Family Days Out

Yellow Duck Marine Tours

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Attraction | "Liverpool Yellow Duck Marine Tours"

Boarding the duck Photo - Yellow Duck Marine Tours, Liverpool, England

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We did this tour on a freezing cold Saturday afternoon in March, despite the plunging temperatures, we all thoroughly enjoyed it and it is a great fun way of seeing the main sights in Liverpool.I had booked the tour on-line directly with the Yellow Duck Marine company through their website about 4 weeks ago. The tours run frequently throughout the day, I thought it would be empty on our trip, the weather had been so awful and caused lots of disruption over the weekend. How wrong I was though! The "Duck" was full and there were no spare seats. So if you want to do this, definitely book in advance. The cost is just over £10 per person - you get a slight reduction if you book...Read More

We did this tour on a freezing cold Saturday afternoon in March, despite the plunging temperatures, we all thoroughly enjoyed it and it is a great fun way of seeing the main sights in Liverpool.

I had booked the tour on-line directly with the Yellow Duck Marine company through their website about 4 weeks ago. The tours run frequently throughout the day, I thought it would be empty on our trip, the weather had been so awful and caused lots of disruption over the weekend. How wrong I was though! The "Duck" was full and there were no spare seats. So if you want to do this, definitely book in advance.

The cost is just over £10 per person - you get a slight reduction if you book in advance on-line, and there are reductions for senior citizens and children. The tour takes about an hour, it leaves from the Albert Docks and they run regularly all day, every day.

We sat in the front seat right behind the driver and the guide. I wouldn't really recommend this though - the fumes that were coming from the engine were horrible, I would have preferred to sit further away towards the back of the vehicle. It was icy cold outside, but surprisingly, as the windows are not made of glass but zipped up plastic - it felt nice and warm inside the duck.

Our guide was superb - he was full of personality and banter, very funny and made the tour lively and interesting. He also was very knowledgeable about the city and its landmarks and history. Our 9 year old sat enthralled throughout the tour, soaking up everything.

The first part of the tour is on land. You drive around the city and see all the main sights. We started off on the Strand and saw the grand buildings that line the waterfront. We went past the new museum of Liverpool and the guide pointed out where the offices of the company that ran Titanic were located. The duck then headed away from the waterfront and into the city streets. We passed a Beatles themed hotel - "Hard Day's Night" which was right next door to the Cavern Club. Other interesting sights included Lime Street Station, the 2 cathedrals in Liverpool - the sheer size of the Anglican Cathedral is mind-blowing and the Roman Catholic Cathedral called "Paddy's Wigwam" by the locals.

At one stage we wondered if the duck was actually going to make it up a steep hill - it spluttered and protested a bit, but we made it in the end. The ducks themselves are incredible vehicles with a fascinating history. They are over 70 years old, were built for use in World War II and the one we rode on was used in the Normandy Landings. Drivers of the ducks had a life expectancy of 3 hours. The German snipers tried to shoot them, so the other soldiers on board became "sitting ducks," hence the name of the vehicle.

After half an hour on land, we went back to the Albert Docks, down a slope and splashed into the water. It was a lot of fun and everybody laughed. We spent about 25 minutes on the water travelling around the docks. Again the guide gave us lots of fascinating facts and information about these docks and their history. We had a wonderful view of Liverpool's "3 Graces" from the water and the famous Liver Birds.

On the way out of the water, the guide encouraged everyone to sing "We All Live in a Yellow Duck Marine." The penalty for not singing, was a soaking with his water pistol - everyone joined in !

We all really enjoyed this tour. It is educational, a lot of fun and you see all the main sights in Liverpool. I would definitely recommend it. Read Less

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on March 31, 2013

Yellow Duck Marine Tours
Unit 32 Anchor Courtyard -- Britannia Pavillion
Liverpool, England L3 4AS
0151 708 7799

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Ordsall Hall Museum

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Attraction | "Ordsall Hall"

Ordsall Hall Photo - Ordsall Hall Museum, Manchester, England

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Ordsall Hall is almost on our doorstep, but we had never visited before. It was only when our son was doing a project on the Tudors at school, and wanted to visit a Tudor house, that we decided to spend a Sunday afternoon exploring there. We were surprised, we all enjoyed the visit very much - Ordsall is a beautiful old building and a real gem.It is in Salford, in the middle of a very built up area. We found it hard to imagine, that once, this wonderful building was right in the countryside, with no buildings nearby and the banks of the River Irwell flowing through the grounds. It dates back to Tudor times and was the home of the Radclyffe family for over 300 years.The hall is now a Gr...Read More

Ordsall Hall is almost on our doorstep, but we had never visited before. It was only when our son was doing a project on the Tudors at school, and wanted to visit a Tudor house, that we decided to spend a Sunday afternoon exploring there. We were surprised, we all enjoyed the visit very much - Ordsall is a beautiful old building and a real gem.
It is in Salford, in the middle of a very built up area. We found it hard to imagine, that once, this wonderful building was right in the countryside, with no buildings nearby and the banks of the River Irwell flowing through the grounds. It dates back to Tudor times and was the home of the Radclyffe family for over 300 years.
The hall is now a Grade 1 listed building and is now protected - luckily because at one point it was going to be knocked down.
An extensive refurbishment and renovation project was recently carried out, the Hall only just opened after this in 2011. It is free to visit - you do have to pay to park here though. They run special themed Tudor weekends once a month. This is a good time to visit, the staff are all in Tudor costume and there are lots of hands-on, fun and educational activities for children to take part in.
The back of the building is what you see from the road - it is a nice building, but when you go around the front it is stunning. The wooden Tudor door is impressive, there is a quatrefoil design on the walls and a most beautiful knot garden with herbs and lovely plants.
The Great Hall has an impressive ceiling and look out of the minstrel's gallery. The Hall is said to be haunted by the ghost of the White Lady. This is supposed to be Margaret Radclyffe - who lived here and threw herself off the minstrels gallery, broken hearted when she heard of the death of her brother in battle.
On the Tudor day, they had lots of things for children to do in the Great Hall - there were Tudor toys to play with, brass rubbings of Tudor figures, the table was set for a Tudor feast and children could sit at the table and find out about what would have happened. It was all very well done.
Beyond the Great Hall is the Star Chamber - a bedroom so called because of the stars engraved on the ceiling. Here they had a session every half an hour, where the staff demonstrated Tudor punishments to the fascinated children. They also had armour which you could try on, a quill to write with and more hands-on things.
Upstairs you can see sections of the original walls which have been cut out - the wattle and daub they used to build the Hall is fascinating. There is also a bedchamber - children are allowed to climb on the bed to see how uncomfortable it would have been to sleep there.
The kitchen is wonderful - again lots of hands-on things for children. They can turn the "spit" on the fire, see examples of Tudor food being prepared - they even had a cockentrice, and there was a session to make a pomander.
In another display area they were playing "Tudor Bingo" - a game which involved handling old Tudor objects that were used in day to day life and finding out more about them.
You can also go right up to the attic and get a close up view of the roof. This was where the servants would have slept, it is fascinating and you can imagine how grim their living conditions would have been.
There is a lovely little cafe selling very nice snacks and cakes and a small gift shop.
We spent a couple of hours here - it is a lovely place to visit. It is educational but also fun, and unlike a lot of old houses, children are welcomed, encouraged to touch and explore and join in which really does make the history come alive. Read Less

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on March 25, 2013

Ordsall Hall Museum
322 Ordsall Lane
Salford, England M5 3EX
+44 161 872 0251

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Stockport Air Raid Shelters

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Attraction

Air Raid Shelter tunnel Photo - Stockport Air Raid Shelters, Manchester, England

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We visited the Air Raid Shelters on a Saturday afternoon in January. Stockport is about 6 miles south of Manchester and easy to get to. We found a car park not far away from the entrance to the shelters - pay and display - which was perfect.We had booked a Family tour about a week before we decided to go. They offer tours at specific times, alternatively you can just walk around on a self-guided tour. We enjoyed the services of the guide - she definitely enhanced the experience and made it all come to life. She was very well informed and had actually been born in Manchester before the war. She was full of stories all about the Blitz, being in the air raid shelters and life in general...Read More

We visited the Air Raid Shelters on a Saturday afternoon in January. Stockport is about 6 miles south of Manchester and easy to get to. We found a car park not far away from the entrance to the shelters - pay and display - which was perfect.

We had booked a Family tour about a week before we decided to go. They offer tours at specific times, alternatively you can just walk around on a self-guided tour. We enjoyed the services of the guide - she definitely enhanced the experience and made it all come to life. She was very well informed and had actually been born in Manchester before the war. She was full of stories all about the Blitz, being in the air raid shelters and life in general during World War II. On the family tour there were 5 children - she entertained them very well too. In addition to putting the facts across in a very child friendly manner, she also played games and sang war-time songs with the children. Our son loved it all.

The cost was £4.45 for adults and £3.25 for children. The tour took about 45 minutes and afterwards we were free to wander around by ourselves again if we wanted to.

The Air Raid Shelters were built in 1938-1939 and are a series of tunnels cut into the soft sandstone that the town of Stockport is built on. They were not used very much at the beginning of World War II, but became very important during the Blitz. The tunnels are almost a mile long and during the height of the Blitz, over 6,000 people took shelter and were accommodated here. There were bunk beds, electric lights and toilets - the guide joked that most of the houses in Stockport did not have these facilities!

We arrived about 15 minutes before our tour started. There is a little gift shop to browse around, the staff there are very friendly and chatty. Just before the tour, we were shown a film about the war and the air-raids. The air raid siren sounded, then we had to enter the shelters through a big steel door - if felt very authentic.

The tunnels are tall and high and feel very airy. They seemed vast, with lines of benches down the sides. We saw the warden's shelter, the bunk beds where people slept and tried to imagine being crammed in there all night. We were shown the hospital and the nurses area, the operating theatre and the nursing mothers section. Some interesting objects remain there, including a huge gas mask designed for a baby and glass bottles they used to feed the babies.

One really gruesome place was the toilets - the children all groaned and moaned when they saw what these facilities were like for people in the shelters.

The whole place was fascinating and we thoroughly enjoyed our afternoon out and learned a lot - especially our 9 year old. On the way out, all the children were given a souvenir note book and pencil which was a nice touch. I would definitely recommend a visit here, it is informative but also fun. Read Less

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on March 21, 2013

Stockport Air Raid Shelters
61 Chestergate
Manchester, England SK1 1NE
+44 161 474 1940

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Lyme Park

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Lyme Park Photo - Lyme Park, Manchester, England

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Lyme Park is about 40 minutes drive from Manchester but is right in the countryside. It is actually just on the edge of Derbyshire's wonderful Peak District. It is owned and run by the National Trust, so if you a member of this organisation, parking and entrance to the house is free. The estate is huge. There is 1,300 acres of land to explore, you can extend your walking, should you choose into the beautiful countryside beyond the estate if that is not enough space. This was once the home of the Legh family - what a splendid place it must have been to live in those days.There is plenty of car-parking, but it always seems to be really busy at the weekends. Once you start w...Read More

Lyme Park is about 40 minutes drive from Manchester but is right in the countryside. It is actually just on the edge of Derbyshire's wonderful Peak District. It is owned and run by the National Trust, so if you a member of this organisation, parking and entrance to the house is free.

The estate is huge. There is 1,300 acres of land to explore, you can extend your walking, should you choose into the beautiful countryside beyond the estate if that is not enough space. This was once the home of the Legh family - what a splendid place it must have been to live in those days.

There is plenty of car-parking, but it always seems to be really busy at the weekends. Once you start walking though, it can seem like you have the place to yourself.

The views are beautiful, if you climb up, you get a lovely vista over Cheshire. There are walks of all types for all abilities - some are extremely hilly, others are suitable for pushchairs, so something for everyone. You can pick up walking leaflets from the information centre.

The mansion is at the top of a steep hill and has a commanding view over the estate. There is an impressive courtyard and entrance to the house. This was the setting for a 1995 BBC adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice - I think it was Mr Darcey's abode.

The formal gardens behind the house are beautiful and have a large pond in the centre. These gardens are the highest owned by the National Trust.

There are often exhibitions and special events going on at Lyme Park. During our visit they had the Puffin Books exhibition. It celebrated 70 years of Puffin publishing children's books. I am an avid reader and loved looking at some of my childhood favourites on display. They had everything from original illustrations, to background on the authors, to original proofs. I saw many of my childhood favourites and some of my son's as well. There were also interactive activities and things for children to do based around the books. You could explore the den of Stig of the Dump, look at the Borrowers little rooms, dress up as the Hungry Caterpillar and more. Outside they also had a trail around the gardens with things for children to find.

We spent about 2 hours in the exhibition and the garden, then walked to Crow Hill, the adventure playground afterwards. This is a wonderful place in the woods. It has rope walks, a badgers den, slides and lots of places for children to run off excess energy. It was fairly busy - but this added to the fun for our son.

Lyme Park is a lovely place to spend a Sunday afternoon. If you want a sedate time, visit the house/exhibition and formal gardens, if children want to run around visit the playground, or go for a long, brisk, energising walk in the wonderful countryside. There is something for everyone here. Read Less

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on March 19, 2013

Lyme Park
Buxton Road West
Stockport, England SK12 2NX
+44 1633 766492

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Play Factore

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Attraction

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The Play Factore is a brand new, giant play centre for children. It only opened towards the middle of last year, so everything is brand new, bright and sparkling. The location is really convenient. Right next to the M60, opposite the Trafford Centre shopping centre and very easy to find. It is actually built under the Chill Factore - the skiing/snow centre which has been around for a few years.We visited just before Christmas, expecting it to be fairly busy, but we must have timed it right and visited just before the main school holidays, as it was fairly empty. It is marketed as being for children aged between 0 and 12 years. Our visit was with 2 nine year olds and a 10 year old and...Read More

The Play Factore is a brand new, giant play centre for children. It only opened towards the middle of last year, so everything is brand new, bright and sparkling. The location is really convenient. Right next to the M60, opposite the Trafford Centre shopping centre and very easy to find. It is actually built under the Chill Factore - the skiing/snow centre which has been around for a few years.

We visited just before Christmas, expecting it to be fairly busy, but we must have timed it right and visited just before the main school holidays, as it was fairly empty. It is marketed as being for children aged between 0 and 12 years. Our visit was with 2 nine year olds and a 10 year old and they thoroughly approved. Unlike a lot of play areas which cater mainly for younger children, this does offer activities and play equipment for all ages, from toddlers to 12 year olds.

It is open every day between 10am and 6.30 pm. Prices are a bit steep - they have peak and off peak pricing. Peak is all weekends, all bank holidays and all school holidays. Non peak is school term time Monday to Friday. Basically any time you want to go with school age children it will be peak. The cost for 5-15 year olds is £10.95 peak and for adults they also charge £3.95. I think it is pretty expensive, especially if you are bringing more than 1 child!

Inside everything is bright, light and airy. One of the benefits of this place is that it has been built from scratch so they have designed it to be the perfect children's play area. Most play areas where we live are housed in industrial units and have to work around this and the limitations it brings. Not so here! Also there is plenty of parking - something else I find unusual at children's play areas. This is supposed to the the UK's largest play centre - there is over 26,000 square feet of space.

I was not hugely impressed with the staff. They seemed a bit aloof and unfriendly to say the least. We waited 25 minutes at the reception area while the lady there was on the phone. She didn't apologise afterwards and was quite abrupt. Several other members of staff also watched us waiting to pay and didn't approach to help.

The play frame inside is state of the art. It is huge, the tallest I have ever seen. It is 15 metres high, with a super long 40 metre slide. The slide is extremely fast - great for older kids, but we saw a few younger children narrowly missing hurting themselves.

There are places to climb, explore and have fun on the play frame. There is a separate area for toddlers and younger children with a very varied array of things to do also. The entrance fee is expensive, but once you are inside, everything is included - there is laser tag, electric go-karts, a disco area and a football area.

The cafe area is nice for mums (or dads) to sit and have a chat. They serve nice coffee and cakes. We also had lunch here - nice freshly made pizza and pasta dishes. It was very good for children, but a bit limited for adults.

During our visit, although it was listed as a peak time, the whole place was pretty empty. Our children had a great time and throughly enjoyed themselves. We stayed about 3.5 hours and after that they were ready to leave. We had unlimited play time due to the lack of crowds. If it had been busy, they limit you to a 2 hour slot. It is a good place to come and let children run around and blow off steam. However, more of a treat due to the cost than a regular place to come. Read Less

Member Rating 3 out of 5 on March 12, 2013

Play Factore
Trafford Quays Leisure Village, Trafford Way
Manchester, England M41 7JA

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