Forecast mixed. That’s the cover-all-bases weather forecast for Bank Holiday weekend in the North West (at least as it stands today).
So if you’re after fresh air and greenery on your extra day off, you’d be wise to head somewhere with the option of shelter, just in case ‘light showers’ turns into ’apocalyptic downpour’ as it has been known to do in these parts.
Here we’ve brought together our favourite ‘outdoor’ days out in Manchester and Liverpool that have the reassuring option of ‘indoors’ should you need it. From the domed botanical gardens at Sefton Park, to the thundering Victorian cotton mill at Quarry Bank Mill, to the elegant stately homes of Tatton Park and Speke Hall, they’re all all-weather type places. And they’re especially beautiful right now when the spring bulbs are blossoming and the first leaves are unfurling on the trees.
Take a picnic (and your waterproofs) and if you end up sheltering in the cafe with a carrot cake and coffee, it’s not such a disaster is it?
#bankholidayweekend
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KnutsfordTatton Park
More detailsTatton Park is a historic estate on the edge of Knutsford, home to an opulent neo-classical mansion, landscaped gardens, woodland, a farm, a huge deer park and a medieval Old Hall.
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SpekeSpeke Hall
More detailsSpeke Hall is a National Trust property on the outskirts of Liverpool. You could say it’s an old Tudor dame of a house dressed up like a young Victorian whippersnapper.
The house itself is a wood-framed wattle-and-daub manor house dating from the 1530s. There’s even a priest hole. So far, so Tudor.
However, after 400 years of a rather turbulent history including riches made on the back of the slave trade, the house fell into decay and was literally falling down. At one point it was used as perhaps the world’s grandest cowshed until it was brought back to life in the Victorian times.
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Sefton ParkSefton Park
More detailsSefton Park is larger than most parks, although it’s still not Liverpool’s biggest – that award goes to Croxteth Country Park. There’s something for everyone with suburban pleasures and a chance to feel closer to nature.
Woodland trails, carpets of bluebells and an abundance of daffodils in the springtime as well as plenty of wildlife – watch out for the kingfishers near the lake – mean that Sefton Park often doesn’t feel like a city park at all.
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StyalQuarry Bank Mill
More detailsQuarry Bank Mill makes a change from the stately homes in pretty gardens National Trust blueprint. It’s an industrial gem but you’ll still find picturesque riverside gardens, woodland and rolling countryside.
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SalfordOrdsall Hall
More detailsOrdsall Hall is a piece of Tudor history just a short walk from the contemporary comings and goings of Salford Quays. Please note: it’s closed on August Bank Holiday Monday.
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StockportLyme Park
More detailsLyme Park is a huge estate with a Medieval herd of red deer, stunning views and a handsome Regency house.
Now a National Trust property, Lyme Park has something for visitors of all ages. Jane Austen fans may know it best as Pemberley, the home of Mr Darcy, where he emerges dripping wet from the lake in the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice.
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AltrinchamDunham Massey
More detailsDunham Massey is one of the National Trust’s most visited properties, bringing in over half a million people in 2023. We reckon at least 80% of them were Mancunians escaping the city for their nearest bucolic country park.
