Day out near Sheffield

[Peabody25]

Meeting some friends, half way between Leeds and Derby, so probably around the Sheffield area, for a day out. It'll be the middle of March so ideally somewhere with indoor and outdoor facilities/ things to do and lot hugely expensive. Any ideas?

[NicknameUsed]

Yorkshire Wildlife Park. It's brilliant.

[Peabody25]

Thanks, that sounds really good. Forgot to mention as well we have two three year olds, so that fits the bill perfectly.

[Wolfiefan]

Rotherham totally the wrong place? We enjoyed Magna. Mostly inside but play area outside. Depends on ages of kids really.

[woollyminded]

Town or country Peabody? By car or public transport? The RSPB site at Old Moor has a nice, friendly cafe and if the weather is nice paths to walk around. They have done a great job there in making a terrible place very beautiful.

Many friends' children studying in Sheffield and they all love it very much, they tell me of fantastic cafes with wild and exotic sandwiches!

[NicknameUsed]

I don't think three year olds would like Magna. DD hated it until she was about 9.

[BigMamaFratelli]

Chatsworth has a great adventure playground and farmyard. Plus there's the gardens and the kitchen garden too.

The butterfly farm at South anston is also great. Loads of animals to feed outdoors, plus a play barn and the butterfly house if the weather is terrible.

[Peabody25]

Thanks all! Travelling by car and us and friends will both have our three year olds with us, so needs to be child friendly, somewhere to stretch their legs and a proper day out o one place rather than bits and pieces of different places if that makes sense?

[Lireal]

Yorkshire sculpture park, Wentworth garden centre (more of a play park than garden centre), magna centre, soft play at Sheffield mega centre, meadowhell 😂😱, Hillsborough leisure centre, concord leisure centre. Most of these are not too far off the m1. Also lots of lovely parks, playgrounds and woodlands in Sheffield.

[Lireal]

Also tropical butterfly house in North anston.

[BikeRunSki]

Sheffield - Botanical Gardens if nice, Kelham Island Museum, Fire Engine Museum, Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet (living history type place), Heeley City Farm

Rotherham- Magna

Barnsley/Wakefield- Cannon Hall Farm and Park (farm is pricey though, but huge soft play and playgrounds); Yorkshire Sculpture Park; Pugney's Country Park (v little indoors); Wintersett Country Park (Room on the Broom trail, playground, rubbish cafe, small visitor centre).

And my fave - RSPB Old Moor at Barnsley/Rotherham borders. My fave because I work there!

Also - Connisborough Castle (near Doncaster)

Cresswell Crags (Chesterfield way)

Sherwood Pines
Sherwood Forest
National Trust Clumber Park (Worksop, always stuff going on here)
National Trust Nostell Priory (between Wakefield and Doncaster).

[BikeRunSki]

Wentworth Castle

[BikeRunSki]

Actually yes, the Butterfly House at Anston. That is where you want.

[Frouby]

Bikerunsky I live 5 minutes from Old Moor. On foot lol. Is it a nice place for a 3 year old? We have been here 2 years and although I regularly walk the dog on the TPT from Old Moor down to Manvers lake we have never actually been in yet.

He has just bought a wildlife explorer backpack thing with binoculars and a compass and a magnified bug case so I bet he would love looking for creatures.

Do we need good weather tho? It looks a bit bleak in the winter.

[Frouby]

But to the OP for that age range I would say probably Cannon Hall Farm. It's enough for a full day out, you can take a picnic or use the cafe and there is indoor and outdoor things to do. Although the Butterfly House is brilliant there isn't that much to do inside apart from the actual butterfly house which is far to warm to spend more than 10 minutes at a time in. It also smells and my then 2 year old didn't like that particular bit of it.

[BikeRunSki]

Frouby yes! Great for a 3 yo! Space to run about, wooden playground, pond dipping, family hide for pretty obvious birdwatching. Really nice cafe too. There are often kids activities on at half term.

Do you ever get the free mag families "Raring2Go"? There is always a free entry voucher in there. Give it a go on a nice day.

[NicknameUsed]

"And my fave - RSPB Old Moor at Barnsley/Rotherham borders. My fave because I work there!"

I like it there. I haven't been for ages.

Another vote for Cannon Hall farm or the tropical butterfly house at North Anston as well.

My favourite is the wildlife park though.

[serenaserene]

Eureka in Halifax

[Frouby]

Thanks Bike! That's brill will look out for the magazine. As soon as the weather is a bit more reasonable we will have a walk up. He would love pond dipping. He spent half the summer dragging his fishing net through the lake 'catching' stones.

If he likes it I will make us RSPB members as it's pretty cheap for an annual pass.

And a nature reserve is much more like my idea of a relaxing afternoon out than the new bastarding soft play he can see from our house.


Another good day out is the Elsecar Heritage Centre. Huge soft play and a beautiful beautiful park just across the road. Loads of little shops to mooch around and on a weekend there is usually some kind farmers market or craft fair with donkeys and bouncy castles etc. It's only a few minutes drive from Wentworth garden centre, you could easily do both.

[BikeRunSki]

Eureka is in no way handy for Derby. It's not far from Leeds, but in the totally wrong direction (west) for Derby (south).

[NicknameUsed]

Yes, Halifax is way too far to drive to from Derby for a day trip with children.

[pattimayonnaise]

Another vote for Butterfly House!