

Recommend me a day out in the North!

(22 Posts)
NoLikeyNoLighty Thu 06-Feb-14 23:17:10

I've gone and got me a spanking new rail card that gets us and the small people cheap rail fares wherever we go.
As we're based in the North and I'm not made of money, I'd love some inspiration!
Where would you go?!
If you're in the North, what's child friendly and worth seeing where you are?
Or where do you like going child friendly wherever you're from?!

Lagoonablue Thu 06-Feb-14 23:23:33

Blimey the North is a big place. North east? North West? Yorkshire? Cumbria? Cheshire? Be more specific!

complexnumber Thu 06-Feb-14 23:25:33

York has everything!

NoLikeyNoLighty Thu 06-Feb-14 23:26:21

I'm Yorkshire based, and on a good rail link so anywhere easy to get to from Yorkshire! Sorry, should have specified smile

Selks Thu 06-Feb-14 23:26:48

Liverpool for the shopping, Albert docks and Liverpool Tate museum.
Bradford for Saltaire and Salts Mill, then into Bradfird for a curry and a film at the Medis museum.
Manchester for a browse in the Northern Quarter, and dinner in Chinatown.
Or go rural and get the train to Horton in Ribblesdale and hike up Penyghent.
Hebden Bridge for a quirky alternative town with independent shops and coffee shops, eat at the olive tree restaurant and see a band at the Trades Club
Harrogate for Betty's tea rooms and Harrogate Turkish baths
York for the Minster and a cocktail and bowl of laksa curry at the Evil Eye

AnythingNotEverything Thu 06-Feb-14 23:29:12

I'd add the train museum at York and Eureka in Halifax.

NinePeedles Thu 06-Feb-14 23:30:46

What about Newcastle? There are good museums, Seven Stories, and you could get the metro to Whitley bay for a paddle!

AntiJamDidi Thu 06-Feb-14 23:31:52

We like Beamish but that might be a bit difficult to get to, I'm not sure of train links as we've always driven.
Newcastle Discovery museum is brilliant (and free!) for younger kids, probably 10 and under mostly, and not far from the train station.

BraveLilBear Fri 07-Feb-14 02:47:43

Second the train museum in York (free)

Head to Hull for The Deep - awesome 'submarium' ie aquarium where they're about to get penguins!

Also in Hull the Streetlife Museum (free) is great for kids - can get on trams and steam train engines and walk down authentic old streetscenes. Totally recommend.

Feel free to PM if you head this way and want other ideas for Ull - it's surprising how good it is as a day trip imo.

Innogen Fri 07-Feb-14 03:18:47

Durham is gorgeous.

I am biased, as it is my alma mater.

Who doesn't like castles though?

LittleMissDisorganized Fri 07-Feb-14 06:33:54

Manchester museums are amazingly child friendly and mostly free - especially recommend the art gallery and MOSI (Museum of Science and Industry). Also Stockport's hat museum is good fun and very near the station.
Liverpool for children: go up to the top of the Anglican Cathedral tower - there are lots of steps though, but a head for heights is rewarded with awesome views. Similarly the new Central library roof terrace, which is next to the excellent Liverpool World Museum and Walker Art Gallery. If you head dockside, there's the Albert Dock to potter around, the Liverpool Tate and Maritime Museum are very child adapted and do good school holiday events and Underwater Street, though pricey, is a science, art and messy wonderland ( tho expensive it's only 1 of 2 in my whole list that costs anything at all, the other being the cathedral tower). Hope they help!

Helenagrace Fri 07-Feb-14 07:24:57

Liverpool World museum if fantastic and free. MOSI in Manchester also good.

South Lakes Animal park is a taxi / bus ride from the station but is really good.

Eureka in Halifax is near the station and is good fun.

Hull is brilliant as someone mentioned up thread. Lots to see.

York is good but crazy busy in school holidays and full of European yoof on English courses.

Hoppinggreen Fri 07-Feb-14 07:29:00

East Coast? Whitby or Scarborough?

43percentburnt Fri 07-Feb-14 07:37:33

I second the deep in hull and the street life museum. Very very good day out.

Spottybra Fri 07-Feb-14 07:37:55

Eureka, once you've paid to get in the pass is valid for the rest of the year.
Yorkshire wildlife park - you will need a bus from the train station to the park. Or pre arrange a taxi. We drive there but I know my sister has done it that way.
Leeds - royal armouries museum is free and Harvey Nichols is always good for a browse.
Look into the great Yorkshire show. I always drive so not sure if its within train distance.
Harrogate and York are lovely places, although, aside from Betty's tea rooms in York I can't actually remember what I do there.
Castles? Coast?

Bunbaker Fri 07-Feb-14 07:59:31

Skipton - great market town and interesting castle
Keighley - Worth Valley railway up to Howarth and Bronte country
Settle-Carlisle railway. Carlisle is really worth a visit

Eureka is OK as long as the small people are small. I took DD when she was about 6 or 7 and most of the exhibits were aimed at younger children. It is right next to the station though. Don't go in February half term because you could queue for up to 2 hours to get in - the same at The Deep.

To me York is the ultimate UK city destination as there is so much to see and do. We go there frequently and visit somewhere different every time.

I didn't know about the streetlife museum in Hull and fancy the sound of that.

BraveLilBear Fri 07-Feb-14 15:28:03

Bunbaker the streetlife museum is in the old town, next to two other museums - Wilberforce Museum (home of William Wilberforce who got slavery stopped), and an old fishing boat on the river that you can have tours of, the Arctic Corsair. Both these are also free (tho would depend on age of kids).

Bunbaker Fri 07-Feb-14 15:46:06

Sounds like a trip to Hull is in order. I visited the Wilberforce museum many, many years ago and found it very interesting.

Interestingly, slavery in the UK was only made illegal in 2010!

LittleMissGerardButlersMinion Fri 07-Feb-14 15:49:28

Depends which part of Yorkshire you are in. I live in West Yorkshire and we have trains to York, Leeds, Manchester, Selby and Blackpool.

We have been to Blackpool and done things like the tram and 2p slots etc, we like hebden bridge, Leeds (armouries) York (national railway museum) Bradford (media museum), Manchester (mosi museum), and we sometimes go to Pudsey for the big M&S cafe and the big asda!

Bunbaker Fri 07-Feb-14 15:50:37

I used to live near there grin

DuPainDuVinDuFromage Fri 07-Feb-14 15:58:50

Another vote for Durham and Newcastle! Plus Berwick if you like a bit of fresh air and coastline, and there are the barracks as well (English Heritage I think)

Selks Fri 07-Feb-14 20:49:29

All these suggestions and the OP hasn't come back!

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