Telescope Walking Tours at Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre

Sarah Gaffney-Lang, Families Editor
Jodrell Bank

Telescope Walking Tours at Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre at Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre, Macclesfield 9 January 2019 — 9 January 2020 Entrance is free

Want to inspire a budding Brian Cox or Nancy Grace Roman? (Mother of the Hubble Space Telescope – check her out!). Then visit Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre for their daily telescope walking tours of the iconic Lovell Telescope. The Centre is the astronomical research centre of the University of Manchester and is a world leader is astronomical research. Jodrell Bank sits 20 miles south of Manchester, in Macclesfield, and has become a landmark of the Cheshire countryside.

The tours last around 45 minutes, during which you’ll walk around the foot of the telescope (sadly you don’t get to Party Up The World in the dish D:Ream style. Note to Jodrell Bank – I would definitely pay extra for this!). You’ll learn about the history of the Grade 1 listed telescope, find out how it works and discover more about the research it is integral to.

The Centre boasts more than just an enormous telescope though. In the Planet Pavilion you can explore planet Earth’s position and orbit with the fascinating clockwork Orrery – a working scale model of our own solar system – the largest of its kind in the world. In the Space Pavilion little hands can get busy with a huge host of activities designed to explore how the universe began.

Children exploring the space centre after the telescope walking tours
Photograph©Howard Barlow

Getting children excited about the galaxy in which their planet resides is thrilling. Share in their wonder as they try and get their head round the vastness of this crazy universe! The story of Jodrell Bank itself is inspiring on its own. It was a hugely ambitious project, conceived by Sir Bernard Lovell and completed in 1957. In its 62 years it has inspired generations of schoolchildren to pursue careers in science, engineering and medicine.

The telescope walking tours are family friendly and aimed at children 10+. They’re available on a drop in basis and free with your general admission.

Telescope Walking Tours at Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre at Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre, Macclesfield 9 January 2019 — 9 January 2020 Entrance is free

Where to go near Telescope Walking Tours at Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre

Cheshire
Tourist Attraction
Nether Alderley Mill

Eateries, shops and toilet facilities can be found at nearby National Trust site Quarry Bank, located approximately 7 miles away. Alternatively, Nether Alderley Mill is also approximately 1.4 miles from the high street of Alderley Edge which has a range of cafes, restaurants and shops.

Yu Alderley Edge

High-end Chinese restaurant that combines traditional Cantonese cooking and modern ideas. Based in Alderley Edge.

Alderley Edge
Restaurant
Les Deux Pizza Bar

Charming independent pizza and cocktail bar in Alderley Edge, that prides itself on only using the freshest ingredients.

Cheshire
Hotel
The Courthouse Cheshire

A one-of-a-kind hotel experience in Knutsford, this beautiful dog-friendly venue is – as you may have already guessed – a renovated court house, with plenty of original fixtures and fittings.

Luciano
Alderley Edge
Restaurant
Luciano

Luciano is the new restaurant by well-known chef Gino D’Acampo. Named after his eldest child, Luciano will serve high-end Italian food in the heart of Alderley Edge.

Cheshire
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Barristers Restaurant & Bar

The in-house restaurant for The Courthouse in Knutsford, serves high-end but pleasingly traditional food with a fantastic range of drinks for the thirsty traveller.

Cheshire House Bar and Grill
Cheshire
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Cheshire House Bar and Grill

Based in the heart of Knutsford, Cheshire House Bar and Grill combines a beautiful location with top-level cuisine and a superb range of drinks.

Bar or Pub
The Church Inn, Mobberley

This is one of our favourite cosy pubs: not far from Manchester, The Church Inn is Grade II-listed and dates back to the 18th-century.

Danes Moss Nature Reserve
Macclesfield
Park
Danes Moss Nature Reserve

Danes Moss near Macclesfield is an oasis of lowland raised bog, one of the scarcest and most threatened habitats in the UK. The open areas of the bog are covered with cotton grass, cross-leaved heath and at least six species of sphagnum moss.

Macclesfield
Museum
West Park Museum

West Park Museum was purpose built to house the Egyptian collections of Victorian explorer Marianne Brocklehurst, daughter of the Macclesfield mill owner, John Brocklehurst.

Macclesfield
Restaurant
Picturedrome

Macclesfield’s first ever cinema re-imagined as a gourmet food hall by the minds behind Altrincham Market, Manchester’s Mackie Mayor.

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