Day Trips from Manchester

In Brief. The  Keighley and Worth Valley Railway is a heritage railway that occupies a 5 mile branch line constructed in the 1860s to provide passenger and goods services to the towns and mills in the valley. Though 5 miles seems very short, train journeys are pleasant enough, with some countryside, some narrow valley scenery, the towns and the occasional tunnel. As a significant tourist destination, the stops include pristine restored stations, museums and an abundance of eateries, and trains are pulled by a variety of steam and diesel rolling stock. Steam engine from 1888 pulling a passenger train. What's Here? Though not originally an especially significant piece of national infrastructure, the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway has been running as a heritage railway for more than 50 years, with more than 100,000 visitors a year.  As well as the regularly running heritage rolling stock, there are many event days of different forms, typically based around train types (I...

In brief. Though not associated with much in the way of an interesting back story, Beningbrough Hall is a refined 18th century country house near York, now run by the National Trust . Though described as Baroque , Beningbrough is quite restrained, with a balanced exterior, fine interior woodwork and a tasteful walled garden. A visit to the hall itself includes period furniture and fittings on the ground floor and changing art exhibitions on the first floor, so overall a visit provides a variety of experiences.  The hall from the back garden. What's here? Though some country houses seem designed to impress with excess, Beningbrough seems more inclined to show off through good taste. On arrival, the walled garden is an obvious first place to visit, and features  borders and fruit trees. Overall, though there are gardens surrounding the house, these are not extensive, so this is not a place to come for exercise. Commendably, there is also a modern Mediterranean garden, reflecting...

In Brief. The Thackray Museum of Medicine is a modern museum in a former Victorian Workhouse that has also served as part of St James's Hospital, which is adjacent. The museum includes a street reconstruction that reflects on the sanitary and health challenges facing Leeds during the Industrial Revolution, and a collection of displays on the history and development of medicine. The museum is trying to target quite a broad demographic, and there should be something here for most ages. The museum entrance. What's Here? The Thackray Museum of Medicine occupies two floors of an imposing Victorian building.  The lower floor includes the cafe and exhibition spaces that focus on local history, whereas the upper floor has more of an emphasis on the development of medicine. The lower floor starts on Disease Street , a reconstruction of a Victorian street in recently industrialised Leeds, highlighting the health implications of high density city life before sewers. If that wasn't of...

In Brief. Peak Wildlife Park is a compact Zoo in the countryside in Staffordshire. Featuring a variety of birds and mammals, most of which are small and unthreatening; a distinctive feature is that there are quite a few walkthroughs, for example allowing visitors to share a space with the penguins and the very tame wallabies (if not the Polar Bears!). A wallaby with joey. What's Here? The Peak Wildlife Park is a green space, traversed by paths that pass enclosures that host a variety of species, from Polar Bears to Tortoises. As many of the species are quite small, they often seem to be close by, whereas in some zoos with larger animals that need bigger enclosures, the animals can seem quite far away ... though I never saw the red squirrels even though you can walk through their enclosure. The animals and enclosures seem to be in good condition, and there is more information provided about the individual species than is sometimes the case. For me, the highlight of the day was the ...

In Brief. Barnsley is a market town, once surrounded by many collieries, with a grand town hall that hosts a modern local history museum,  Experience Barnsley , near to on the Cooper Gallery  that contains bequeathed art collections from various locals. Reflecting its status as a market town, Barnsley still hosts a thriving market, established as long ago as the 13th century. Town Hall and Crossing Vertical sculpture. What's Here? Though Barnsley covers a wide area, formally containing many surrounding settlements, the main features of the town centre are close together. Though the main shopping street contains a variety of more-or-less modern buildings, which tends to provide the opportunity for some to look past their prime, in fact the centre was bustling during my weekday visit, and everyplace seems well looked after.   The shopping area contains the popular market, and is adjacent to both a leisure area and the civic buildings. I first visited the Cooper Gallery , wh...

In Brief. Middleport Pottery is a late 19th century pottery factory on the Trent and Mersey canal in Stoke-on-Trent. Now a visitor attraction, the charity-owned site still hosts a Burleigh Pottery factory, but also serves both as a heritage site with tours of the factory and a collection of art and craft studios.  I took the interesting 90-minute tour,  that featured both the history of the site, built as a state-of-the-art Victorian factory, and the current factory that uses a blend of traditional crafts with some modern equipment. The Kiln Yard, featuring a Bottle Oven. What's Here? Located next to the canal, for the efficient importing of coal and clay, and the smooth exporting of finished pottery, the Middleport Pottery was designed as a best-in-breed pottery in its day.  Now most of the original buildings remain, largely preserved and restored during the 2010s, and different parts of the site have been put to different purposes. This includes the return of pottery ...

In Brief. In February, the gardens at Rode Hall are opened for a Snowdrop Walk. This is exactly what it says on the tin. A path through the gardens leads to an artificial lake (Rode Pool), and various paths meander through a wooded area, with copious snowdrops covering the ground. Combined with a substantial cake from the cafe, this provides some simple pleasures to maintain morale while waiting for Spring. Rode Hall What's Here? Rode Hall is a Georgian country house on grounds that have been in the same family since the 17th century. The house is open to visitors on certain days from April to September, so access does not coincide with the snowdrops. On my visit in a weekday in February, the snowdrop walk was popular with retirees, sometimes with grandchildren in tow. Overall, this is a genteel destination, with visitors sauntering along the paths, and indeed a visit characterised by brisk walking would be over rather quickly.  Stew Pond Now, snowdrops can't be said to be spec...