From botanical garden frolics to city centre strolls, Manchester has some of the best child-friendly trails around.
Here are some of our picks to try out during the summer holidays.
With children’s entry free and picnics welcome, Tatton Park’s gardens make for a worthwhile day trip to Knutsford with the family in tow. Brimming with immaculately manicured plant life, the park contains a Japanese garden, a seasonal restaurant, a beloved maze and much more.
Needing no introduction as one of Europe’s biggest municipal public spaces, Heaton Park and its endless trail variations has been a summer holiday staple for generations. Featuring play areas, a boating lake, an animal centre and even horse riding, it couldn’t be easier to while away a full day exploring the area; a larger loop of the park takes around 2 hours, but you can opt for a route of virtually any length.
Open throughout the summer holidays, the gardens at Elizabeth Gaskell’s House are a ‘lovingly tended oasis’ open to strolls, picnics and playing. Their new Family Garden Trail, featuring fun facts, activities and fascinating discoveries, follows a path around the beloved writer’s traditionally planted Victorian garden.
Open on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, tickets for the trail are £6.50 with under-16s free.
Suburban yet secluded, a loop of Clifton Country Park is the perfect afternoon time-killer. Boasting an array of gorgeous landscapes all within a 45-minute walk, the park features a visitor’s cafe, a children’s play area, a sculpture trail and much more.
Urban and unimposing, this breezy route through the city centre offers some of Manchester’s more under-appreciated views while passing plenty of its famous landmarks. Taking just under an hour, the walk begins and ends at The Wharf, an excellent city pub packed with cosy alcoves and an impressively diverse kids’ menu.
- Words:
- Wolf McFarlane
- Published on:
- Wed 17 Jul 2024
Promising a ‘Great Garden Adventure for the whole family’, Salford’s RHS Garden Bridgewater is hosting a summer of all-ages entertainment featuring nature activities like ZooLab, Wild Wings and the Big Bug Hunt, ‘welly walks’ on Toddler Tuesdays and a daily Explorer Quest trail packed with challenges and games.