Things to Do
Woodside Barn Pony Petting. Next door! A bespoke experience getting close to a real pony. Guidance and information on petting, grooming and general care. Help muck out a stable, make up feed and fill a hay net. See https://woodsidebarnponypetting.co.uk. Also possibilities for DIY livery if you want to bring your own pony/horse.
Cheshire Cat Narrowboat Holidays, Overwater Marina, Coole Lane. Narrowboat available for day hire – a day out with a difference. CW5 8AY https://cheshirecatnarrowboats.co.uk/
Alderford Lake, Tilstock Road, Whitchurch. Outdoor lake, with swimming, kayaking, paddle boarding, walks, climbing walls and tree houses to explore. Cafe offering snacks etc. Booking recommended. SY13 3JQ. www.alderford.com
Three Wrens gin distillery. Visit, taste and buy some fabulous gin. Or book one of their terrific tasting or distilling experiences either at the distillery on the way to Whitchurch (Combermere, SY13 4AL) or at their newly opened bar in Pepper Street in the centre of Nantwich. [With advance notice, we can often book very cheap public transport to and from the distillery from the end of Bridgemere Lane.] https://threewrensgin.com/
BeWILDerwood, Cheshire. Outdoor fun with tree top rope course, zip lines, forest trails and other activities. SY13 4JF www.bewilderwood.co.uk
Alton Towers, Farley Lane, Alton, Stoke-on-Trent. The UK’s biggest theme park. ST10 4DB www.altontowers.com
Audlem Lass Boat Service. A short but scenic boat taxi service between Audlem (Lock 15 along the towpath towards Nantwich from the Shroppie Fly) and Overwater Marina. Run by the RNLI. £1 donation. Operates from Easter to October.
Dagfields Craft & Antiques, Walgerton. 10 minutes drive from the Shippon. More than 300 dealers in antiques and collectibles in 7 large barns. CW5 7LG www.dagfields.co.uk
Hack Green Secret Nuclear Bunker, French Lane, Baddington. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays. One of 16 bunkers designed to house the regional seats of government that would have become operational in the event of a nuclear attack on the UK. Now decommissioned. Full of relevant artefacts. Fascinating. Cafe. CW5 8BL. www.hackgreen.co.uk
Middleport Pottery, Port Street, Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent. Still working (Burleigh) pottery. Large, well-presented exhibition of the pottery’s artistic and commercial history. Do the self-guided heritage tour: visit one of the few remaining kilns and see how pots have been made on a commercial scale since the late 19th century. The pottery was the backdrop for a dramatic scene in Peaky Blinders! Cafe. Seconds shop. ST6 3PE https://www.burleigh.co.uk/pages/visit-middleport-pottery
Gladstone Pottery Museum, Uttoxeter Road, Stoke-on-Trent. Where the Great Pottery Throwdown has been filmed in 2024. Shop. ST3 1PQ https://www.stokemuseums.org.uk/gpm/
Apedale coal mine visitor centre. Museum. Mine tours. Light railway. https://www.apedale.co.uk/about-us/
Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre, Bomish Lane, Macclesfield. Closed on Mondays. The world’s first radio telescope. Still operational (part of the University of Manchester). Fabulous exhibition building laying out the history of the site and its role in the Cold War. Separate scientific exhibition buildings. Cafe. Shop. SK11 9DW https://www.jodrellbank.net/
Chester zoo. A fabulous collection of animals in all shapes and sizes from all around the world. A leading conservation charity. Don’t miss the snow leopards! https://www.chesterzoo.org/?gad_source=1
Little Moreton Hall, Newcastle Road, Congleton. A lovely half-timbered manor house. Fascinating. CW12 4SD https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/cheshire-greater-manchester/little-moreton-hall
Fordhall farm park, Market Drayton. Community owned farm. Lots to see and do with kids. Cafe. https://www.fordhallfarm.com/
The Silk Museum, Park Lane, Macclesfield Cheshire, SK11 6TJ. https://www.thesilkmuseum.co.uk/ (Weds to Sat only).
Gardens galore!!
Bridgemere Garden Centre, London Road, on the way to Woore. 10 minutes drive from the Shippon. Enormous garden centre with interesting show gardens to visit, many of them having won prizes at Chelsea. Good fruit/veg stall. Clothes/outdoor shops, Lakeland, Hobbycraft etc. Cafe/restaurant. Deli. Butcher. CW5 7QB https://www.bluediamond.gg/garden-centre/bridgemere-garden-centre
The Dorothy Clive Garden, Willoughbridge, Market Drayton. “A plantsman’s paradise”! TF9 4EU https://dorothyclivegarden.co.uk/
Wollerton Old Hall Garden. 24 minutes from The Shippon. Historic Houses. TF9 3NA. https://www.wollertonoldhallgarden.com/
Hodnet Hall gardens. Historic Houses. 27 minutes from The Shippon. Historic Houses. TF9 3NN. https://www.hodnethallgardens.org/
Biddulph Grange Garden, Grange Road, Biddulph, Stoke-on-Trent. A masterpiece of Victorian garden design – “a quirky, playful paradise”. National Trust. ST8 7SD. 40 minutes from The Shippon. https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/shropshire-staffordshire/biddulph-grange-garden
Dunham Massey Hall. “A garden for all seasons”, with an ancient deer park and a house filled with treasures and stories. National Trust. WA14 4SJ https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/cheshire-greater-manchester/dunham-massey
Tatton Park, Knutsford, WA16 6QN. Historic estate with Tudor hall, neo-classical mansion, lavish gardens, a deer park and playground. Cafe. Shop. National Trust (entry fee even for members). WA16 6QN https://www.tattonpark.org.uk/home.aspx
Erddig. National Trust. Nr Wrexham. 49 minutes from The Shippon. LL13 0YT, but follow the signs when you get near, as the house is a bit remote. https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/wales/erddig
Towns and cities
General
Treasure Trails cover several towns round us such as Nantwich and Chester. You can download the trails or follow them on your phone. They encourage you to go a little bit off the usual beaten track and to look around you at various historical features. If you’ve not done them they’re fun to do and a good way to explore and learn more about places. https://www.treasuretrails.co.uk/
Audlem. 5-10 minutes away. Pretty village that deems itself to be on the boundary between the North and the South of England – see the plaque on the public toilets in the Recreation Ground carpark! Lovely gentle walks on the towpath along the canal in either direction. Usually busy with barges/canalboats negotiating the string of 15 locks that pass the village. A few interesting shops. St James the Great church is worth a look inside, too.
Nantwich Ten minutes away. Park in the Civic Hall Car Park, CW5 5DG or Snow Hill Car Park, CW5 5LS. Interesting little market town with a large number of old buildings, many dating back to the great fire of 1583 or earlier. Site of the nearby Battle of Nantwich (1644) when troops led by Sir Thomas Fairfax relieved a siege of the town and defeated the royalist army. The town has a brine swimming pool, salt springs having been the main source of income for the town from pre-history until the mid-1800s. St Mary’s Church (known as the “cathedral of south Cheshire”), dating from the 14th Century is well worth a visit. Ask one of the very well-informed guides about the carvings in the nave or other aspects of the history of the church, including its use during the civil war as a temporary prison. Markets on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Lots of independent shops – don’t miss the Cheese Shop at 12 Hospital Street, or AT Welch at 45 Hospital Street (as much a museum – walk through to the coffee shop at the back – as a grocers/café, closed Sundays and Mondays). Have lunch at Ginger and Pickles (3A Mill Street, CW5 5ST) or the Navio Lounge (11 Churchyardside, CW5 5DH).
Whitchurch 20 minutes away. Small market town with interesting independent shops. Lots of historic buildings. Antiques emporium.
Chester. A bit less than an hour away. Park at the Little Roodee car park (Grosvenor Road, CH1 1SL). Very interesting historic city. Walk the city walls. Go up pedestrianised Eastgate Street with its two layers of shops. Visit Chester Market (https://www.visitcheshire.com/information/product-catch-all/chester-market-p48641) open Tuesday to Sunday. Chester Cathedral is stunning.
Shrewsbury An hour away. Interesting town nestled in a bend in the Severn river with lots of independent “designer” shops. Several historic buildings. Shrewsbury prison is interesting – and runs an escape room experience, too!
The Shippon @ Woodside Farm 