Cannon Hall Country Park

What it’s like

Free parkland with an adventure play area, wooden tepees and assault courses, plus a museum to duck into if it rains.

There's no entry fee here, which counts for a lot when you've got more than one child asking for a day out. The adventure play area does the heavy lifting: slides, swings, a roundabout, climbing frames and some role-play features, with accessible equipment worked in too. Out in the parkland there are wooden tepees, balance beams and assault courses to get through, and a sensory trail winds through the woods if you fancy a slower loop before or after the climbing frames wear everyone out.

The museum is the fallback for a grey day, open 11am to 4pm daily in the holidays and Thursday to Sunday in term time. Each room has its own interactive games and exhibits, so it's more than a wet weather afterthought if you're planning the visit around it. No booking needed for any of it, you just turn up.

Food-wise there are two cafés. The Pavilion Cafe does sandwiches, soups, cakes and a children's menu, with seating inside or out on the terrace. The Pear Tree Pantry covers sandwiches, sausage rolls and pork pies, with vegan and gluten-free options. Picnics are allowed too, and with a free day out like this, bringing your own food is the obvious way to keep the whole thing cheap.

Parking is £1 for two hours or £5 for the day, which is fair enough, but the car park does get busy at weekends and school holidays so an early arrival helps. Most of the site is wheelchair accessible, with a lift to floors one and two of the Hall and step-free access to some rooms via the walled garden, though parts of the Discovery Area in the country park are harder going for wheelchairs. Worth knowing that the changing table in the Hall's accessible toilet and the hoist at the Pavilion Cafe toilet are both currently out of action. Dogs are welcome in the park and gardens, though they need to stay in the Courtyard with any food during museum visits.

Facilities

Need to know

Parking

Two hours £1, all day £5. Accessible spaces in main car park, limited spaces outside Hall

Food

Two cafés: The Pavilion Cafe (sandwiches, soups, cakes, hot and cold drinks

Picnics

Allowed. Outdoor seating areas in park and walled gardens

Wheelchairs

Lift to floors one and two. Step-free access to Victorian Kitchens and Servants' Hall via walled garden

Dogs

Welcome in park and gardens

• Free entry, so the only real cost is parking at £1 for two hours or £5 all day
• The car park fills up on weekends and school holidays, so get there early
• Toilets and baby change can sometimes close for private functions
• The changing table at the Hall and the hoist at the Pavilion Cafe toilet are both out of order at the moment

Plan your visit

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