Day Trips from Manchester

In Brief. Tatton Park is a substantial estate that was owned for over 400 years by members of the Egerton family. The current neo-classical mansion was built in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, and many of the fixtures and fittings date from that period. However, the outdoor spaces are probably more visited than the mansion, and there are extensive and varied gardens, including a Japanese Garden and an arboretum. For younger visitors, there is also the farm, which includes both historic buildings like the mill and a collection of farm animals from rare breeds. The mansion from the gardens. What's Here? Tatton is an impressive estate, and everything comes on a grand scale. I started with a walk round the gardens, where there are airy lawns, many impressive trees inside and outside the arboretum, ornate topiary, a variety of ponds and an extensive Japanese garden.  There is even a compact formal Italian Garden, but the scale of the rest of the garden rather leaves it as a foo...

In Brief. Walton Hall is a Victorian era country house, now owned and run by Warrington District Council. Set in extensive gounds that include lawns, wooded areas and formal gardens, it is possible to visit here for a wander. However, this is largely a municipal park with attached hall, and the target audience certainly includes pre-teens, with a play area, crazy golf and a zoo among the attractions. The hall seems largely to be used for functions. Walton Hall What's Here? Although there is a country house, Walton Hall is primarily visited for its ground, and its grounds are primarily visited by families with kids. The grounds are reasonably extensive, including a wooded area and some formal gardens that were quite colourful in our July visit.  These are not as grand or as manicured as at some custom gardens (such as Harrow Carr ) or country houses (such as Brodsworth Hall ), but they are pleasant enough (and free).  The formal gardens. For the younger generation, there is a ...

In Brief. Harrow Carr is a Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) garden and visitor centre set in rolling countryside around a stream. The garden itself includes substantial borders, but there are also meandering paths with smaller borders, an arboretum, a woodland walk and a kitchen garden. The adjacent visitor facilities include an outpost of Betty's Tea Rooms  with superior cakes, and a garden centre in case the visit to the garden has provided suitable inspiration. The main borders What's Here? Harrow Carr is a large, mature garden adjacent to a 19th Century spa.  The most labour-intensive component is likely the borders, which include the substantial main borders that occupy one side of the valley down to the stream, and the smaller areas that surround paths that loosely follow the stream.  In my July visit, the borders were lush and often colourful. However, there are many other features to the gardens, which could be visited in any order.  The arboretum includes...

In Brief. Jaguar provide a variety of Driving Experiences , at their Fen End test track near Coventry, which complement their factory tours .  I booked a 1 hour F-type Experience that involved 1-to-1 instruction in a variety of scenarios in a 575hp F-type R.  The scenarios included driving the main track, catching slides on a skid pan, navigating a slalom set out with cones, and hunting for the racing line in a small but technical track. Overall, this gives rise to a memorable if intensive session, with new and unfamiliar skills try to pick up quickly for each of these scenarios.  The hardware. What's Here? Fen End is a former military airfield, and thus in essence a large flat area that houses the various tracks and a few buildings. The main facility on the site prepares vehicles for press activities and model launches. The session starts with a short briefing about the different activities, and then it is down to action. Each participant is assigned an instructor who is...

In Brief. The Yorkshire Sculpture Park  occupies the extensive grounds of the 18th Century Bretton Hall, with sculptures spread over a wide area. The sculptures on display include long standing items and more frequently changing exhibitions, with the latter concentrated near to the main entrance. The sculptures on show are modern but diverse, with such a variety of styles that visitors should take to some of them.  The Family of Man from Barbara Hepworth (also viewable at The Hepworth Gallery ). What's Here? Most visitors will arrive at the main entrance, which is supported by a modern reception building that hosts a cafe/restaurant and the shop. It is also adjacent to the more formal gardens and gallery areas that host changing exhibitions.  From these, there are paths down the hill past a variety of sculptures towards the lake.   The park includes work from well known sculptors, including Antony Gormley, Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore, alongside the work of other...

In Brief. Wimbledon , the world's premier grass court tournament, takes place in late June and early July, ahead of which are several other grass court tournaments in the UK. One of these is in Nottingham , which tends to feature several top-10 players and many of the top British players. There is a centre court for matches with highly ranked players (and the finals), and a collection of other courts with different numbers of seats (from very few to quite significant stands). Supported by numerous eateries, this is an easy way to observe some good quality tennis.  Tickets can be booked well ahead, but I obtained tickets on Sunday for entry on Monday; later days book up sooner. Rothesay Open Displays What's Here? The Rothsay Open Tennis tournament takes place at the impressive Nottingham Tennis Center , which was hosting lots of coaching activities for young people as well as the tournament when I arrived.  This is the first professional tennis tournament I have attended, and i...

In Brief. Conisbrough Castle  consists of a crumbling inner Bailey and an impressively preserved 12th Century tower that sits on a hill overlooking much of the small town of Conisbrough. Run by English Heritage, there are informative displays on the castle and the principal protagonists in its history, along with insights into what is involved in keeping a castle up and running. The town of Conisbrough itself is quite low key, and its roads are no better maintained than in other parts of the country; hitting a pothole with a bit of a thump at quite low speed near to the castle turned out to be enough to puncture a front tyre and radically change the plan for the day. The tower from the inner Bailey. What's Here? The most striking feature of Conisbrough Castle is its tower, which was likely built in the late 12th century by/for Isabel and Hamelin de Warenne. Isabelle was the great-great-granddaughter of William de Warenne, a close follower of William the Conqueror, and Hamelin of An...