Right, half term’s coming up, running Monday 26th to Friday 30th October and the clocks go back Sunday 24th (you’re w so it’s a long week with short days. Good news though, there’s LOADS for families to do. I’ve picked 10 activities around Stockport , checked the details so you don’t have to, and flagged anything you need to book, so you can get the week planned and actually look forward to it. Grab a brew and get the calendar out.
Featuring:
Doors to Hallowtide & Bugs and Beasties at Lyme Park
The Witch’s Potion Trail at Bramall Hall
Stockport Air Raid Shelters
Merseyday of the Dead at Merseyway & Redrock
Halloween at Reddish Vale Farm
Cheadle Hulme Community Scarecrow Trail
Hat Works
Mini Indie Disco at Bask
Light Up the Torrs, New Mills
Half term at Buxton Opera House
Doors to Hallowtide & Bugs and Beasties at Lyme Park
Disley, Stockport, SK12 2NR
Lyme Park is going to be a fantastic place to visit during half term. Weather permitting Stockport artist-curator Luca Sutton has created an art installation of ten doors across the grounds, woods and park at the estate. Each door is decorated around a piece of local folklore or one of the ghost stories from the house, including the White Lady and the skeleton in the Knight’s Bedroom. You start at the Chapel and scan a QR code at each door to hear its story. If youmanage all ten, the trail is a hilly 6km across uneven terrain so wear wellies or sturdy boots, and know that not all of it works for buggies.
When your legs (or the weather) give out, you can head inside the house for the Bugs and Beasties Detective Trail. Kids can hunt out the insects that live at Lyme and find out how they damage the house’s collections. At the end they work out which creepy crawlies have been chewing the objects in the Long Gallery. There’s step-free access from the car park, so it’s the easier option if you’ve got a buggy or little legs amongst you.
During half term week the doors are open 10.30am to 3pm and the house trail 11am to 3pm. I’d suggest hunting the doors in the morning while it’s light, then warm up inside after lunch. House, Park & Garden ticket will cover everything and you can check admission fees on the National Trust Page .
The Witch’s Potion Trail at Bramall Hall
Batilda is back. In this one, Bramall Hall’s resident witch has fallen off her broom and scattered her potion ingredients all over the house, and kids have to track them down in time for Halloween night. Find the full set and there’s a small prize at the end. It’s best for ages 3 and up and runs Thursday 22nd to Sunday 25th October, then Tuesday 27th October to Sunday 1st November, from 11am to 3.30pm. There’s no trail on Monday 26th, so don’t make that your Bramall Hall day. Trails are £3 per child, and the adults with them pay standard admission. Book on Eventbrite to fix your time slot (there’s a small booking fee), or pay on the day at the visitor centre, where it can sell out.
Stockport Air Raid Shelters
The Air Raid Shelters are tunnels carved deep into the sandstone under the town centre, and they’re atmospheric at any time of year especially Halloween week. When they opened in 1939 they were the largest purpose-built civilian air raid shelters in the country. Kids pay £3, which includes an activity trail, and adults pay £5.50. Entry is free with a Stockport Families Museums Pass. It’s a good one for a wet day, but check opening times before you go.
Merseyday of the Dead at Merseyway & Redrock
The biggest free Halloween event in town is back for a second year on Saturday 24 October, the day before half term starts. From 12pm to 3pm, Merseyway (SK1 1PD) has a spooky trail, crafts and live music. From 5pm to 7pm it moves over to Redrock (renamed Deadrock for the night) for safe trick-or-treating, Mexican folk dancing, slime making, games and a Day of the Dead parade to finish. It’s free and you don’t need to book. Come in costume, and get to Redrock early, because the trick-or-treat trail gets busy.
Halloween at Reddish Vale Farm
If you only do one pumpkin patch this year, make it this one. Reddish Vale Farm (Reddish Vale Road, SK5 7HE) runs its Halloween Pumpkin Festival every day until Saturday 31st, from 10am to 4pm. You push a wheelbarrow round the patch to pick your pumpkin, then take it to the Carving Cavern, where they deal with the mess (bless them). Your ticket also covers the rest of the farm: a Witch and Wizard Magic Show, wand making, Halloween games, roaming characters, meeting Jack Skeleton, air bouncers, play areas and the animals. Pumpkins are priced by size, and the tractor rides, marshmallow toasting and fairground rides cost extra.
There are after-dark sessions too. Moonlight Pumpkin Evenings on Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th October (5pm to 8pm) light up the patch, with an after-dark nature trail, fire and LED performers and live music. On Friday 30th and Saturday 31st October (5pm to 8pm), the Sanderson Sisters Special brings a Hocus Pocus theme. Book online, since it’s cheaper than paying at the gate and sessions can sell out. Last entry is an hour before closing, there are no dogs (except assistance dogs), and parking is free.
Cheadle Hulme Community Scarecrow Trail
Lights, camera, scarecrows. Cheadle Hulme’s first-ever Community Scarecrow Trail runs from Friday 23rd October to Monday 2nd November, so it covers all of half term. This year’s theme is At the Movies. Local families and businesses are making film-inspired scarecrows, and they’ll be dotted around Cheadle Hulme with a trail map to help you find them all. Expect famous characters, magical movie moments and some wonderfully creative interpretations from local kids. Spot them, snap them and vote for your favourite as you go, and grab a coffee from one of the indies along the route while you’re at it. It’s organised by Lane End PTA, and every penny raised goes to Lane End Primary School. Trail maps are just £1, so you’re helping the school while you play. The trail ends with The Scarecrow Awards at The Station House (Cheadle Hulme) on Halloween itself, Saturday 31st October at 2pm. Follow @cheadle_hulme_scarecrow_trail for where to get a map, plus scarecrow reveals and how to get involved.
Hat Works
Hat Works (Wellington Road South, SK3 0EU) is the UK’s only hat museum, and the Gallery of Hats is free to wander round. There are hundreds of hats, a factory floor with the restored machines and plenty of trying things on. Opening days have changed since the museum reopened, so check before you go.
Mini Indie Disco at Bask
Swap Baby Shark for Blossoms. On Sunday 1st November, from 11am to 2pm, Bask (20 Railway Road, SK1 3SW), on Exchange Square right by the station, is putting on a mini indie disco for little ones. There’s a DJ playing proper indie anthems, inflatable instruments to rock out with, face painting and a tuck shop. It’s a good way to wear them out before the school run on Monday. Tickets are on Skiddle.
Light Up the Torrs, New Mills
This one’s the weekend before half term, so call it a warm-up. On Saturday 17 October, from 6pm to 9pm, the Torrs gorge will be lit with fire and lights to mark 25 years of the Millennium Walkway, the walkway that hangs off the cliff over the River Goyt. There’s a glowing trail through the gorge, then a party to finish. Tickets start at around £9 for adults and £4 for kids, under-2s go free, and it’s worth booking ahead. Start from Torr Vale Mill (New Mills, SK22).
Half term at Buxton Opera House
Buxton Opera House is running two musical theatre workshops at the Pavilion Arts Centre (Buxton, SK17 6XN) on Tuesday 27th October, both led by Niamh Forster and Elle Hibbert. Ages 7 to 11 do Annie from 10am, and ages 12 to 18 take on The Addams Family from 1.30pm. Each session lasts two hours, includes songs, choreography and scenes, and costs from £10. You’ll be sent a participant form after booking.
Then on Friday 30th October at 7.30pm, Michael Rosen brings Nice!, his 80th birthday show, to the same venue. He’ll do the classics, Hot Food and Chocolate Cake included, plus new poems from his latest collection. It’s for all ages and runs about 70 minutes. Tickets are from £23, or £80 for a family ticket of four.
Know about a family event I’ve missed? Drop me a message on Instagram and I’ll add it in.
