Kittys View Country Lodges - Fun Days Out

Chester Zoo is a conservation charity and one of the UK's largest zoos, covering 130 acres with over 30,000 animals from more than 500 species. You can explore over 10 indoor habitats, including the UK's largest tropical biodome, and walk through the lemur area to get close to the troop. The Monsoon Forest habitat and award-winning gardens add plenty more to see.

There are five adventure playgrounds for children, and you can take the Islands Lazy River boat ride. Keepers and Zoo Rangers give daily talks about the animals they care for. The zoo is a short distance from Chester city centre and the M56, and it has been rated the UK's number one zoo by Tripadvisor.

Tip: Book online in advance to save on gate prices, and parking in the zoo car park is free.

Peckforton Castle is a Grade I listed Victorian country house built in the style of a medieval castle, designed by Anthony Salvin. It has a gatehouse, a portcullis, a dry moat and large towers, and it stands in woodland in the Peckforton Hills. It now works as a hotel and events venue, and has appeared in films and television productions.

For a day out, the Land Rover Experience lets you try models such as the Defender and Range Rover off road in the castle grounds. The 1851 Restaurant is award-winning and open to both residents and non-residents. The castle also runs a year-round programme of ticketed events. The Sandstone Trail footpath runs along the base of the slopes below the castle, and the ruins of Beeston Castle stand on a separate hill about a mile to the north.

Tip: Check what is on before you go: the castle runs ticketed events and the Land Rover Experience, so contact them to book ahead. All vehicles use the on-site car park.

Gulliver's World is a theme park in Warrington, loosely based on the world of Lilliput from Gulliver's Travels. It is split into themed areas including Western World, Safari Kingdom, Land of Oz, Smuggler's Wharf and Lost World. Rides such as The Antelope, Desperado Drop and Apache Falls sit alongside play areas, both indoors and outdoors, designed for children between 2 and 13.

Beyond the main park, Blast Arena is an indoor NERF attraction for children aged 6 and over, with blasters, goggles and target vests provided. The site was once part of the RAF Burtonwood air base, and the RAF Burtonwood Heritage Centre on the park has RAF memorabilia and displays on its history. It suits families with younger children, who can build a day around the rides, play areas and themed zones.

Tip: The website says booking tickets early can save money, so check online before you go.

Beeston Castle is a former royal castle built in the 1220s on a rocky sandstone crag high above the Cheshire Plain. Winding woodland paths lead up the hill to the gatehouse and the summit, where you can look out across eight counties towards the Welsh Mountains. Deep in the ruins is one of the deepest castle wells in England, long rumoured to hide Richard II's lost treasure.

The site's story goes back much further than the castle. A reconstructed Bronze Age roundhouse shows how people lived here long before the medieval stronghold, and the Castle of the Rock exhibition in the visitor centre covers 4,000 years of history. Younger explorers can build their own fort on the World Builder trail. The kiosk sells hot and cold drinks, pasties, cream teas and ice creams, and there are outdoor picnic tables. It even stocks treats for dogs.

Tip: There is no indoor seating at the kiosk, only outdoor picnic tables, so plan for the weather. You can use the kiosk without paying castle admission.

Knowsley Safari is a safari park in Prescot, Merseyside, set in the parkland of Knowsley Hall. The main event is the 5-mile Safari Drive, where you travel in your own vehicle past animals such as African lions, southern white rhinos, Bactrian camels, European bison and olive baboons. There is a bypass around the baboons if you would rather keep them away from your car.

Afterwards you can park for free and explore the Foot Safari, home to Nubian giraffes, Andean bears, meerkats, capybaras and California sea lions. The Amur Tiger Trail has forest areas, streams and ponds. Animal talks and displays are included with a standard ticket. There are also fairground rides and amusements, a small railway, and a restaurant and gift shop. The park is a member of BIAZA and EAZA.

Tip: Book online in advance, as tickets are cheaper that way and online booking is essential.

Hack Green Secret Nuclear Bunker sits in the Cheshire countryside near Nantwich. It was built to let the government keep running after a major nuclear attack, and it stayed secret for more than 50 years. It has since opened to the public as a Cold War museum, with a labyrinth of rooms and authentic equipment to explore.

Highlights include the nuclear weapons display, one of the largest collections of decommissioned nuclear weapons in the world, and a cinema showing the once-banned film The War Game. There's a N.A.A.F.I. canteen for survival rations, a shop for Cold War souvenirs and a free audio tour. Children can follow the Soviet Spy Mouse Trail, finding toy mice in the rooms and getting a free Small Spies Training Manual. Some of the displays, such as the medical room, are disturbing, and the mouse trail avoids them.

Tip: Check opening days before you go: it's closed Mondays and Tuesdays except during school Summer and Easter holidays and bank holidays. Download the free audio tour first.

The Grosvenor Museum is a Grade II listed Victorian building in Chester, built in red brick with sandstone dressings and Dutch gables carved with peacocks. Inside, its galleries cover the area's archaeology and natural history, with items from the Roman period, paintings and musical instruments.

Head for the collection of Roman tombstones, which gives a real feel for Chester's past. Art lovers can look for the works of Louise Rayner, and music fans can spot the museum's six recorders made by Peter Bressan. There is also a room arranged as a Victorian parlour, and a programme of temporary exhibitions changes what's on show. The museum's education service helps children learn about the history of the city, so it suits curious younger visitors as well as adults who enjoy history.

Pontcysyllte Aqueduct carries the Llangollen Canal across the River Dee in the Vale of Llangollen. Designed by Thomas Telford and William Jessop, it is a cast iron trough held 127 ft (39 m) above the river on eighteen hollow masonry piers, with 19 arched spans. It is 336 yards (307 m) long and about 12 feet wide.

The aqueduct is made for narrowboats, and a towpath runs alongside the water on one side, so you can see the structure from the canal itself. It is a Grade I listed building and part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Trevor Basin sits just over the aqueduct, at the end of the canal route that was completed.