LOCAL ATTRACTIONS

Half Term Family Breaks

Click here to find out more about The Hollies Christmas 

Click here to find out more about Valentine’s Day at The Hollies Forest Lodges.

A family business since 1959, The Hollies began as a vegetable stand on the side of the road selling homegrown produce with an honesty box. Over 60 years later, still run by the Cowap family, The Hollies Farm Shop has grown to become a retail destination and one of the best farm shops in the northwest of England. The award-winning Little Budworth site now incorporates a butchery, a delicatessen, a fresh fish counter, The Barn home, gift & lifestyle department, The Hollies Takeaway, and 5 luxury self-catering forest lodges for the perfect staycation.

Wild Shore is a water-based adventure hub, offering a number of unique, dynamic and adrenaline-charged outdoor activities including Aqua Chimp, Aqua Park, Wakeboarding, Stand Up Paddle boarding and Open Water Swimming.

Pre-booking for all activities is required. Kit hire is included in the price for all activities – this includes a wetsuit, buoyancy aid and helmet if needed, so all you need to take with you is a towel, swimsuit and if you booked Aqua Chimp a pair of trainers you are happy to get wet.

BeWILDerwood Cheshire is a huge woodland full of family fun, imagination, and outdoor adventure, based on the magical and enchanting books by author and creator Tom Blofeld.

Endless hours can be spent together, exploring the wonky world of treehouses, whizzing down super slides, swinging together on giant swings and zipping along extra-long zip wires. There is also storytelling and creative crafts amongst other things to join in with too!

Tarporley High Street is the heart of the village and home to a great range of independent local businesses. From fashion, homeware and lifestyle boutiques to quirky bars and traditional pubs, it has it all, with added wholesome community spirit.

Liverpool is a city where you can be yourself. It’s a city of creative types, music lovers, culture addicts and friendly faces.

A key trade and migration port from the 18th to the early 20th centuries, it’s also, famously, the hometown of The Beatles. Ferries cruise the waterfront, where the iconic mercantile buildings known as the “Three Graces” – Royal Liver Building, Cunard Building and Port of Liverpool Building – stand on the Pier Head.

Manchester is a major city in the northwest of England with a rich industrial heritage. Be absorbed by the beautiful attractions such as the gothic architecture at John Rylands Library and Manchester Cathedral; take in fine art at Manchester Art Gallery and the Whitworth; discover history, old and new, at Manchester Museum and the Imperial War Museum North; see contemporary arts redefined at HOME; or even learn to ski at Chill Factore.

The Sandstone Trail is an easy, well signposted, three day family walk with a variety of terrain and wonderful views – and you can pick up the trail at any point to ‘jump’ on and off it and do as much or as little as you like. The Trail stretches for 34 miles/55 kilometres along Cheshire’s Sandstone Ridge and offers superb, unbroken, and often elevated walking across the still largely green and pleasant English county of Cheshire.

With grand houses and medieval deer parks, glorious gardens, a working cotton mill and dramatic landscapes, there are plenty of places to discover across Cheshire and Greater Manchester.

Within an hour or less, you could be exploring Dunham Massey, Lyme Park, Little Moreton Hall, Speke Hall, Quarry Bank Mill, or Tatton Park.

Each chapter of Chester’s history is etched into the very fabric of the city – you will walk where Roman Legionaries marched to war, Viking raiders wreaked havoc and Norman invaders conquered Anglo Saxons!

Chester has the most complete city walls, the oldest racecourse and the largest Roman Amphitheatre in Britain. In addition there is the 1000 year old Cathedral with Europe’s finest example of medieval carvings – and the one and only 700 year old Rows galleries where shopping is a double delight.

You’ll find stores galore offering the hottest fashion in Chester all set against a background of unique treasures of antiquity and a vibrant cafe culture where outdoor dining and people watching go hand in hand.

Take a stroll along the banks of the River Dee, or propel yourself in a motorboat, a rowing boat, or a pedalo.

The Designer Outlet is 15 miles from our site and has a wide range of stores, offering something to suit every taste. Highlights range from athletic labels like Nike, Adidas, Sweaty Betty and Lululemon and high-street favourites, like Marks & Spencer and Next, to a selection of iconic fashion brands, including Burberry, Polo Ralph Lauren, Michael Kors, Reiss, Kurt Geiger, Mulberry, and Hugo Boss.

Over more than 60 years Oulton Park has gathered a reputation as the country’s toughest test for both car and driver.

The venue remains as popular as ever with fans thanks to the superb views of the circuit from the extensive spectator banking. Crowds of up to 35,000 regularly visit the circuit for the annual round of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship. The Cheshire venue also hosts two rounds of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship and the ever-popular British F3/GT event.

Chester Zoo was opened in 1931 by George Mottershead and his family and is now is home to over 20,000 endangered and unusual animals within beautiful, award-winning zoological gardens. With over 500 different animal species across 125 acres, you’re sure to have great day out full of adventure discovering and learning more about the incredible animals and plants.

What’s more, Chester Zoo is a major wildlife charity highly focused on conservation and working to prevent extinction, so by buying a ticket you are helping to make a difference.

Young children over 1m tall will have the best day out tackling the Treetop Adventure. For children above 1.2m and over 6 years old, why not try the Treetop Adventure Plus which offers more thrills and challenging crossings? The Treetop Challenge is for older children, teens and adult adventurers, but this is a high one – 12 metres up and the stunning views are worth it. If you don’t fancy the treetop adventures, their all-terrain Forest Segway experience is one you’ll never forget.

If you would prefer to keep both feet firmly on the ground, there are numerous walking trails to enjoy the forest too!

You’ll see the Giant Pacific Octopus in the Octopus lighthouse, see the clownfish and tangs in the coral Cave, and search for the deadliest Stonefish in the Venom section. With over 50 different exhibits from around the world there’s something for everyone.

View Europe’s largest collection of sharks through their captivating 71-metre underwater tunnel – you can even swim with them! That’s right, they offer shark-dive experiences for swimmers of various levels and ages (pre-booking required).

Open to the public from Sunday through to Thursday, Abbeywood Estate & Gardens has lots to offer with six acres of informal and formal gardens, all different and distinctive in their own right. After exploring the grounds, relax and enjoy the atmosphere in their Garden Café which serves fine foods and drinks for your enjoyment.

Cotebrook Shire Horse Centre is the only Shire Horse stud farm in the UK open to the public, with up to 30 shires to see during the stud season. You can learn all about the Shire horse, from its history carrying knights in armour to the important stud work today, ensuring the future of this magnificent breed and there are also Shetland ponies, pigs, ducks, hens, red foxes, Scottish wildcat, otters, polecats, red deer, owls and more to see!

Enjoy refreshments at the Lakeside Cafe – choose from hot and chilled drinks, homemade soup, filled rolls and paninis, fresh cakes & bakes.

5 minutes drive down the road, you’ll find easy-going trails for all abilities, a hike to admire the view across to Liverpool’s famous skyline, orienteering courses for all abilities or a bit of peace and quiet to watch the wildlife by the lake.

There are also a couple of cycling and mountain bike trails (bike hire is available), the Superworm trail, and the Delamere Forest Cafe offering a wide range of refreshments.

Activities include Segways, the award-winning Birds of Prey experience, craft workshops and children’s trails. Alongside a range of independent shops, there are also food & drink outlets, all set in the heart of Cheshire. The village is free to enter and offers free parking.

Blakemere Village also hosts the popular annual Gin & Fizz Festival, as well as the Magical Wonderland outdoor experience with dazzling lighting and supreme sound in the depths of Cheshire woodland.

Humans have always looked up at the skies and marvelled at the sun, moon, planets and stars, in an attempt to understand our own sense of place, and purpose, here on earth. For over 75 years, Jodrell Bank has been at the forefront of that quest for understanding and at the heart of ground breaking discoveries and world-leading research.

Jodrell Bank’s inspirational story includes revolutionary scientific discoveries, amazing feats of engineering, the dawn of the Space Age and the creation of the Grade I listed Lovell Telescope, an icon for science and engineering. Today Jodrell Bank Observatory is owned and managed by the University of Manchester and is a world-leading science research institute, with scientists working at the cutting edge of modern astrophysics.

The new attractions offer a whole new flavour of activity. From ‘Honeycomb Canyon’, a sensational sand and water play area that allows children of all ages and abilities to play, engage and explore whatever the British weather brings, to ‘Daisy’s Garden’, ‘Strawberry Falls’ and ‘Silvercone’ to name but a few.

The Ice Cream Farm offers a fun day out for all the family. If you don’t get to go, we sell a variety of their delicious ice cream in our on site farm shop, so you can sample it from the comfort of your forest lodge.