southport?
Sending it to the group chat?
★★★★★ 4.7 across 444 Google reviews.
Read all 444 reviews on Google - filter by star rating there
Victorian gardens with an aviary, a lake, a fernery and a good playground, in Southport's prettiest village corner. Free, open every day of the year, and old-fashioned in the way that quietly suits small children.
Pleasureland with a new name and a new deal: free entry and pay-as-you-go rides from £2. The seaside funfair is now Adventure Coast, split into themed lands from pirate cove to steampunk thrill rides, and you only pay for what your kids actually ride. The main park has closed for 2026 and reopens in 2027.
A one and a half acre miniature Lancashire with one of the biggest garden railway systems in the UK, aimed squarely at the under-8s. Open late April to late September, and the trains stop if the weather turns nasty.
Seventeen acres of restored Victorian seafront gardens with the Venetian Bridge over Marine Lake, boat hire, and the Tree Top Towers playground. Free, flat and right on the Promenade, so it slots around anything else you are doing in Southport.
Southport's main play centre, on Ocean Plaza by the marine lake, with a big frame and a drop slide. Priced by age band, so babies are almost free.
A nursery playbarn on Bispham Road that opens to the public on weekday mornings, pre-booked. Small, quiet and aimed squarely at the under fives.
One email a week: what is on this weekend within a sensible drive, and the places worth booking before they go.