Chester Zoo

3 miles from Nerquis Hall

Nerquis Hall is a historic 16th-century house featuring an original farmyard and Great Barn, available for exclusive use but requiring paid entrance for Historic Houses members. It served as a film location and offers an indoor historic experience.

3 miles from Abbeywood Gardens

Abbeywood Gardens offers extensive woodlands, diverse gardens, and a wildlife walk set in Cheshire, complemented by a cafe serving local food. Access is free for RHS members on select days.

Located in Winsford

Winsford is a historic market town in Cheshire known for its salt mining heritage, scenic Winsford Flashes lakes, and landmarks such as St Chad's Church. It offers walkable town centre amenities, leisure and cultural activities, and access by train and local public transport.

2 miles from New Strand Shopping Centre

The New Strand Shopping Centre in Bootle is a large indoor retail complex featuring 130 stores, including major tenants like TJ Hughes and Home Bargains. Opened in 1968 and expanded in the late 1990s, it offers extensive shopping with good transport connections and parking. It also includes facilities for children such as a creche.

Located in Crosby

Crosby is a coastal town in Merseyside, England, known for its beaches, Antony Gormley's art installation, and a vibrant suburban atmosphere near Liverpool.

2 miles from Trevor Hall

Trevor Hall is a significant historic house in Wales set within 150 acres of private woodlands and gardens. Visitors can enjoy both indoor tours of the house's unique collections and extensive outdoor walks, including part of the Offas Dyke path, with stunning views of the Dee Valley.

Near Dorfold Hall

Dorfold Hall is a historic Jacobean mansion set in 800 acres of English countryside featuring original interiors, beautiful gardens, woodlands, and a picturesque lake. Visitors can explore both the house and extensive outdoor grounds, with accessibility features and member free entry available.

2 miles from Ewloe Castle

Castell Ewloe is a native-built Welsh castle located in a deep woodland setting near the Wales-England border, known for its distinctive D-shaped stone tower and historic significance as a contested borderland fortress. The site offers an outdoor historic experience with walking trails and steps, accessible to visitors year-round with free entry.

2 miles from Bluebell Cottage Gardens

This 1.5-acre RHS Partner Garden near Warrington offers a tranquil outdoor experience with diverse planting areas including a wildflower meadow, gravel garden, and an exotic garden with a pergola walk. It features accessible paths, plant sales, refreshments, and wildlife-friendly gardening practices.

2 miles from Erddig

Erddig is a historic country house and estate in Wrexham, Wales, featuring a unique collection of servant memorabilia, 18th-century furniture, and extensive formal gardens. Visitors can explore both the house interiors and the landscaped outdoor parklands including remnants of Norman and medieval earthworks. The estate provides a distinctive insight into the life of an 18th-century Welsh country squire and his household, with on-site amenities including a café and activities suitable for children.

3 miles from Speke Hall

Speke Hall is a Grade I listed Tudor manor house in Liverpool, renowned for its historic timber-framed architecture, ancient yew trees, and scenic views over the Mersey estuary. Owned by the National Trust, it offers visitors both indoor exploration of historic rooms and outdoor gardens with walking paths.

3 miles from The Sorceress of Speke and the Lost Familiars

12 Oct–8 Nov (next week)

Visitors follow an outdoor trail around the grounds of Speke Hall, completing five activities to discover a magic word and reunite the Sorceress of Speke with her lost animal familiars.

Near Y Fferm

Y Fferm is a 17th-century small manorial farmhouse retaining much of its original sub-medieval details, open to visitors by pre-booked appointment during selected dates.

2 miles from Eliseg's Pillar

Eliseg's Pillar is an ancient early Christian monument from the 9th century, located on a Bronze Age burial cairn in Wales. Visitors can explore the historic outdoor site featuring a weathered cross shaft with inscriptions that tell the story of the kingdom of Powys and its rulers. The site is accessible via a short walk from nearby Valle Crucis Abbey car park.

Located in Llangollen

Llangollen is a picturesque town in Denbighshire, Wales, known for its historic bridges, castle ruins, cultural festivals including the International Musical Eisteddfod, and scenic location on the River Dee within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Near Valle Crucis Abbey

Valle Crucis Abbey is a historic Cistercian abbey ruin in Denbighshire, Wales, founded in 1201 and dissolved in 1537. Visitors can explore extensive outdoor ruins including the church, cloisters, and outbuildings, with access to some first-floor areas. The site is noted for its medieval architecture and the only remaining monastic fishpond in Wales.

3 miles from Stonyford Cottage Gardens

Stonyford Cottage Gardens is a family-owned informal garden featuring wetland areas, a tranquil lake, and a diverse range of shade and moisture-loving plants with scenic views and woodland walks. It offers facilities like parking, refreshments, and welcomes dogs.

Located in Caerwys

Caerwys is a small historic market town and community in Flintshire, Wales, known for its conservation area, historic church, and cultural heritage including important Welsh eisteddfodau and links to Philadelphia.

3 miles from Combermere Abbey

Combermere Abbey is a historic former Cistercian monastery turned Tudor manor and Gothic-style house set in 1,000 acres on the Cheshire/Shropshire border. Visitors can enjoy guided tours of the house including significant restored rooms, explore extensive parkland and gardens, and join special owner-led tours. The venue requires pre-booking and entry fees apply except for Historic Houses members.

3 miles from Chirk Castle

Chirk Castle is a historic Grade I listed castle and stately home in north-east Wales, built in 1295 and managed by the National Trust. Visitors can explore both the castle interiors and extensive formal gardens and parkland surrounding the site. The estate also features notable landscape elements such as Offa's Dyke and has historic significance dating back to the Marcher Lords and English Civil War periods.

2 miles from Castell Caergwrle

Castell Caergwrle is a historic ruined castle built by native Welsh prince Dafydd ap Gruffudd in the late 13th century. Visitors can explore outdoor grounds on a waymarked path and enjoy the heritage setting within the village. Access involves uneven terrain and steps with safety notices. The site has free entry and allows dogs on short leads at ground level.

3 miles from Derwen Cross

Derwen Cross features a well-preserved medieval preaching cross with detailed Christian carvings and nearby historic church elements, open year-round for external viewing.

Near Helsby

Helsby is a village in Cheshire, England, known for Helsby Hill, a prominent sandstone hill featuring ancient hillfort remains and extensive rock climbing opportunities. Managed by the National Trust, the hill offers walkers scenic views across Cheshire and beyond. The nearby former quarry is now a woodland park with notable geological features.

3 miles from Iscoyd Park

Iscoyd Park is a historic family home near Whitchurch, Shropshire, dating back to 1737 with parts from 1630 and medieval origins. Visitors can explore the restored Georgian house, converted outbuildings, and gardens through guided tours led by the family. The estate has a rich history including use as a WWII hospital and POW camp before restoration.

Near Dee Estuary Burton Mere Wetlands

Burton Mere Wetlands is a wildlife reserve on the Dee Estuary border with England and Wales, offering diverse wetland habitats, nature trails, bird hides, and a visitor centre with panoramic views. It hosts abundant birdlife and features a cafe, shop, and a dedicated play area for children, suitable for family visits.

3 miles from The Market Shopping Centre

Crewe is a historic railway town in Cheshire, England, known for its major railway junction, Bentley car factory, and the expansive Queen's Park offering recreational facilities including a children's play area. Cultural attractions include the Lyceum Theatre and Crewe Heritage Centre featuring a miniature railway.

2 miles from Maen Achwyfan

Maen Achwyfan is a historic 10th/11th century stone wheel-cross near Whitford, Flintshire, notable as the tallest of its kind in Britain, featuring intricate Celtic and figurative carvings. It is an outdoor monument and a scheduled historic site maintained by Cadw.

3 miles from St Winefride's Well

St Winefride's Shrine & Well is a historic pilgrimage site featuring a late 15th-century chapel with an indoor holy spring and an outdoor healing water pool. Visitors can explore the richly decorated chapel and enjoy the site's spiritual and cultural significance along the North Wales Pilgrim's Way.

3 miles from Nantclwyd y Dre

Nantclwyd y Dre is a unique historic house and garden in Ruthin offering over 500 years of history with exhibits from medieval to Victorian times, step-free gardens with scenic views, and activities for children including trails and a bat observation cam. Well-behaved dogs are welcome inside and in the gardens.

3 miles from Bridgemere Show Gardens

Bridgemere Garden Centre in Cheshire features a six-acre garden showcasing 15 unique themed gardens including RHS medal winners and a Japanese-inspired garden, with plant sales and refreshments available. It is accessible, dog friendly and features the famous Isaac Newton’s Apple Tree.