Ad – Visit Haigh Woodland Park this summer
Haigh Woodland Park in Wigan, Greater Manchester, makes a great family day out. Here is everything you need to know.
A trip to a great park always makes a lovely summer day out. Haigh Woodland Park has a whole host of activities to keep kids of all ages and adults entertained.
Located in Wigan in Greater Manchester, families can expect a huge playground, high-flying adventures, crazy golf, fine food and drink, and lovely woodland walks.
Here is everything you need to know for a great day out during the summer holidays at Haigh Woodland Park.
The adventure playground at Haigh Woodland Park
Haigh Woodland Park boasts a huge Adventure Play Zone, which is suitable for children over 3 years old and is free to use.
Kids will be able to enjoy a fun playground with lots of exciting activities including:
- Mini zip wires
- Lots of climbing frames
- Swings of different shapes and sizes
- Electronic hit zones
- Mini tree houses
- And lots more…
Plus, for younger kids you will find:
- Sandpit
- Mini diggers
- Wooden climbing frame.
New Trim Trail
Located past the playground and high ropes at the bottom of the hall driveway, and behind the railway platform, you will find a fun Trim Trail for under-12s.
The area is free to use and includes a series of:
- Jump logs
- Overhead parallel bars
- Rope runs, and
- Climbing frames.
Here, you will also find new picnic benches and space for ball games.
Miniature railway rides
Haigh Woodland Park boasts two miniature railways.
The Model Railway runs on Sundays from 10am to 3pm where you can enjoy a ride on the model train ride along the ⅓-mile-long track.
The railway is run by the Wigan and District Model Engineering Society.
Rides are free to enjoy but donations are welcome.
The 15-inch miniature gauge railway runs along a ¾-mile track meandering through picturesque woodland, alongside small lakes, and pathways.
Carriages are pulled by the railway’s trusty diesel locomotives. Rides cost just £1 per person.
Please Note – The 15-inch gauge railway is currently closed for refurbishment and maintenance. We expect the service to resume early September.
High and low rope adventures
Haigh Woodland Park has great high rope adventures with two courses – one low and one high – to choose from.
The low rope course is just 5 metres off the ground. It’s ideal for younger children, those who don’t have a head for heights, or those wanting a good starting point to try before the bigger course.
The high rope course offers an adventure 10 metres off the ground. It includes a 40m-long zip wire and is perfect for daredevil family members.
The low rope course costs just £10 per person, and the high ropes £15 per person.
Places can be booked online here.
Adventure golf
Enjoy an adventure golf experience at Haigh Woodland Park for just £16 for a family of four.
The course offers a fun, 18-hole course to complete. Navigate your way through the enjoyable, nature-inspired course including the Grey Squirrel, Oak Tree, Ancient Woodland, and a surprise at the 18th hole!
The adventure golf has block paved paths all around the course which are wheelchair accessible. It is open every day, 9am-5pm. The last entry to the course is at 3.30pm.
There is no need to book, and tickets cost £4 for 3- to 15-year-olds, £5 for 16s and over, while a family of four (2 adults and 2 kids) can play for just £16. Under-3s are free.
Crazy golf
For those wanting to try a smaller course, Haigh Woodland Park also has a crazy golf course.
Built and managed by Friends of Haigh Woodland Park, you can play through the dinosaur, under Humpty Dumpty and around Captain Jack Sparrow.
The course will be open from 10am to 4pm throughout the summer holidays, and weekends in spring, summer and autumn.
FootGolf
This summer try your hand, or should we say your feet, at FootGolf.
Haigh Woodland Park’s new FootGolf course combines two of the most popular sports – football and golf.
A great family activity, work your way around the 9-hole course which is perfect for those who have never tried FootGolf before.
You will find both straightforward and more technical holes. If you can kick a ball, you can play this fun game.
The course takes an hour to play and costs £5.50 for under-16s and £6.50 for adults.
To book the FootGolf at Haigh see here.
Golf
For those who enjoy a traditional game of golf, the Haigh golf course offers 27 fantastic holes.
The 18-hole par-70 Balcarres course, spread over 6,000 yards, is challenging enough for the competitive golfer but still provides a fun round for the less experienced.
The par-3 Crawford course is ideal if you want to improve your game or fit in a quick 9 holes on a busy schedule.
The course requires booking in advance.
The 18-hole course costs from £9 depending on the time and day, and the par 3 Crawford course costs £5 at all times.
To book the golf course at Haigh see here.
Explore the park’s gardens and woodlands
Along with the activities, Haigh Woodland Park offers lots of green space to explore.
Stroll through the enchanting woods with 40 miles of paths, which has a rich history including some of the UK’s last remaining ancient woodland, which has existed since at least the Middle Ages.
Watch out for a variety of trees including beech with a proportion of oak, horse chestnut, sycamore, ash, lime and Scots pine.
Discover and download walking routes at Haigh here.
You can also explore the stunning Walker Gardens. This walled space offers nature displays all year round and is a great place for a picnic.
Food and drinks at Haigh Woodland Park – Kitchen Courtyard
One of the things that makes Haigh extra special is the range of food and drink on offer at the Kitchen Courtyard at the following locations:
Alexanders Coffee Shop
Serving breakfast, lunch, snacks, coffee, and hot drinks, Alexanders makes a great pit stop on your day out. This dog-friendly, family-run cafe offers both outdoor and indoor seating.
Menu favourites include hot food, sandwiches, cold drinks and slushies, cakes and pastries and confectionery.
They also offer a vegan and gluten-free range, along with milk substitutes.
Graze in The Park
The Graze in The Park is the cafe where the locals go to dine, drink, and socialise. You can expect locally sourced produce and dishes assembled from the freshest ingredients all full of flavour.
They offer breakfast, lunch, and hot drinks. Everything on the menu can be taken away and they offer online ordering.
All You Knead bakery and deli
Enjoy a range of artisan bread, pies and confectionery at All You Knead bakery.
The breakfast and lunch menus include made-to-order hot and cold sandwiches and paninis, which use their own freshly baked, additive, and preservative-free ‘real bread’.
They also offer kids’ lunch boxes, hot dogs, cakes, tray bakes and pastries.
Drinks range from indulgent, cream-topped hot chocolates, to refreshing chilled juices. With freshly-ground coffee supplied by Exchange Coffee Company.
Holdens & Co
Holdens & Co are a family-run, artisan ice cream makers, who have been making their famous dairy ice cream with a secret recipe from the same site in Edgworth village in Lancashire since 1929.
Using milk from Holstein Friesian cows who graze in the fields less than a mile away, their dairy ice cream has just 6 ingredients, boasting a buttery, rich flavour, and traditional texture, which makes for a lovely dense ice cream, meaning it doesn’t melt straight away.
Along with their Kitchen Courtyard site, you will also find their ice cream vans dotted throughout the park along with smaller bicycle-based stalls.
Luisco Chocolate
Do you have a sweet tooth? Check out Luisco Chocolate.
This family-run business offers a wide range of handmade chocolates created on site, as well as traditional sweets and pick & mix, with over 130 different sweets to choose from.
Two Left Feet Tap
If you fancy something a little stronger, Two Left Feet Tap is a stylish, award-winning bar and brewery. They offer a selection of beers, casks, wines, and premium gins. Plus, they serve barista-style coffee, hot chocolate, and hearty pies.
Shopping at Haigh Woodland Park – Courtyard Kitchen
A park may not normally be your first port of call when planning a shopping trip, however, Haigh has some great shops to explore.
Forster’s Farm Shop
Head to this fifth-generation, family-run organic farm for a range of grass-fed beef and lamb. They also stock free-range chicken and pork, organic vegetables, dairy products, and preserves.
A.M. Flowers
A.M. Flowers is a multi-award-winning, family-run business of highly experienced florists and venue stylists. They specialise in both fresh and everlasting faux flowers and the new trend of dried florals. Ideal for a gift or to spruce up your decor.
Haigh Stables Gallery
This free admission gallery was established at Haigh Hall in 1993 by a group of artists and craft workers.
They sell the artwork of working members, including watercolours and pen drawings of Wigan by Philip Davies, the only surviving, original founding member.
You will also find various artists’ craft items along with customised glass, personalised ‘allsorts’ and pyrography.
Plus, there is a range of gifts and pocket money toys, including frisbees, footballs, buckets, and spades for playing out in the park.
Crafts activities – The Workshop
Located in the Stables Gallery, kids can enjoy the fun of craft painting plaster figures for a small price. These typically cost between £2 and £4 and are available each day.
Arty Parties are also available on Saturdays for 10 to 15 children with prices starting at £80 for 10 children – see here.
Adults are not left out with learn to draw or paint watercolours sessions with Philip Davies on Wednesdays.
Parking at Haigh Woodland Park
Haigh Woodland Park boasts a large car park located near Haigh Hall.
The car park is pay on exit, can be paid using cash or card and costs the following:
- Free up to 30 minutes
- £1.50 between 30 mins and 90 mins,
- £3.50 all day thereafter.
Facilities at Haigh Woodland Park
You will find public toilets at the following locations across the park:
- The Visitor Centre (including baby change and accessible)
- The Stables (accessible and baby change)
- The front of Graze in The Park (accessible and baby change – a radar key is needed)
Where is Haigh Woodland Park?
Haigh Woodland Park is located at School Lane, Wigan, WN2 1PE.
For more information about visiting Haigh Woodland Park see here.
