Halton: Holiday apartment among castles, museums and Mersey landscapes

Halton offers a varied combination of science, history and open landscapes. The Catalyst Science Discovery Centre on Mersey Road in Widnes features interactive exhibitions, science shows and practical workshops. As an accredited museum, the Catalyst Science Discovery Centre and Museum also houses an archive containing more than 100,000 historical artefacts and records from the British chemical industry.

Culture and history

On the outskirts of Runcorn lies Norton Priory Museum & Gardens. Norton Priory is considered the most extensively excavated monastic site in Europe. The estate includes a 2.5-acre Georgian walled garden with orchards, a rose walk and a herb garden. Halton Castle is a ruined castle built around 1070 for Nigel, the first Norman Baron of Halton. Halton Castle offers 360-degree views across the Mersey, the Cheshire Plains and the surrounding area.

In Daresbury, All Saints Church Daresbury welcomes pilgrims and those interested in Lewis Carroll; the Lewis Carroll Centre offers a year-round exhibition about Lewis Carroll. The Brindley adds to this range with a 420-seat theatre, a 108-seat studio, a gallery and a terrace café.

Several other historic places are located in the vicinity of Halton: Kingsley Castle Cob is a castle, Stanlow Abbey (England) is a historic site and Ashton Motte is a castle. In the wider regional area around Halton is Newton Le Willows Castle Hill, a castle. Thurstaston Beach, a beach, is also located in this wider regional area.

Trails, green spaces and views

The immediate surroundings of Halton include several elevations. Hutchinson's Hill and Halton Castle are hills in the immediate vicinity, while Beacon Hill is a hill in the area around Halton. Spike Island has walking paths, cycle paths and routes along the canal; the approximately 70-acre green space is home to a diverse range of wildlife and plant life.

The local nature reserve Pickering’s Pasture is a six-acre woodland area with wildflower meadows and views over the Upper Mersey Estuary. Runcorn Town Park covers 157 hectares of woodland and grassland. Alongside the historic sites, this means that green spaces with different characteristics sit side by side around Halton, from the paths at Spike Island to the woodland and grassland of the Town Park.

Activities

The Halton Miniature Railway runs along an almost one-mile route through part of the Town Park. A journey takes around 10 minutes. As a longer walking route, Beyond the Tracks runs for 4.6 miles between Widnes station and Runcorn station.

Runcorn Ski Centre offers skiing and snowboarding lessons with trained instructors. Visitors can also ride down the slope on inflatable tyres. In Widnes, Planet Ice offers recreational skating, lessons and ice hockey games played by the Widnes Wilds. Also located in Victoria Park in Widnes is the Butterfly House, a peaceful oasis filled with butterflies.

Places in Halton

Widnes, Weston, Runcorn and Daresbury.

Other destinations in the wider area: Blackpool, Greater Manchester, Wigan, Merseyside.

To the wider travel overview: North West England.