| In less than an
hour’s drive from the city centre you’ll arrive
in Cheshire’s beautiful countryside where you can
enjoy a picnic, gentle stroll or visit a magnificent stately
home.
And if it’s a Pride and Prejudice-style mansion
you want to see why not head to Lyme Park in Stockport,
where the BBC adaptation of Jane Austen’s classic
novel was filmed. Here you’ll find a wonderful Tudor
house adorned with Mortlake tapestries, Grinling Gibbons
woodcarvings and an impressive collection of English clocks.
The 17-acre Victorian garden boasts impressive
bedding schemes, a sunken parterre and an Edwardian rose
garden.
Equally prestigious and just 16 miles from Manchester
city centre is Tatton Park [map],
a wonderful 19th century mansion set in incredible gardens
and 1000 acres of deer parkland. It provides the
perfect setting for the Egerton family’s collections
of pictures, books, china, glass, silver and specially
commissioned Gillow furniture.
The theme of Victorian grandeur extends into the garden,
with fernery, Tower garden, and Italian and Japanese gardens.
Other attractions include the Tudor Old Hall, a working
1930s farm, a children’s play area and speciality
shops.
Looking into the horizon from Tatton Park you’ll
see the spectacular Merlin telescope at the Jodrell
Bank Visitors Centre [map].
It’s the perfect place for budding scientists or
anyone who is interested in what goes on beyond planet
Earth. In the 3-D theatre you can take a trip to Mars
before coming back down to earth to enjoy the Jodrell
Bank nature experience. But if it’s relaxation you’re
after then visit the centre’s wonderful arboretum,
which is full of ponds and wildlife, or the Space Café
for a well-earned rest.
Finally why not pay a visit to Quarry Bank Mill,
situated close to Manchester Airport, where you can see
water power in action and discover the lives of the mill
workers.
So, if you’re looking for a day out away from sights
and sounds of the city, Manchester’s neighbouring
countryside has a lot to offer.
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