Summer family days out

Catherine Aspinall, a local mum of two lively children and an equally energetic pug, shares her top family day out ideas. With a love for exploring and the outdoors, Catherine and her family are always out and about, having fun adventures in Rochdale & the North West. Follow on Facebook & Instagram @wherewegoingmummy

PRETTY PLACES TO PADDLE

With the weather set to hot up, here are a few places nearby where you can cool off with a little paddle…

EALEES

• Pay and display parking at OL15 0AQ (Littleborough)

Instead of walking up to Hollingworth Lake from the car park (which is what everyone tends to do), why not walk in the other direction and head into Ealees? Next to a small wood, with loads of wildlife to spot, you will find a pond and a few picnic benches. If you then follow the path you will come across a small stream with plenty of places to paddle and throw stones.

IRON WATERS

• Park at the top of Dewhirst Road (OL12 0AG) in Syke (being mindful of residents), or park on Rydings Road (OL12 9PS) and follow the marked footpath across the fields

This is a teeny, tiny stream, but that makes it great (and safe) for the teeny, tiny people we want to entertain! There are also trees to climb, hills to scramble up and roll down and sometimes horses to see…

CHEESDEN VALLEY

• Park on the lay-by close to Owd Betts pub (OL12 7TY)

If you head away from Owd Betts towards Edenfield, you will see a small opening (and a stile) in the wall on your left. If you follow the path down you will stumble across the ruins of a mill, a waterfall and a little brook running through the valley… such a hidden delight!

PICNIC IN THE PARK

Picnic season is finally upon us, and Rochdale has some lovely parks where you can relax, explore and play…

HAREHILL PARK

• Littleborough, OL15 9BG

• There are places to park on Inglis Street, Sale Street and Denehurst Road

• Cuppaccino Bistro serves good breakfasts and lunches and also sells ice cream and cakes

Harehill Park is one of our favourites! It is really pretty, and has lots of little paths to explore, as well as a good flat space path for balls or frisbees, biking or scooting. There are two different playgrounds, one aimed at the younger children, with a cute fake road, and one for the older children, including a small skate park.

There will be brass bands playing in the bandstand on Sunday 3rd July, Sunday 7th August and Sunday 4th September between 3-5pm.

QUEENS PARK

• Heywood, OL10 4AL

• There is parking opposite the park entrance on Queens Park Road

• There is a café in the park

A large, beautiful park with so much to explore. Queens Park has a new(ish) castle themed playground and is also home to a great BMX track. There is also a lake full of hungry ducks, and often a land train to ride!

DENEHURST PARK

• Rochdale, OL11 5AF

• There's a small car park next to the Premier shop, Edenfield Rd

Denehurst Park is lovely! It has a little playground, including a separate toddler area, and also a perimeter path if you want to ride your bike (but beware of the trolls hiding under the bridge!).

The Denehurst Park Dog Show is happening again this year, on Sunday 21st August.

FALINGE PARK

• Rochdale, OL12 6JY

• Parking inside the park or on the surrounding streets being mindful of residents

Falinge Park has quite an adventurous playground, with an aerial assault course and rocks to climb, but you will find some things for the younger crowd too. There’s also a duck pond, tree carvings and beautiful gardens.

There is due to be a vintage car show in Falinge Park on Sunday 17th July.

ELLENROAD ENGINE HOUSE

• Milnrow

• Car park next to the museum at OL16 4LG

• £7.50 per adult, but accompanying children go free!

Have you ever wondered what that massive chimney is as you get on or off the motorway at Milnrow? Well my kids have always asked… and I did actually know it was home to “the world’s largest working steam mill engine” (I am a geek after all), but I had never actually seen it (or had any real desire to do so).

However, once again pestered to the point of surrender, off we went to an Open Day. These are the dates when the engine is in steam (when you will see the chimney puffing) and when the little museum and small café are open.

Often there are additional visiting attractions, such as cars or live music. There were also lots of Land Rovers to admire when we were there.

I cannot get over how much my little boy enjoyed his visit… he was absolutely fascinated in the foundry, and stood still for a good 25 minutes watching horse shoes being made! He loved seeing the coal be shovelled into the boiler and was mesmerised watching the flames through the little protective screens they give you. He also enjoyed inspecting lots of different tools and having a go at turning some of the equipment… and all this was before we had actually entered the engine house.

True to its title, the engine itself is HUGE and - be warned - when it first starts it makes a lot of noise and a large cloud of steam… cue a lot of excited screaming!!

We will definitely be visiting again, with the Open Days occurring on the first Sunday of every month (except January), between 11 and 4.

TANDLE HILL COUNTRY PARK

• Free

• Royton, Oldham, OL2 5UX

There's always somewhere new to explore at Tandle Hill Country Park. There's the trek to the top of the world, countless trees to climb, sticks a-plenty, a little stream and - the piece de resistance - a massive slide down the hillside!

I just love the magnificent views of Rochdale, Manchester and Oldham and the woods really are impressive (in all seasons). There's some nice smooth paths for prams and bikes but also some rough terrain.

The play areas aren’t particularly big but they are fun, with wobbly bridges, sand pits with diggers, swings and slides.

An ice cream from the cafe is always a winner!