Skirden View

Pleasure Beach Resort, long known as Blackpool Pleasure Beach, is an amusement park on Blackpool's South Shore. It was founded in 1896 and sits right along the promenade. Rollercoasters are the main draw, with ten to ride. The Big One was once the tallest and steepest in the world, and is still the longest in Europe.

Tip: Check the official calendar for opening days and times before you go, and book eTickets online ahead of your visit.

Gawthorpe Hall is a Grade I listed Elizabethan house on the banks of the River Calder, remodelled in the 19th century by Charles Barry, architect of the Houses of Parliament. Inside, the rooms are filled with Victorian Gothic furnishings and show how the Kay-Shuttleworth family lived. Families can follow a trail around the house or dress up in the nursery.

Tip: The Hall isn't suitable for pushchairs, baby backpacks or large bags, so travel light. The access drive is narrow, with passing places.

Blackpool Zoo is a 32-acre zoo set beside Stanley Park, about two miles inland from the Golden Mile. It cares for over 1,000 animals from around the world, and opened in 1972 on the site of the old Stanley Park Aerodrome.

Tip: Tickets can be bought in advance online. Follow the brown elephant signs if driving, and use sat nav postcode FY3 8PP.

Clitheroe Castle is a ruined early medieval castle in the Ribble Valley, Lancashire. Its earliest history is debated, but it is thought to be of Norman origin, probably built in the twelfth century. The castle stands on a steep limestone outcrop that rises 39 metres above the surrounding land and gives extensive views over the area.

The Brontë Parsonage Museum is the former family home of Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë in Haworth, West Yorkshire. Built in the late 1770s and now Grade I listed, it is where the sisters spent most of their lives and wrote their famous novels, including Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.

Tip: Download the free Bloomberg Connects digital guide to get more of the Brontë story before and during your visit.

Malham Cove is a large curved limestone cliff about a kilometre north of Malham village, in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. It was shaped by a waterfall carrying glacial meltwater at the end of the last Ice Age. The cliff is 80 metres high and more than 300 metres wide, and a large limestone pavement lies above it.

Tip: To reach the limestone pavement on top, take the roughly 400 uneven stone steps on the west side of the cliff.

The Harris is a Grade I-listed museum, art gallery and public library in Preston, Lancashire. The Neo-Classical building has a grand portico and a pediment sculpture based on Raphael's The School of Athens. Inside, a central hall rises over 120 feet to the lantern tower, with balconies on the upper floors and a Foucault pendulum that works as a decorative clock.

AO Arena is a large indoor venue immediately north of Manchester city centre, partly built over Manchester Victoria railway station. It opened in 1995 and hosts concerts, comedy, family shows and sport, including ice hockey and boxing.

Tip: The arena sits partly above Manchester Victoria railway station, so it is easy to reach by train.