Any fun ideas around Golcar, Huddersfield?

[lornathewizzard]

So we have a holiday booked in October to a cottage near Golcar. We've got 2 big days out planned to Alton Towers and The Legoland Discovery Centre/Trafford Centre.

Can anyone suggest anything else fun to do? Preferably a wee bit closer than what we have planned because there is already a fair amount of driving in what we have planned :)

Will be 7 adults, 16yo, 5yo and 3yo. TIA

www.visityork.org/
Mining museum near Wakefield
Nostell Priory
Forbidden corner for the children
Steam train to Whitby from Pickering
Dalby forest, nice walks for adults, Go Ape for the younger ones

Yorkshire Sculpture Park
The Hepworth
Royal Armouries in Leeds

The younger children would enjoy Cannon Hall Farm and Eureka, both about 30 mins from Golcar. Kirklees Light Railway too, a bit further - 40 mins? Is it October hslf term? They will have Halloween trains in, but you need to book well(weeks) in advsnce. You could pop down to Slaithwaite easily from there and then walk along the canal/train/drive to Marsden and take a canal boat trip through the longest tunnel in England (or something like that!) and pop out on the other side of the Pennines. I can’t remember if it’s Slaithwaite or Marsden that has the cafe on the canal boat. Marsden has a great ice cream place, Sundaes, although I think I may have read that it was closing?

Yummy Yorkshire at Ingbirchworth has definitive not closed, dues superb light meals and fabulous ice creams. Could combine a trip here with a walk round Ingbirchworth Reservoir.

Nice walks around reservoirs at Blackmoorfoot, Digjey, Langsett, Wessenden (not sure if you can walk round this one, next tried. @HoppingGreen might know) and Scout Dike. And Ogden Water.

There is a museum about the Woolen industry in Huddersfield in Golcar - Tge Colne Valley Museum.

Sports centre with splash park in Huddersfield town centre (book in advance to ensure you get into splash park). It also has a climbing wall and beginners taster sessions.

Holmfirth (summer wine country) and Uppermill good for pottering, independent shops and cafes. The Oil Can Cafe in Scholes (near Holmfirth) is great fun! 50s themed with lots of vintage cars on display (wife runs the cafe, husband restores old cars).

A bit further afield, the Yorkshire Sculpture Park is a good day out in fine weather. £10 or so to park, but free entry.

In Halifax, the Piece Hall will interest the adults. Also not far from Lister park of Gebtkeman Jack fame. It’s close to Eureka for the little kids.

Standedge tunnel
Sculpture park
Slaithwaite and the canal
Bolster moor farm shop and cafe
Greenhead park (can be a bit druggy if you go into the undergrowth but generally ok with lots going on)
Eureka and Piece Hall in Halifax
Leeds city centre

Might be a bit wet in October though, I do have to ask - why Golcar? Nothing wrong with it really but seems an odd place to holiday

Hi bike yet again we crossposted!!
Sorry I don’t know about Wessenden but Scammonden Dam is a good one if the weather is ok

Eureka in Halifax for the little ones
Saddleworth - Uppermill is nice for a bit of a mooch
Science and industry museum Manchester

Thanks everyone, it's Scottish half term which I think is a different week to English half term (it's WC 14th)

In answer to why Golcar, it was just due to suitable size / priced cottage for us all, and a general area we hadn't stayed before 😊

Great ideas so far thank you

I was a bit about Golcar, but it’s a nice village on the edge of some lovely countryside, but with towns and cities nearby.

I suppose it’s just because it’s local to us that I didnt think of it as a tourist destination , there’s nothing wrong with it as a base

I grew up in S Yorks and spent time in Golcar with relatives. I now live NW of Stoke and travel to places S/SE of Golcar regularly, to see relatives. Using motorways can take me up to 2hrs, esp in morning and evening, and from me Alton Towers is probably another 30mins.

So I would question why you are going to Alton Towers? Even avoiding motorways, the ‘fastest’ route straight down through Peak District will probably take longer than the predicted 2hrs when you are driving through small towns and on Peak District roads.

I would say there is more than enough to do in Yorkshire, I can’t add to what others have said except that there is a lot of beautiful countryside, both local to Golcar and slightly further afield in the Dales and N Yorks moors.

Dovestones reservoir near Saddleworth and Uppermill is nice for a walk around, or you can go up into the surrounding hills if you are looking for something more strenuous.

Also Hebden Bridge and Heptonstall - a quite olde worlde village high up above Hebden Bridge.

And the Imperial War Museum North and/or the Lowry art gallery at Salford Quays when in the Manchester area.

There's also Shibden Hall near Halifax which I believe has been featured in a recent TV programme, and they've extended their opening hours due to increased visitor interest - gardens and park there are also nice.

Re: Alton Towers, the older kids/adults love it and we only get to go once every two years when we are down south so it is a given every time we are within reasonable distance. They missed out last time because we were at the Lake District so too far.

Were it not for the addition of cbeebies land I would be doing something else with my two (the youngest two) because it is a hell of a drive.

Though TBF, we fairly regular travel 2hrs and then back the same day to see family, so the kids are fairly used to it I guess.

Fair enough re the drive, at least it will be cooler in October than it is at the moment, making driving more bearable!

We are not a theme park family, much prefer the outdoors, though we do drive 1.5-2 hrs for that sometimes, so no different.