What's on near Gaskell Hall
Step into the majestic Blackpool Tower Ballroom for an experience like no other. With stunning architecture, live music and treats galore, Afternoon Tea here is highly recommended.
From £60.00
The White Hotel’s Blackpool takeover places The Caretaker, Blackhaine and A Guy Called Gerald inside the town’s most iconic spaces.
From £150.00
Come face to face with SEA LIFE Blackpool’s hungriest resident. This unique experience gives you the chance to feed Phoenix the green sea turtle and learn about this endangered species.
From £75.00
An electronic auteur, a veteran of the world’s major clubs, and the man who named electroclash – playing a pub in Todmorden.
From £13.20
Katherine Senior’s new play Spitfire Girls lands in Bolton with the extraordinary true stories of WWII women pilots.
From £15.00
Thomas moves off the screen and onto the tracks in this immersive, steam-powered family railway adventure.
From £15.95
Vintage Vibes returns to East Lancashire Railway this May, taking over Bury for a gleefully bonkers bank holiday weekend of music and retro pop culture.
From £19.00
Discover Rochdale’s rich history on this guided tour, featuring the newly restored Town Hall, St Chad’s Church, and the Pioneers Museum.
From £20.00Where to go near Gaskell Hall
Famous collection of Gillow furniture and objets d’art, plus gardens and woodland walks. Educational ‘bee corner’, ‘woodland hotel’ and ‘caterpillar maze’ for children.
Carnforth Station is the famous setting of the film Brief Encounter. As you stand on Platform 1 with its vintage suitcases and railway posters, you can almost imagine the era when steam trains frequently passed through.
Independent restaurant, cafe, baker, and deli in the Lake District.
At low tide, the exposed bed of the Irish Sea connects the Lancashire coast with the Cumbrian hills across Morecambe Bay, allowing crossings over the sands.
Sister restaurant to Simon Rogan’s two Michellin starred L’Enclume – more low key but just as tasty.
Morecambe gallery which showcases and sells contemporary works, often by artists from the area, which are varied and beautiful.
One of Cumbria’s finest historical sites, Holker Hall and Garden offers a gloriously asymmetrical pile of rambling galleries and green spaces.
Opening in 2024, Morecambe bay will become a centre for eco tourism with the exciting arrival of the Eden Project North.
A beautiful Elizabethan manor house, featuring the oldest surviving example of a topiary garden – a joy to wander in.
The Westmorland County Show is a traditional county fair dating back to 1799, where tourists and shoppers mix with agricultural professionals and chefs.
Culture Guides
This month's music picks begin with a refusal of smooth, optimised music – and look towards something more visceral, more alive.
It’s the early-May edition of the Food and Drink Guide and here's where to eat and drink while living out your warm-weather dreams.
We’ve got five new Manchester exhibitions this month, from thought-provoking photography to environmental art and community-led projects.
Theatre’s getting political this spring, with a run of new plays tracing how conflict plays out in individual lives.
Whether you’re after storybook theatre, museum wanderings or illusion-bending play spaces, there’s plenty to keep curiosity ticking through winter and beyond.
There's no shortage of great films out at the moment, whether you're looking for the latest blockbuster, that hot arthouse flick fresh from Cannes or a cosy classic.
Step away from the usual. Tours and activities that spark curiosity, inspire creativity and offer something refreshingly different.