A beautiful and thriving county bang smack in the middle of the UK, our county has so many varied and interesting things to with kids. With Manchester and Liverpool only 60 minutes to the North and Birmingham to the South and only 75 minutes into London by train, Staffordshire is a great location for accessing main motorway, train and airport infrastructure but also meets your need for peace and quiet with the rural backdrop of the Peak District, warm people and less congested pace of life. To the west is the stunning Snowdonia National Park and to the North the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales, a paradise for walkers and campers.
The county has affordable housing and great schools and is therefore an ideal location for families. Surprisingly the county has a really wide selection of things to do with kids. With Stoke–on–Trent being steeped in centuries of ceramic Industry history the area oozes culture and pride in it’s deep Industrial identity and these days the region is exceptionally well known for housing incredibly strong companies like JCB, Bet365, Wedgewood and Steelite and world class tourist attractions like Alton Towers and Trentham Gardens.
There is no shortage of things to do with kids in Staffordshire that will entertain the family during weekends and school holidays. If you prefer getting back to nature in our great outdoors head for a walk in Cannock Chase where you have the options of hiring a mountain bike or go climbing in the tree tops with Go Ape. Whilst at Cannock Chase visit the National Arboretum. The Arboretum welcomes over 300,000 visitors to site each year, including over 20,000 young people for formal and informal learning visits. Visitors can enjoy discovering over 400 memorials nestled amongst some 25,000 trees, experience riverside walks and participate in a wide variety of daily activities: guided walks, land train tours, memorial talks, exhibitions and buggy tours. Each year around 250 events take place on site, from small intimate services of Remembrance to set piece events like Armistice Day, Remembrance Sunday, a summer proms and Armed Forces Day.
For more educational trips try your hand at pottery throwing at the Wedgwood Museum in Barlaston or check out the Spitfire, at the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery (the founder of the Spitfire, Reginald Mitchell was born In Stoke!)
With Alton Towers in the county and leisure attractions like Clip n Climb Stoke in Stone, Ninja Warrior and Flip Out aswell as Waterworld there is no shortage of things to do to keep the kids entertained. It’s important to keep the family active and climbing is a great way to lot of steam, have fun and get off the tech. We also do excellent team building and birthday parties.
If you want to keep the budget down head for a walk at Cannock or Barlaston Downs or talk a walk around Shugborough Hall National Trust site which borders our beautiful River Sow and Canal System. You can even sample on oatcake from the BoatCake Barge based on the canal near Great Haywood.
For those passing through or wishing to stay in Staffordshire there are plenty of campsites available to stay in your RV or tent. Check out www.hipcamp.co.uk or www.campsites.co.uk to find your perfect family campsite.
You can hire a campervan or motorhome from https://www.quirkycampers.com/uk/, the UK’s leading campervan rental site, throughout the country, to travel around Staffordshire or head off to Snowdon or the Lakes afterwards. It’s a great stop off point also travelling to Scotland, the most popular location for Brits in CamperVans and Motorhomes.
Staffordshire awaits!
Ed is a campervan enthusiast and co – owner of Clip N Climb climbing centre in Staffordshire and ambassador for Staffordshire with the #wearestaffordshire forum. He is contactable at ed@clipnclimbstoke.co.uk
