Days Out Near Clayton-le-Woods, Chorley

Little Acorns Nursery School is located in Clayton-le-Woods, Chorley. This is a wonderful location with great amenities, attractions, outdoor spaces and leisure facilities all within a short distance. In today’s guide, we explore some of the more interesting places that local families can visit nearby, perhaps for a day out. There are some great ideas below and every one of them receives top reviews from previous visitors:

Cuerden Valley Park

Right alongside Clayton is the lovely Cuerden Valley Park, an award-winning natural open space. Just over a mile away from the nursery, it covers 650 acres. Its wonderful beauty includes parkland, farmland, natural open spaces, flower meadows, lakes, woodlands, the River Lostock, a huge variety of wildlife and even orienteering trails. The park also boasts its own modern visitor centre with a lovely café offering indoor and outdoor seating with hot and cold food and refreshments. Cuerden Valley Park is well worth a visit!

Kem Mill Ruins

Just 1.4 miles to the South of Clayton and our nursery, also along the edge of River Lostock, are the ruins of Kem Mill. These are just North of Whittle-le-Woods. These are well worth a visit if you like walking in the natural world, enjoy local history or are a dog-walker. The old mill’s footprints are still clearly visible and the history of it can be learned via information signs.

The British Commercial Vehicle Museum

The British Commercial Vehicle Museum is another high quality place to visit if you live near Clayton-le-Woods or the Chorley area. It’s located just 2.3 miles from Little Acorns Nursery over at Leyland. As one recent visitor explained in a review, it’s a “fascinating museum with lots of informative display material and immaculately maintained vehicles.” These include early fire engines and vintage commercial vehicles, buses, lorries and suchlike. There are interactive displays and games, including an area for younger children and helpful, knowledgeable staff. The museum has a nice little gift shop and also a café. It gets great reviews, so is well worth a visit.

Worden Park

Worden Park is 3.4 miles west of our nursery in Clayton-le-Woods, in the southern outskirts of Leyland. It’s an attractive, natural, parkland space and includes bluebell woods, huge grassy areas and a wonderful children’s play area that features its own sensory area, zip lines, swings, climbing frames, slides and more. It’s a great park where children can enjoy the outdoors, ride bikes, play football and burn off energy. There’s a maze, a miniature railway, a walled garden and a crazy golf area. With lovely woods and streams too, it’s perfect for family outings, picnics and dog walks.

South Ribble Museum & Exhibition Centre

The South Ribble Museum & Exhibition Centre is another popular destination that also scores well in reviews. Located 2.8 miles from the nursery in Leyland, near Worden Park, and just a stone’s throw from Clayton-le-Woods, it’s housed in a restored, timber-framed, Tudor school house. It’s home to all manner of local historical information including photographs, graphics and and even Viking coins. Hopefully this will soon be open again, with monthly exhibitions reinstated, following temporary closure during the lock-down. Entry is free or by voluntary donation.

Turbary Woods Owl & Bird of Prey Sanctuary

Turbary Woods Owl & Bird of Prey Sanctuary is 5 miles from the nursery, just north west of Clayton at Whitestake, Lostock Hall, near Preston. It is another excellent local attraction as well as being a great cause. Sheltered in a woodland setting, nearly 100 birds of prey live at this sanctuary and rehabilitation centre at any one time. Species include owls, falcons, hawks, eagles and even vultures, amongst others. The centre is a non-profit enterprise and is run by volunteers. It is open all year to the public, with flying displays (weather permitting) on most days at 12:30pm. As with all of the hand-picked places featured in this article, the sanctuary scores ‘excellent’ in visitor reviews.

Pike Stones

For those who are looking for the most ancient local history, Pike Stones is a Neolithic burial cairn located on Anglezarke Moor, Chorley, just 7 miles south east of Clayton-le-Woods. It’s the oldest man-made structure in the area and one of only two chambered burial tombs in the whole of Lancashire. Visitors can still see the five upright gritstone slabs which originally formed the burial chamber.

Excellent Transport Links

Transport links are fantastic for getting to and from the Clayton area. The A6 an M61 run North/South just a stone’s throw to the East, the M6 runs similarly to the West and the M65 runs East/West just to the North of Clayton-le-Woods. So, Clayton sits right in the middle of these major routes, making it incredibly easy to get to, from and around. Several train stations are also within just a couple of miles or so (Bamber Bridge, Leyland, Lostock Hall and Buckshaw Parkway stations).

An Outstanding, Award-Winning Clayton Nursery

Little Acorns is an award-winning daycare nursery for babies and under-fives in Clayton-le-Woods, very close to Clayton Green and Clayton Brook, Chorley. It’s also graded as An Outstanding Nursery by Ofsted and even has its own Forest School. Nurseries and pre-schools simply don’t get any better than Little Acorns Nursery so, if you’d like your baby, toddler or under-five child to attend the best nursery and pre-school in Clayton-le-Woods, Chorley and Central Lancashire, please get in touch to register your interest — while nursery places are still available. Please choose an option below: