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Gladstone Pottery Museum, Longton

Companionship careStoke-on-Trent

Days out in Stoke-on-Trent for an older parent

Nine places in Stoke-on-Trent that make a good day out for an older parent, from Gladstone Pottery Museum to Park Hall Country Park. For each one: what its own access information confirms, what it costs, how long to allow, and the carers nearby who drive and could take them.

Researched by PrimeCarers from each place’s own website and access information  ·  Updated September 2026

Gladstone Pottery Museum. Photo: Geni, CC BY-SA 4.0

Nine days out across seven towns

The best places to take an older parent in Stoke-on-Trent

Six of them are free to visit or to walk around. The access information for one confirms an accessible toilet. Where a place does not publish its access, we say so.

Gladstone Pottery Museum, Longton

Photo: Geni, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Museum · Longton

Gladstone Pottery Museum

Gladstone Pottery Museum is a complete Victorian potbank in Longton, with bottle kilns you can walk inside, workshops where potters demonstrate throwing and decorating, and a gallery on the history of the toilet. It shows how the pottery towns worked and lived.

Most of the site is around one cobbled yard, so a carer can take it at an easy pace with regular stops, and check access to the kilns and upper workshops on arrival.

Time to allow
Half a day
Cost
Paid entry

Access

Their website does not set out its access in detail, so ring ahead about parking, paths and toilets.

Their website

Carers who drive, based near Longton

The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, Hanley

Photo: Malcolm Neal, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Museum · Hanley

The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery

The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery in Hanley holds one of the world's great collections of Staffordshire ceramics, along with part of the Staffordshire Hoard of Anglo-Saxon gold and a Spitfire in memory of its Stoke-born designer, Reginald Mitchell. Entry is free.

It is a modern museum in the city centre with galleries across two floors, so your parent can choose a few highlights and rest in between.

Time to allow
Half a day
Cost
Free

Access

Their website does not set out its access in detail, so ring ahead about parking, paths and toilets.

Their website

Carers who drive, based near Hanley

Middleport Pottery, Burslem

Photo: Amanda Slater from Coventry, West Midlands, UK, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Museum · Burslem

Middleport Pottery

Middleport Pottery is a working Victorian pottery beside the Trent and Mersey Canal where Burleigh ware is still made by hand, with a heritage trail, factory tours, a shop and the Packing House Café. It is open every day.

The outside areas are cobbled but wheelchair accessible, there is disabled parking opposite the entrance and several disabled toilets, and a virtual tour is offered in place of the factory tour, which has steps.

Time to allow
Half a day
Cost
Site free, factory tours paid

What their access information confirms

  • Partly step-free
  • Accessible toilet
  • Blue Badge parking
  • Café

Their websiteAccess information

Carers who drive, based near Burslem

Ford Green Hall, Smallthorne

Photo: Nina Richards, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Museum · Smallthorne

Ford Green Hall

Ford Green Hall is a timber-framed yeoman farmer's house built in 1624, furnished to show everyday family life over 400 years ago, with a period garden. Its Georgian tea room has low beams and quarry tile floors.

It is a small house that can be seen in a short visit, and the tea room makes a warm place to sit afterwards.

Time to allow
An hour or two
Cost
Check prices

Access

Their website does not set out its access in detail, so ring ahead about parking, paths and toilets.

Their website

Carers who drive, based near Smallthorne

Etruria Industrial Museum, Etruria

Photo: Roger Kidd, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Museum · Etruria

Etruria Industrial Museum

Etruria Industrial Museum is a Victorian potters' mill at the junction of the Trent and Mersey and Caldon canals, where an 1820s beam engine still grinds materials for the pottery industry. It opens most Fridays, with steaming weekends through the year.

Guided tours explain the mill at a steady pace, and the canal towpath outside makes a gentle short walk, but a carer should check the dates as it opens on limited days.

Time to allow
An hour or two
Cost
Paid entry

Access

Their website does not set out its access in detail, so ring ahead about parking, paths and toilets.

Their website

Carers who drive, based near Etruria

Hanley Park, Hanley

Photo: Brian Deegan, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Park · Hanley

Hanley Park

Hanley Park is a Grade II* listed Victorian park with a bandstand, terrace garden, pavilion, boating lake and the Doulton fountain, with views across to Stoke Minster. It lies between Hanley and Stoke.

The terrace garden and pavilion are close together, so your parent can enjoy the best of the park in a short loop.

Time to allow
An hour or two
Cost
Free

Access

Their website does not set out its access in detail, so ring ahead about parking, paths and toilets.

Their website

Carers who drive, based near Hanley

Westport Lake, Tunstall

Photo: AtticTapestry, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Nature reserve · Tunstall

Westport Lake

Westport Lake is a large lake with a footpath all the way round, a smaller model boating lake and a woodland conservation area, beside the Trent and Mersey Canal. It is a wintering site for water birds such as goldeneye and shoveler.

The footpath around the main lake makes a gentle circuit where your parent can watch the birds and stop whenever they need to.

Time to allow
An hour or two
Cost
Free

Access

Their website does not set out its access in detail, so ring ahead about parking, paths and toilets.

Their website

Carers who drive, based near Tunstall

Burslem Park, Burslem

Photo: AtticTapestry, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Park · Burslem

Burslem Park

Burslem Park is a restored Victorian park in the Mother Town of the Potteries, with a pavilion café run by volunteers from the Burslem Park Partnership.

The volunteer-run pavilion café gives a place to sit in the middle of the park, so a short walk can be planned around it.

Time to allow
An hour or two
Cost
Free

Access

Their website does not set out its access in detail, so ring ahead about parking, paths and toilets.

Their website

Carers who drive, based near Burslem

Park Hall Country Park

Nature reserve · Weston Coyney

Park Hall Country Park

Park Hall Country Park on the eastern edge of the city is a large area of heath, woodland and old quarry landscape, with paths for both easy and more demanding walks.

There are easy paths as well as harder ones, so a carer can choose a short, gentle route near the car park.

Time to allow
An hour or two
Cost
Free

Access

Their website does not set out its access in detail, so ring ahead about parking, paths and toilets.

Their website

Carers who drive, based near Weston Coyney

Regular groups and events in Stoke-on-Trent

Something to go back to every week or every year, from our research into what older people enjoy doing in Stoke-on-Trent.

  • Reading · Stoke on TrentLibrary reading groupsStoke-on-Trent Libraries run reading groups through their branches, with sets of books borrowed for the group to discuss. A carer can help choose a nearby branch, arrange transport and pick up large print or audio versions if reading is tiring.Details
  • Sports · Stoke on TrentWalking football at the Stoke City academy domeAn over-50s walking football session held indoors at the club's academy dome, played at walking pace with no running. A carer can drive over, stay to watch and handle kit and drinks so the session is just the football.Details
  • Volunteering · Stoke on TrentVolunteering with Stoke-on-Trent LibrariesThe council recruits library volunteers for branches across the city, including help with activities and supporting other readers. A carer can go through the application with the older person and come along for the first few shifts.Details
  • Knitting · HanleyKnit and a Natter at the Mitchell Arts CentreA casual Friday morning knitting and stitching group in the arts centre cafe bar, with a starter pack provided for beginners. A carer can bring the project bag, order the drinks and stay nearby while conversation does the rest.Details
  • Knitting · Stoke on TrentU3A craft clubThe Stoke-on-Trent South u3a runs a craft club for members who want to knit, sew and make alongside others. A carer can help with joining the u3a and getting to the meeting, which is aimed squarely at retired people.Details

Hobbies and carers who share them in Stoke-on-Trent

At a glance

The nine places side by side

What each place’s own access information confirms. “Ask” means it does not say, not that it is missing.

PlaceTimeCostStep-freeToiletCafé
Gladstone Pottery MuseumLongtonhalf a dayPaid entryAskAskAsk
The Potteries Museum and Art GalleryHanleyhalf a dayFreeAskAskAsk
Middleport PotteryBurslemhalf a dayFree outside, paid insidePartlyYesYes
Ford Green HallSmallthornean hour or twoCheck pricesAskAskAsk
Etruria Industrial MuseumEtruriaan hour or twoPaid entryAskAskAsk
Hanley ParkHanleyan hour or twoFreeAskAskAsk
Westport LakeTunstallan hour or twoFreeAskAskAsk
Burslem ParkBursleman hour or twoFreeAskAskAsk
Park Hall Country ParkWeston Coyneyan hour or twoFreeAskAskAsk

Where the places are in Stoke-on-Trent

The county’s boundary, numbered as on this page, with the main towns for reference.

Stoke on TrentTunstallFenton123456789
  1. 1Gladstone Pottery Museum, Longton
  2. 2The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, Hanley
  3. 3Middleport Pottery, Burslem
  4. 4Ford Green Hall, Smallthorne
  5. 5Etruria Industrial Museum, Etruria
  6. 6Hanley Park, Hanley
  7. 7Westport Lake, Tunstall
  8. 8Burslem Park, Burslem
  9. 9Park Hall Country Park, Weston Coyney

What it costs

What a day out with a carer costs in Stoke-on-Trent

Carers in Stoke-on-Trent charge £19 to £20 an hour through PrimeCarers, typically £19, with our fee included. A four-hour outing is about £76 for the carer’s time. Entry, food and parking are extra, and travel costs are only payable if you agree them with the carer in advance, in writing. The cost of home care in Stoke-on-Trent has the full figures.

Photographs on this page are from Wikimedia Commons, credited under each one.

Questions

Questions families ask about days out in Stoke-on-Trent

Gladstone Pottery Museum in Longton, The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery in Hanley, Middleport Pottery in Burslem, Ford Green Hall in Smallthorne, Etruria Industrial Museum in Etruria, Hanley Park in Hanley, Westport Lake in Tunstall, Burslem Park in Burslem and Park Hall Country Park in Weston Coyney. Each has its own section on this page with what its access information confirms, the cost and how long to allow.

Middleport Pottery has an accessible toilet. Access changes, so ring ahead about anything your parent depends on.

The Potteries Museum and Art Gallery, Middleport Pottery (outside free, inside paid), Hanley Park, Westport Lake, Burslem Park and Park Hall Country Park. Parking is often charged even where entry is free.

Yes. A companion carer can drive your parent there, walk at their pace, help with the toilet and meals, and bring them home. 21 of the carers with a rate near Stoke-on-Trent drive. Visits are booked by the hour, typically £19 an hour here with our fee included. Companionship care in Stoke-on-Trent shows who is available.

Often. Many attractions let a carer or companion in free, or at a reduced price, with a disabled visitor, and some ask for proof such as a letter or a benefit award. It varies, so check each place’s access or prices page before you go.

Where the nearest carers live

From the profiles of the carers based within about 45 minutes of Stoke-on-Trent

Where the nearest carers live. A carer close to home can manage a longer day out.

Companionship care in the counties around Stoke-on-Trent

Days out in the areas around Stoke-on-Trent

Companionship care by town in Stoke-on-Trent

Each town page shows the carers who list it as home, with their rates and reviews.

Find a carer who could take them out in Stoke-on-Trent

See carers near Stoke-on-Trent who drive, with their photos, interests, rates and reviews. Talking to them is free and nothing is booked until you say so.

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