North Manchester
Heaton Park · Photo: Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net).
Manchester's largest park gives you farm animals, playgrounds and a boating lake without paying for entry. After lunch, swap the outdoors for a hangar full of old buses and trams, where accompanied children get in free.
Park · 10:30–14:00 (3h30m)
Visit the animal centre first (it closes early in winter), then playgrounds and a picnic.
Manchester's biggest municipal park, with an animal centre, children's play areas, a boating lake with pedalos and rowing boats in season, and miles of paths around a Georgian hall. A free full day out with the right weather.
Photo: Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net).
Museum · 14:30–16:00 (1h30m)
Climb aboard vintage buses; a good indoor finish if the weather turns.
An indoor museum in Cheetam Hill, aimed at ages 0–12.
Photo: David Dixon
North WestFormby / Crosby
Look for red squirrels in the Formby pinewoods before running down through the dunes to the beach. After lunch, head south to Crosby to find Antony Gormley's cast-iron figures standing along the shore.
Formby Nature Reserve → Crosby Beach
North WestManchester city centre
Three free museums and galleries that keep everyone dry and busy, from steam engines and science in Castlefield to dinosaurs and live animals on Oxford Road. Finish with a calm hour among the art and trees at the Whitworth.
Science and Industry Museum → The Manchester Museum → The Whitworth
North WestChester
Give the zoo the whole day: it is huge, and there is plenty under cover if showers pass through. If legs allow, finish with a short stretch of Chester's ancient walls to see the Eastgate Clock.
Chester Zoo → Chester City Walls
