Days Out Archives - Neil Turner's Blog

Imperial War Museum North

September 11, 2026 by Neil Turner

Last weekend, I took our ten-year-old to the Imperial War Museum North, in Salford Quays. I’m choosing to post about it today, for a reason that will become apparent if you read on.

The Imperial War Museum North is one of the five branches of the museum; the first was in London, opening in 1917 towards the end of the First World War. There’s also a branch in Duxford, Cambridgeshire, and the Imperial War Museum also cares for HMS Belfast and the Churchill War Rooms. I’ve been to the London museum once; I was very young and so my memories are vague, but the Queen Mother was also visiting on the same day, presumably to open something. And I’ve been on HMS Belfast, as a teenager, and the Churchill War Rooms in 2012 (which I apparently didn’t blog about).

Anyway, this was my first visit to the Imperial War Museum North. Which, considering it’ll be celebrating its 25th anniversary next year, is perhaps odd. There are very few free museums in the north of England reachable by public transport that I haven’t been to yet.

Inside the museum

Our visit was just in the afternoon, and so we only had time to browse the main exhibition space. There’s a temporary exhibition upstairs on at present, called Outrageous Women: Marriage, Religion and Culture, but we ran out of time to see that.

The main space is one large, open space split off into five zones. Each zone represents a period of history:

The First World War
The Inter-war years
The Second World War
The Cold War
Into a new century (1990 to now)

You can follow them chronologically – this is what we did – but you don’t have to.

Whilst you will see tanks, planes and artillery in the museum, this isn’t a military museum per se. It’s more about the history of war and conflict, primarily in the UK and Europe, and its impact on people. You therefore learn about the events that led up to wars breaking out, how people lived through them (both on the front lines and at home), and what happened when the fighting stopped.

The Big Picture

On the hour, the lights in the main exhibition space dim, and a short 5-10 minute show is projected onto the walls. The shows vary depending on the time; there are six currently in rotation, and we got to see two of them:

Ukraine: Our Ordinary Lives. This follows several young Ukrainians who have remained in their country since the war with Russia broke out in 2022. It shows them trying to live as normal life as possible – attending school, celebrating birthdays, graduating from university – whilst bombings take place around them, friends and family are killed and there are regular interruptions to water and electricity supplies. It’s a reminder of the reality of living in a war zone in the 21st Century, and the bravery and stoicism of young people facing a horrendous situation.
The Roads We Walked. This video marks the 80th anniversary of the Fifth Pan-African Congress, which took place at Chorlton-on-Medlock Town Hall, Manchester, in October 1945. It’s delivered as a series of poems, but highlights the role that Manchester had in a number of African nations eventually achieving independence from the British Empire. I recognised some of the names mentioned: Kwame Nkrumah and Jomo Kenyatta, who both have universities named after them in their now-independent home countries.

A mangled and rusty window frame from the ruins of the World Trade Centre in New York, on display at the Imperial War Museum North

September 11th

The final zone, which focusses on the present day, includes some exhibits from the September 11th 2001 terrorist attacks in the USA, included the mangled and rusty remains of a window pane from the World Trade Centre in New York. Today is 25 years since those attacks took place, and there is a focus on the resultant wars in Afghanistan and Iraq that followed.

Also in this section is a huge doorway made up of hundreds of suitcases, representing those who have become refugees fleeing war. It’s a common theme throughout the museum, from the Kindertransport in 1938 and evacuations to the countryside in 1939, to the Homes for Ukraine Scheme in this decade.

It’s a good museum, and one that I’m sure we’ll re-visit. Whilst our ten-year-old is mature enough to handle the more difficult themes (and liked seeing the old children’s toys on display), they haven’t quite covered enough history at school to be able to appreciate everything just yet.

Accessibility

Being a new museum, accessibility is good – there are lifts and step-free access everywhere. There are disabled toilets with both left and right hand transfer; whilst there isn’t a Changing Places toilet, there are two within easy walking (or wheeling) distance at the Lowry Arts Centre and at MediaCity:UK. Wheelchairs are also available to borrow whilst visiting, and you can also borrow sensory backpacks. If you have sensory issues, particularly regarding bright or dim lights and loud noises, then you may wish to read their accessibility guide before going.

Entry to the museum is free, although you’re welcome to donate or buy a detailed guidebook. There is a café, but we didn’t eat there on this occasion. Free Wi-Fi is available, including on Eduroam.

Parking is available on site, but has to be paid for. I saw what looked like electric car chargers in the car park, but they’re not listed on any apps and so may not be available for the public to use. Instead, there’s parking at the nearby Quayside shopping centre which includes six Standard-Plus AC chargers on the Evyve network.

There are good public transport options – this, and it being free entry, were key reasons why we went. There is a Metrolink tram stop right outside, conveniently called Imperial War Museum, and this is on the Trafford Park line with trams from Manchester city centre and the Trafford Centre. Trams are typically every 12 minutes. It’s also only a short walk to the MediaCity:UK tram stop. The number 30 bus also stops right outside – this runs from Piccadilly Gardens to the Trafford Centre and seems quite frequent, even on Sundays.

Biddulph Grange Garden

September 7, 2026 by Neil Turner

When I was writing up about our visit to the Plas Cadnant Hidden Garden in July, I realised that I’d forgotten to write about when we went to Biddulph Grange Garden in May. We went there on the May Day Bank Holiday Monday, which also happened to be our wedding anniversary. I assume I had intended to write up about the visit later that week, but then everything went wrong and that visit turned out to be the last bit of long distance driving that I would be doing until at least next year.

I’ve been to Biddulph Grange Garden many times. I have family in the area, and my aunt was a volunteer there for many years, so I went there a lot as a kid. This year’s visit was also the third time we’d been as a household; we first went in 2019, and again during lockdown in the summer of 2020, seeing as it’s mostly outdoors.

A quick history of Biddulph Grange

The National Trust has a more detailed history, but what we now know as Biddulph Grange and its garden first came into being in the mid 19th Century. This included a large house, part of which burnt down and was rebuilt in a different style in 1897.

In the 20th Century, the house was sold and became a hospital, first run by the “North Staffordshire Cripples Aid Society” and later by Lancashire County Council as a children’s orthopaedic hospital. This led to some of the garden’s glasshouses being demolished and replaced with modern hospital wards.

By 1991, the hospital had closed. The National Trust took over the garden, and at the time it was one of its biggest restoration projects ever undertaken. The house remained derelict for a while longer, but is now apartments and separate from the gardens, whilst the rest of the land passed to Staffordshire Moorlands District Council and is now the Biddulph Country Park.

As it wasn’t opened to the public until May 1991, when I was seven years old, this probably explains why I remember visiting it so vividly.

The gardens

The garden at Biddulph Grange is split into several themed areas. My favourite is the Chinese Garden, pictured above, which underwent a restoration last year. The garden is home to a number of follies, including the Cheshire Cottage and the Egyptian Court, complete with sphinxes. A more recent addition (in so far as I don’t remember it being there when I was a child) is a woodland play area.

A small and curious indoor part of the garden is the Geological Gallery, a Victorian display of fossils laid out to follow the seven days of Genesis in the Bible. Originally, visitors to the garden would have entered the garden through this gallery, which at one time would have been bigger, but it was partly demolished during its time as a hospital.

I think there’s always a worry when, as an adult, you revisit places you enjoy as a kid to find that they’re not as good as you remember. I’m pleased that Biddulph Grange is a definite exception – it’s still just as fun following the winding paths into the different themed areas. If anything, the addition of the woodland play area makes it better than it was when I was young. It’s a really fun and beautiful place to explore.

Accessibility

Biddulph Grange isn’t flat, and not all areas of the garden have step-free access. However, there is a step-free route marked out on the map which lets you see most of the garden. A disabled toilet is available on site, but the nearest Changing Places toilet is at a Tesco in Kidsgrove, about 4 miles away.

There is a car park on site, but it can get full at busy times. Six ‘Standard-Plus’ electric car chargers are available on the RAW Power network. The nearest rapid chargers are in Congleton, which have hopefully been fixed since last summer’s visit to nearby Little Moreton Hall.

The nearest railway station is at Congleton, which is served by stopping services on the West Coast Main Line – from there, it’s about 2 ½ miles to Biddulph Grange. Alternatively, there’s the number 94 bus from Congleton to Newcastle-under-Lyme, which runs hourly Monday-Friday and two-hourly on Saturdays.

As National Trust entry prices go, Biddulph Grange is mid-tier, so expect to pay £14 each for adults if you’re not members of the National Trust like we are. The garden is big enough to spend half a day at, but it’s not quite a full day out. There is a café on site, which offers free Wi-Fi.

A return visit to the People’s History Museum

September 3, 2026 by Neil Turner

A banner stating 'Murdoch is Bad News' encouraging people to boycott The Sun and The Times, at the People's History Museum in Manchester

Between returning from Wales, and our ten-year-old starting four weeks at summer holiday club, we had a fallow week where Christine and I took turns to look after them during the daytime. So, I took them for their first visit to the People’s History Museum in Manchester.

Christine and I have been before, back in 2013 before we got married, but neither of us have been since. The People’s History Museum was also in the news in June, as Andy Burnham, then newly-elected as the MP for Makerfield, essentially set out his vision for becoming Prime Minister. By the time we visited, he had indeed become Prime Minister.

Compared to 2013, the two main galleries remain similar. What has changed is the addition of some overlays, which give the experiences of recent migrants to the UK in relevant places. As part of my work in higher education, I found the section about migrants trying to get their professional qualifications recognised particularly interesting. Overall, the museum remains a very left-wing view of British history, with particular focus on the Labour Party, trade unions and the changing legislation to give different groups of people the vote. It’s a reminder of how far we have progressed over the years.

100 Years of Strikes and Solidarity

The current exhibition at the People’s History Museum is 100 Years of Strikes and Solidarity, which marks the 100th anniversary of the 1926 General Strike. As you would expect, the Miner’s Strike is a major focus but it includes more recent industrial action such as the Resident Doctors’ strikes and walkouts by Amazon workers. Indeed, until the end of this month, there’s a build-a-bot activity for kids where they can make their own paper model of a robot costume used by Amazon strikers that is on display in the exhibition.

Accessibility

The People’s History Museum is a model of good practice when it comes to accessibility, with lift access to all floors, more than one disabled toilet (offering a choice of left- or right-side transfer) and a Changing Places toilet. There are also Braille and large print guides to borrow and sensory packs.

It’s in Manchester city centre; we arrived by train and it was simply a case of walking out the main entrance to Manchester Victoria station and then following the River Irwell until we reached the museum, which took 15-20 minutes. It’s also not far from Manchester Piccadilly station either. I personally wouldn’t park in Manchester city centre and would instead recommend Park and Ride.

Entry to the museum is free, but a £10 donation is encouraged. There is free Wi-Fi if you ask for the password at reception, and there’s a café and gift shop.

RHS Garden Bridgewater

August 23, 2026 by Neil Turner

On our way back from our holiday in Wales, we stopped off at the RHS Garden Bridgewater to the north of Manchester. We’ve been several times before, as we had an RHS membership in 2023, but this was my parents’ first visit.

A quick history of Bridgewater

The RHS has a more detailed history of the Bridgewater garden on its web site, so I’ll keep this brief. It’s the newest of the five gardens that are permanently managed by the RHS, having come into their care in 2017 and opened to the public in 2021, and alongside Harlow Carr (visited in June), is their second in Northern England.

The site used to be home to a country house, Worsley New Hall, which was built in the mid 19th Century for Francis Egerton, the 1st Earl of Ellesmere. At the time, it cost around £100,000 – about £6.7 million adjusted for inflation, so not quite as much as Penrhyn Castle but still a big, expensive house. The house overlooked a lake, and further on, extensive walled gardens. Queen Victoria visited twice, in 1851 and 1857, arriving by the Bridgewater Canal which runs along the edge of the site. The Bridgewater Canal was built by a different member of the Egerton family, also called Francis Egerton, but his title was the 3rd Duke of Bridgewater.

The site saw use in both World Wars, as a British Red Cross hospital during the First World War and as a training ground for the Lancashire Fusiliers in the Second World War. The Egerton family left Worsley New Hall and after that the site declined, with the house falling into disrepair and later demolished in the 1940s. The site then returned to nature, with some use of the woods by the Scout movement as a campsite, and the walled garden as a plant nursery, until the early 2010s.

The Bridgewater Garden today

Broadly speaking, the RHS Garden at Bridgewater consists of five areas:

The original walled garden
New borders by the main entrance pavilion, known as the Worsley Welcome Garden
A Chinese stream-side garden
Middle Wood
Ellesmere Lake

The walled garden has been further sub-divided into different parts, including a kitchen garden, a learning space, space for community groups, and a Blue Peter garden transported from a previous Chelsea Flower Show. Middle Wood is the established wooded area which has been cleared of invasive buddleja to encourage more biodiversity, and it hosts a playground. Ellesmere Lake is the original lake that sat in front of where Worsley New Hall stood and has been partially restored.

The Chinese garden is new, and arguably the most interesting. Whilst it has been there since the garden opened in 2021, it is still under development, and a large pavilion is currently under construction. This has been built using traditional Chinese methods, and will hopefully be ready in the new year. The planting around the new pavilion includes lots of cherry trees, and I expect it’ll look fabulous come spring. It’s a good thing we’ve bought a year’s RHS membership as I’m sure we’ll be back.

Animals and wildlife

Beyond the walled garden there’s a chicken coop, with several heritage breeds of chicken on show. Also, beyond the play area, there used to be several Berkshire pigs which were used to help clear the ground whilst the garden was being established. However, they moved on to a new home elsewhere last year.

The increased biodiversity on site has encouraged more wildlife to move in. Every time we’ve visited, we’ve seen plenty of dragonflies, and on this visit, we saw a huge common hawker dragonfly which was several inches long. We also saw several caterpillars that will likely become cinnabar moths, along with plenty of bees and butterflies.

Accessibility

As befits an attraction opened in 2021, accessibility is good. The site is relatively flat, and where it isn’t, there are gentle slopes and paved paths. There are some steps and stepping stones, but there’s always an alternative accessible way round.

Disabled toilets are available in the welcome building, and in the potting sheds and garden cottage. The welcome building is also host to a Changing Places toilet. There are several cafés, including in the welcome building where this is also free Wi-Fi.

There’s a large car park which includes six standard-plus AC electric car chargers on the Raw Power network. It looks like additional rapid chargers are about to be made available too; these were covered up on our visit last month, but may be available by the time you read this.

If you arrive at Bridgewater by other means of transport, then there’s a 30% discount off tickets. The nearest railway station is Walkden, which is around an hour’s walk, but you can hire a bike until the 31st October. Walkden has regular services from Manchester Piccadilly station.

There’s also a direct bus, the number 33, from Shudehill interchange in Manchester city centre, which runs from the end of March to the end of August. It’s part of Manchester’s Bee Network, so you can catch a Bee Network bus to a flower garden.

RHS members get into Bridgewater for free. It’s usually cheaper to pre-book tickets online, and those in receipt of certain benefits can pre-book tickets for £1.

Events at Bridgewater

You may have noticed the heron in the top photo, made out of plastic bricks (which may or may not be Lego). This is part of the Brick Explorers event which runs until the end of the month. It takes place at other RHS gardens too, including Harlow Carr, with a different set of models to find. Our ten-year-old really enjoyed this.

There’s also a longer term Wind in the Willows trail on at present.

Our 2026 holiday: Plas Cadnant Hidden Gardens

August 19, 2026 by Neil Turner

A photo of the formal part of the Hidden Gardens at Plas Cadnant

On our last full day in Wales, we crossed the Menai Strait (via the Menai Suspension Bridge which celebrates its 200th anniversary this year) to visit the Hidden Gardens at Plas Cadnant in Anglesey.

The Hidden Gardens at Plas Cadnant are not that well hidden – once you cross the bridges onto Anglesey, they’re quite well signposted. On arrival, you enter the formal walled garden, with topiary shrubs, lawns and a pond, but beyond there is a wooded area and a ravine with more informal planting. Here, the paths twist and turn, and so you’re never quite sure what you’ll see around the next bend. Our ten-year-old really liked this bit, and it felt a bit like a smaller version of Biddulph Grange in Staffordshire. A stream runs along the bottom of the ravine.

It’s a very peaceful place, that felt really lush just as the drought was starting to turn everywhere else a shade of brown. You can, apparently, see red squirrels in the trees, as grey squirrels were eradicated from Anglesey around 10 years ago, but we didn’t spot any.

We were mostly going at our ten-year-old’s pace and so spent just over an hour there, but it’s possible to spend longer – especially if you spend more time looking at the plants and flowers.

Accessibility

The formal garden at Plas Cadnant is mostly step-free, and there is a step-free route into the wooded area. However, there are steep slopes and steps down to the stream, so not all of the site is accessible to wheelchair users. Toilets are available; if you need a Changing Places toilet then there’s one that complies with older standards within a mile’s drive at Pili Palas Nature World (which we haven’t yet visited).

Car parking is on a grassy field next to the garden, which also doubles as sheep grazing. As such, there are no electric car charging facilities on site, but there is a rapid charger on Wood Street in the nearby town of Menai Bridge. The nearest railway station is at Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch (no really) but it’s about an hour’s walk; the walk from Bangor station is only a little further and it gets a more frequent service. There are also bus services from Bangor to Menai Bridge from where it’s a short walk.

There’s a café there, with free Wi-Fi available in the café. If you picked up the May issue of Gardeners’ World Magazine, you can get 2-for-1 entry to the garden.

Our 2026 holiday: Castell Caernarfon

August 15, 2026 by Neil Turner

A photo looking into Caernarfon Castle from one of the tallest towers

Following our visit to Penrhyn Castle, which looks like a fortified castle but isn’t, the next day we went to Castell Caernarfon (Caernarfon Castle), which is a fortified castle. It’s one of the four that make up the UNESCO World Heritage Site; we visited Conwy and Beaumaris last year, leaving Harlech for a future visit.

The castle sits on the edge of the Menai Strait (Caernarfon pretty much translates as ‘castle overlooking Anglesey), and, like Conwy, the town of Caernarfon has walls around it which adjoin the castle.

History of Caernarfon Castle

As per the other three castles that make up the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the current castle at Caernarfon was commissioned by Edward I of England in the 13th Century. However, it was built on the site of an older, 11th Century motte and bailey castle. As Caernarfon was to be Edward’s administrative centre of North Wales, it was built on a much grander scale that the other castles and so is significantly bigger.

However, like Beaumaris, the money ran out before it was completely finished, with work ending in 1330, almost fifty years after it was commissioned. So, parts of Caernarfon castle were never fully completed, such as the King’s Gate which forms the modern day entrance to the castle. Apart from a brief period during the 1294 Welsh rebellion, Caernarfon remained in English hands, including during the Glyndŵr rising in the 15th Century. It played a role in the English Civil War in the 17th Century, but was then abandoned until the 19th Century when repairs began to be undertaken. These repairs were more extensive than to other castles such as Beaumaris, and saw parts of the castle reinstated rather than preserved as ruins.

In the 20th Century, the investiture of the Prince of Wales was conducted twice at Caernarfon. This ceremony was promoted by the local MP David Lloyd George, who later became Prime Minister. The first investiture was of Prince Edward in 1911, who later became King Edward III, and the second was in 1959 which saw Prince Charles (now current King Charles III) be invested by Queen Elizabeth II. This was broadcast on TV and recordings are available to view at the castle, as well as the throne used by Queen. Following Charles’ ascent to King in 2022, Prince William has become Prince of Wales, but I gather neither Charles, William or the Welsh Government have much desire to hold another ceremony.

Visiting Caernarfon Castle

We spent 3-4 hours at the castle, and managed to see most of it. You can walk along the outer walls, and go into most of the towers. Some of the towers have attractions inside them:

There’s a museum for the Royal Welch Fusiliers, who are best known for having a goat as their mascot – entry is included as part of your ticket for the whole castle and they have their own gift shop.
The North East Tower has a ‘800 years of history in 8 minutes’ looping video.
There are also exhibitions about Edward I’s wife, Eleanor of Castille, and a chess board showing the roles of various Welsh princes and how they unsuccessfully challenged Edward I.

When we visited, there were also wooden cannons that you could use to fire ping-pong balls, courtesy of Dan’s Cannons. Our ten-year-old loved these. The courtyard inside the castle is quite large and so events take place there from time to time.

Compared to Beaumaris and Conwy, there is a lot more to see at Caernarfon Castle and you can probably stretch it out to almost a full day.

Accessibility

Caernarfon Castle has undergone a relatively recent accessibility upgrade, and so there is now a lift in the King’s Gate to the battements. This offers step-free access to the top of the King’s Gate and some of the castle walls for the first time. However, much of the rest of the castle is only accessible by stairs, and in some cases, quite narrow spiral staircases. Indeed, the courtyard isn’t all flat and so the video room in the North East Tower is only reachable by steps, even though ramps could probably be installed.

There are disabled toilets on site, and whilst there isn’t a Changing Places toilet in the castle, the nearest one is only a short distance away at the station for the Welsh Highland Railway.

The castle is in the care of Cadw, so Cadw and English Heritage members get in free. I was also able to get free entry with my CSSC membership and some photo ID.

We parked at a long-stay pay-and-display car park next to the castle. This doesn’t offer any electric car charging facilities; the nearest car park with chargers is the Shell Car Park, to the north of the town near Morrisons (which also has two rapid chargers but time limited parking).

British Rail closed the railway line through Caernarfon in 1970 as one of the final Beeching closures. The Welsh Highland Railway runs narrow-gauge tourist trains from Porthmadog, but there are usually only a couple of trains each day. There are regular bus services to the town from Bangor which is the nearest surviving National Rail station.

Free Wi-Fi is available across the site. The café in the King’s Gate is currently closed, but there is another café in the courtyard with outdoor bench seating, selling sandwiches and cakes.

Other things to see in Caernarfon

Whilst me, our ten-year-old and my parents were happy to explore the castle, Christine wasn’t so keen and explored the town instead. By the castle is Cei Llechli, which is home to a number of shops and artist studios. There are, of course, the walls around the town, but you can only walk along short sections.

Our 2026 holiday: Penrhyn Castle

August 11, 2026 by Neil Turner

A photo of the outside of Penrhyn Castle

As National Trust members, it’s inevitable that we would end up at a National Trust property in Wales. We didn’t manage to squeeze in Pehrhyn Castle on last year’s holiday, but we made an afternoon visit this year.

If you approach Bangor going west on the A55 North Wales Expressway, you get a decent view of Penrhyn Castle on your right. Unlike the other castles in North Wales that make up the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Penrhyn Castle isn’t a fortified castle and mostly dates from the early 19th Century.

History of Penrhyn Castle

There has been a country house on the site of Penrhyn Castle at least since the 15th Century, built by Gwilym ap Griffith who assisted Owain Glyndŵr in the Glyndŵr rebellion. By the 18th Century, the estate had come into the ownership of the Pennant family, and Richard Pennant commissioned an architect to remodel the house as a Gothic villa.

In the early 19th Century, Richard’s heir George Hay Dawkins-Pennant went further and commissioned the castle we see today. On the outside, it resembles the aforementioned fortified castles, but inside it is a very opulent country house with intricately carved stonework, plasterwork and wood carvings. At the time, this cost £123,000, which is equivalent to over £100 million today, and it shows.

The Pennant family earned their vast fortunes primarily via two means: slate, and slavery. The slate came from the nearby Penrhyn Quarry, now also a Zip World attraction like the Llechwedd Slate Caverns. It, and almost all the surrounding land viewable from the castle, were owned by the Pennant family, many of whom spent time as representatives in the Houses of Parliament as either MPs or Lords.

Meanwhile, across the Atlantic Ocean, the Pennant family owned multiple slave plantations in Jamaica. Slavery was abolished in 1834, against the Pennants’ wishes who were outspoken against abolition. Compensation was paid to the slave owners (not the now-freed slaves themselves); the Pennants owned 764 slaves, and received £14,683 compensation (around £18 million today). In 1951, ownership of Penrhyn Castle passed to the National Trust, so it has been in their care for 75 years.

It’s the National Trust’s largest property in Wales, and has been heated by biomass since 2016.

A photo taken inside the Great Hall at Penrhyn Castle

Inside Penrhyn Castle

A visit to the castle itself starts off in the Great Hall, which is huge and resembles a church, thanks to its stained glass windows, vaulted ceilings and stone carving. It’s very much a show of wealth and power, and indicative of the sorts of guests that the Pennant family sought to entertain. Queen Victoria stayed there in 1832, before the castle was completely finished, and in later years, William Gladstone visited.

You also get to see the library, with its carved wooden ceilings as an entertaining space primarily for male guests. There’s a huge dining room, and an opportunity to see many of the bedrooms.

It’s perhaps unsurprising that the castle became Grade I listed in 1966.

The castle also used to house a small museum about narrow gauge railways, which are common in Wales. That has now closed, but one of the steam locomotives remains, and the space is due to be redeveloped into a museum that has a wider focus on North Wales’ industrial past.

The Gardens

I would love to tell you about the gardens at Penrhyn Castle, but our visit was just in the afternoon and so we didn’t have time to see them. After we had been around the house, and given our ten-year-old time to burn off energy in the adventure playground, there wasn’t time.

The walled garden is a short walk from the castle itself, and you can read about it on the National Trust’s web site.

Accessibility

Penrhyn Castle is mostly on flat ground, and there is step free access to the ground floor of the castle and the rest of the grounds – presumably including the gardens. The upper floors of the castle are only accessible by climbing stairs; visitors unable to manage these can instead watch a video tour. Standard disabled toilets are available; the nearest Changing Places toilet is a short distance away at Bangor University.

There’s a large, free car park on site, which includes four Standard-Plus AC chargers for electric vehicles, on the RAW Power network. The half-hourly number 5 bus from Llandudno to Bangor calls at the end of the driveway, from which it’s a mostly flat one mile walk to the main entrance. The nearest railway station is in Bangor, which to the south of the city centre and is around 500 metres from the bus station.

Being one of the National Trust’s upper tier properties, entry prices are a little higher than some (currently £18 per adult) but National Trust members get in free. If you’re not a member, it’s worth keeping an eye on Money Saving Expert’s Deals Page, as you can sometimes get free or discounted day passes, and Octopus Energy often give away discounted passes to their customers through their Octoplus Rewards programme.

There’s a café in the castle – again, we didn’t visit, but I imagine it’ll be standard National Trust café food, including their Scone of the Month. I also didn’t check for Wi-Fi, as I had a decent enough phone signal, but usually this is available in National Trust cafés and ticket kiosks and is typically free.

Our 2026 holiday: Welsh Mountain Zoo

August 7, 2026 by Neil Turner

A photo of a zookeeper holding a kookaburra on her hand at the Welsh Mountain Zoo

Our second day out following our trip to the Llechwedd Slate Caverns was to the Welsh Mountain Zoo, located in the hills above Colwyn Bay and just a short drive from where we were staying in Conwy.

Despite the name, the Welsh Mountain Zoo isn’t atop a mountain; it’s actually on a hill that’s only around 100 metres above sea level. But, as it’s right by the sea, it feels like it’s atop a mountain. You certainly get some nice views across Colwyn Bay, and to the west towards Conwy.

The Welsh Mountain Zoo is actually the national zoo for Wales, and is run by the Zoological Society of Wales. I would have expected the Welsh national zoo to be on the south coast closer to Cardiff, but no, it’s on the north coast. It’s a medium-sized zoo, and similar to Dudley Zoo (which we visited in 2024) in size and layout as they’re both on hills. That means there’s no really big animals like elephants and giraffes, but you can see some big cats, great apes and larger mammals.

A photo of a pair of snow leopards, asleep, at the Welsh Mountain Zoo

Animal highlights at the Welsh Mountain Zoo

In 2021, the Welsh Mountain Zoo became home to some snow leopards, which are classed as vulnerable on the IUCN red list. When we visited, the snow leopards were asleep, but had the good manners to be asleep next to a window where visitors can see them.

There are also red pandas, pretty much next to the snow leopards, and Asian small-clawed otters next to them as well. That’s two of my favourite species of animal next to each other.

In terms of aquatic animals, there are sea-lions and Humboldt penguins. When we visited, the penguins were going through a catastrophic moult where they lose all of their feathers very quickly. It’s natural and happens annually, but means they’re nor waterproof until their feathers regrow after a couple of weeks. Consequently, most were sunbathing on land, rather than swimming.

There’s also a large Eurasian Brown Bear, which was awake when we visited. I think that’s the first time I’ve seen that species of bear in a zoo. New this year is a small butterfly house, the Papilio Forest, which also includes a new habitat for the ring-tailed lemurs.

Shows and talks

Like most zoos, there are shows and talks throughout the day. We only attended one: the birds of prey demonstration, which takes place in a grassy area in the middle of the zoo next to the penguins. I’ll be honest, I was slightly disappointed as there were only two birds on display, which were a Kookaburra and a Barn Owl, and where we were sat, we couldn’t hear the commentary very well. By comparison, Knowsley Safari Park (most recently visited last year) has a better birds of prey show.

The programme of talks changes throughout the year, but in peak season, some of the talks such as the sea-lion demonstration are repeated. The talks also often coincide with the animals being fed, so it’s a good opportunity to see the sleepier animals.

Breeding to release

One recurring criticism of zoos is that the animals should really be back in the wild where they belong. However, zoos have an important role in ensuring the survival of endangered species, especially those already extinct in the wild. If every zoo in the world was closed down and all the animals released into their native habitats, we would probably see several more species go extinct very quickly.

That being said, at the Welsh Mountain Zoo, there are a couple of species of animal which are bred there specifically for release into the wild in the UK: red squirrels and pine martens.

I’ve never seen a pine marten before, but there were four at the Welsh Mountain Zoo and they were very active when we saw them. They’re mustelids, so related to ferrets, stoats and otters, and are about the same size as ferrets. They were very endearing and we’re glad we went to see them in their quieter corner of the zoo.

We didn’t get to see the red squirrels, but these are released in Ynys Môn (Anglesey) where grey squirrels were eradicated about ten years ago.

Accessibility

As mentioned, the Welsh Mountain Zoo is atop a hill, and so there are slopes involved. Some paths have steps, but there should be step-free routes to see most (if not all) the animals, albeit with some steeper slopes in some cases. The main car park is a little walk from the entrance, so if you have a blue badge, follow the directions to the smaller car park next to the entrance. There are no electric car chargers nearby; there are some Standard AC chargers in Rhos-on-Sea and the nearest rapid chargers are in Llandudno Junction.

The Welsh Mountain Zoo isn’t particularly well-served by public transport either. There are regular bus and train services to Colwyn Bay and the railway station is about 1.5 miles away, but it’s a steep climb to the zoo entrance. Even though our accommodation in Conwy was only a 12 minute drive away, it would take almost two hours to walk there.

Standard disabled toilets are available on-site, but you’ll need to head back down the hill into Colwyn Bay for the nearest Changing Places toilet, which is at the local council offices and is open during office hours on weekdays.

If you can book online at least two days beforehand, prices are about 15% cheaper than on the gate. We had lunch at the Safari Restaurant, one of two eateries on site (the other is the Penguin Café), and the food is good by zoo standards. Christine and I had bao buns with salad, which were nice. Free Wi-Fi is available across the site.

Overall

Overall, we enjoyed our visit to the Welsh Mountain Zoo. Being smaller and a little more spread out meant that it was relatively quiet and peaceful, and there’s a good mix of animals. Some bits of the zoo looked a little run down, and I did note in my post visit survey that they should consider taller fencing to hide the closed off areas of the zoo. The tickets felt like good value for what was almost a full day out.

If you’re interested, the Welsh word for zoo is ‘sŵ‘ – the letter ‘w’ is a vowel in Welsh, pronounced like ‘oo’ in English, and the Welsh alphabet doesn’t have the letter ‘z’.

CSSC – the Civil Service Sports Council

August 5, 2026 by Neil Turner

If you work for the Civil Service, armed forces, or a whole range of public sector organisations, then you may be able to join the CSSC, and get access to discounted sports and leisure activities.

I joined the CSSC last month, primarily because one of its perks is free entry to all Cadw properties which would come in useful in Wales. Free entry is also available to properties run by English Heritage, Historic Scotland, National Trust for Scotland and Kew Gardens. And, in many cases, the free entry doesn’t just apply to you, but any kids as well and sometimes even an accompanying adult.

Trips and shows

However, it’s worth digging further into the CSSC’s membership offering, as there are other discounts available. I’m guessing the CSSC books group tickets for various shows and trips to then sell onto its members at a discount. For example, there were tickets for Operation Mincemeat (which we saw in Bradford in April) at the Leeds Grand Theatre for around £30 for members, compared to over £50 at the regular price. As well as saving money, you get to sit on a row with other public sector and civil service workers in your area, so it’s a good way of networking across organisations and industries.

Other trips include a ‘mini-cruise’ to Amsterdam or Rotterdam (like the ‘mini-cruise’ we took to Bruges in 2014) where 80 places were pre-booked for members of CSSC and offered at a big discount. However, it’s worth noting that these all sold out months in advance, and so it’s worth checking regularly to see what comes up. You can sign up for updates on new offers in your region – being as we are in the Pennines, I’ve signed up for both the Yorkshire & North East region, and the North West.

For other leisure activities and days out, CSSC can offer discount codes when booking online – you don’t always need to book to be part of a group.

Sport, Health and Wellbeing

CSSC tends not to use its full name anymore, but sports are a large part of their offering. All members get access to an app called CSSC Life that is supposed to help with your wellbeing – I haven’t tried it as yet as I’m currently using Fitbit and Google Health already. And the whole recovering from two broken arms and seizures thing.

CSSC also offers discounted rates on membership for several gym brands, such as Everlast, Puregym and Better. There are also various sports events that you can sign up for.

Everyday savings

CSSC offers discounted gift cards, for use at a wide range of shops including the major supermarkets. You pay the standard price for the gift card, but then a percentage is held back (typically 3-4%) which you can put towards future gift card purchases, or can withdraw into your bank account. I already get a similar perk through work, so I haven’t tried this myself.

There are also regular competitions and giveaways that you can enter.

Membership of CSSC costs £6 per month (so £72 per year), and they reckon that members can save up to £300 per year. Everything is done through the web site or CSSC’s apps, so there’s no physical membership card – instead, you get a barcode that you can add to Apple or Google Wallet. Indeed, I haven’t had anything through the post – everything has been by email. Based on our recent trip to Wales, I’, pretty sure I’ll get a good return on investment, but we’ll see. If you work in the civil service, public sector (including the NHS) or armed forces, or are retired from an occupation in those sectors, then joining CSSC may well be worth your while.

Our 2026 holiday: Llechwedd Slate Caverns

August 3, 2026 by Neil Turner

A photo of the inside of the Llechwedd Slate Caverns

Although we arrived in Wales on the Saturday, we had a slow day on the Sunday with just a little stroll around Conwy (which I wrote about last year). The first big thing we did was head to Zip World in Llechwedd, home to the Llechwedd Slate Caverns.

A brief history of the Llechwedd Slate Caverns

In the 19th century, a deep mine was dug at the Llechwedd slate quarry, to access slate deep underground. The mine expanded significantly over the years, and eventually reached 25 miles of tunnels with caverns hundreds of metres below the surface. By the 1970s, demand for Welsh slate was falling, and so it was converted into a tourist attraction.

To improve access to the deep mine, now known as the Llechwedd Slate Caverns, a cable-hauled narrow-gauge railway was built, on a 30º incline.

I last visited with my parents in 1999, when we stayed for a week in the area. Back then, the slate caverns were the only attraction at the Llechwedd site, but in recent years it has expanded. There are now two zip lines – one below ground, one above ground – the ‘Bounce Below’ which is an underground trampoline park, and an underground mini-golf course. We just went for the slate cavern tour; Christine had also been before but it was our ten-year-old’s first time.

The entrance to the Llechwedd Slate Caverns

Down the mine

Some tours include a train ride up and down (and this is also how you access the mini-golf course); on our tour, we walked down and got the train back up at the end. Which, considering it’s a 150 metre (500 feet) climb back up, is very welcome. Your tour guide talks you through the history of the site, how slate was mined, and how the pieces of slate were broken up and shaped into roof tiles to be sold on. There are some audio-visual bits, and a demonstration of what it might have looked like when gunpowder was detonated to break the rocks apart.

A highlight is a cavern with an underwater lake, which is illuminated and looks amazing. It’s quite a different tour from what I remember from when I was 15, and is a good balance of history, education and entertainment. Whilst our guide wasn’t a miner himself, his ancestors worked in the mine, and he was able to tell us some of the stories.

The mine is located near Blaenau Ffestiniog, home to the northern terminus of the Ffestiniog Railway. This was partly built to transport the finished slate products to Porthmadog, for onward distribution by boat.

Accessibility

As you would expect from a 19th century mine, accessibility is restricted to people able to walk and handle low ceilings. And even on a warm July day like when we visited, the mine is cold so bring warm clothing. When you book, you’ll be asked to sign a waiver, and it highlights any medical conditions that would preclude you from entering, or that you need to make staff aware of. Some of the walking surfaces can be slippery and there are uneven steps in places.

There are disabled toilets, but no Changing Places toilet. In fact, the nearest Changing Places toilet is in Caernafon which is over 17 miles away. I suppose if you require a Changing Places toilet, then you’re not going to get much out of the activities at Zip World, but I was surprised that there wasn’t anywhere closer.

Car parking is available on site, at a cost of £3 per car – if you book in advance, you can pre-pay, or use the RingGo app on arrival. There aren’t any electric car chargers in the Zip World car parks, but there is an InstaVolt Rapid charger nearby with two CCS2 and one CHAdeMO plugs, just on the way in.

It’s a two mile uphill walk from Blaenau Ffestiniog railway station, which has trains every two hours from Llandudno Junction, or narrow-gauge heritage trains from Porthmadog. You can also get to Blaenau Ffestiniog on the T22 Transcymru bus service, but you’ll have the same two mile uphill walk.

Booking online is cheaper, and as it’s underground, it’s good for a rainy day. I was also able to get an additional 10% discount through one of my employee benefit schemes at work. There is a café which sells the sort of food you would expect from an outdoor activities centre. Above ground, music is played at a moderate volume across the site; I didn’t mind this as it was mostly 1990s and 2000s music which I listen to anyway, but my probably-but-undiagnosed autistic mother found it a bit much. There’s free Wi-Fi available across the site – handy if you need to pay for parking.