Travel // Top 5 Family Friendly Places to Visit in West Lancashire

While I am off taking a little maternity break I am pleased to bring you a few guest posts from some great fellow bloggers. Today’s post is from Nicola from Mummy to Dex. Nicola is going to tell you all about her Top 5 family friendly place to visit in West Lancashire. 

If you like this post don’t forget to check out all our other Family Travel posts for lots of tips on family friendly places to visit, plus our Ultimate Guide to Legoland with a Toddler and our very popular 100 places to visit in South and West Wales

If your looking for free places to visit in Lancashire this post has a whole host of great ideas to keep you busy all summer long!

Now over to Nicola…

We’ve been living in West Lancashire for six months now and are still finding new things to do with the kids every single week. Who knew that such a small borough would have so many amazing family friendly things to do? I’ve just about managed to narrow it down to our five favourite family friendly days out, and even if you’re not local, next time you’re in the area, you must check these places out.

Beacon Country Park, Upholland

Nestled between the beautiful village of Dalton, Skelmersdale and Upholland, Beacon Country Park is a stunning place to take the kids, especially in the Summer and cooler Autumn months. Beacon Country Park offers a mix of woodlands and 300 acres of grasslands whilst offering beautiful panoramic views across Lancashire. We love taking the kids here for long walks across the grass and exploring in the woods, hoping to stumble upon the Gruffalo who has been carved out of a tree. The perfect place for long walk, a bike ride or just relaxing with a yummy picnic.

Free entry and car park available.

Windmill Animal Farm, Burscough

If you’re looking for a family attraction that will keep you busy for the full day, then look no further than Windmill Animal Farm, based just outside of Burscough. Offering indoor soft play, a light railway, outdoor play areas, access to a huge range of farm animals, cute furry pets and a lovely cafe with coffee and cake to die for, Windmill Animal Farm keeps our energetic toddler busy for hours on end. Pumpkin picking in October and the lambing season in March are two events not to be missed.

Open seven days a week, entry starts from £7.50 with discounted family tickets and half price weekday tickets available. Free on-site parking.

Fairy Glen, Appley Bridge

Fairy Glen is the most fantastic place to bring little ones who are looking to find a little bit of magic and fairy dust. Hidden just off A5209 at the top of Parbold Hill, Fairy Glen is a lovely picturesque hiking trail through a wooded valley. We love climbing the bridges over the stream, capturing photos in front of the waterfalls and stumbling upon fairy doors whilst looking around for fairies. A truly magical place to bring kids, and a picnic of course!

Entry is free, with free car parking in a lay-by across the road from the entrance.

Martin Mere Wetlands Centre, Burscough

Located just down the road from Windmill Farm, Martin Mere Wetlands Centre is the perfect day out for wildlife lovers, especially those who love birds. Of course, you don’t have to be a particularly interested in birds to have a good time, our kids love the outdoor play area, boat trips on the wetlands and taking part in pond dipping sessions. Throughout the year there are numerous activities and demonstrations for kids including ducklings hatching in the Spring and the arrival of over 30,000 pink footed geese signalling the beginning of Autumn in September. Bring a picnic or enjoy a delicious lunch in the on-site cafe.

Open all year round, seven days a week, prices for entry start from £7 with free on-site parking.

West Lancashire Light Railway, Hesketh Bank

Our toddler is absolutely train mad and loves a day out to West Lancashire Light Railway based in Hesketh Bank. This light railway is run by volunteers who give up their Sundays and Bank Holidays to run this toddler friendly attraction with huge smiles on their faces. From the purchasing of tickets in the vintage ticket office, to getting on the train and riding down the track for a quarter of a mile, your kids will love the experience of this live steam train. The best bit? Once you’ve purchased your ticket, you can ride as many times as you want! There’s also a gift shop on site offering teas, coffees and juice, and lots of toy trains for the kids to play with once they got bored of riding the locomotive.

Ticket prices start from £2.50 and there’s free parking on-site.

If you want to see more from Nicola you will find her on Instagram and Facebook