Life as a SEN mum

For anyone who isn’t familiar with Crich Tramway Museum, as you’ve probably guessed, the main concept is the history of trams. But beyond just a building full of information you can ride on various vintage trams, see trams throughout the decades as well as plenty of other activities to keep everyone entertained.

Cost

Entry isn’t the cheapest, you’re looking at £52 for a family ticket. This will however, give you 12 months entry. There are discounted tickets for disabled visitors (including free carer) and under 4s are free. You’ll also be glad to know, parking is free, which is something I’ve noticed seems to be increasingly rare recently.

Riding the trams

On entry you’ll be given your tokens for the trams (a penny for an adult and a ha’penny for children). These will be exchanged once on the tram for your ticket which you can then show on any of the operating trams throughout the day. The trams vary on each day, but there’s usually several trams operating on any given day and you can ride as many times as you like. If you’re lucky you’ll even get the chance to ride on one of the older Blackpool trams which I know lots of us miss about Blackpool these days.

Food and drink

When we last visited the cafe was currently in the process in of being rebuilt, but there was still a small cafe above the pub. Yes you read right, there is an old fashioned pub selling a range of alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks. There is also a sweet shop and ice cream stall for anyone with a sweet tooth. There’s plenty of space for picnics across the site and there are a few covered areas at Victoria Park, although having been before I’m not sure whether these have been added specifically for the bad weather recently and may not be there year round.

Exhibitions

There are several exhibition rooms:

Derby Assembly rooms: this houses temporary exhibitions.

George Stephenson Discovery and Lesrning Centre: This is what I’d class a typical exhibition space, lots of information about the development of trams throughout the decades, and some interactive aspects for kids. You can also access the viewing gallery for the workshop and see repairs being carried out on the current fleet of trams.

Tram Depots: This is where you can see the operating trams, when they’re not going up and down the track.

Great Exhibition Hall: This is the part that definitely helped to turn the day around for us. Charlotte had a little bit out of sorts because when we arrived the trams weren’t running while they sorted a problem on the tracks. In the exhibition hall you’ll get the chance to see lots of different trams, there’s plenty of information for adults, interactive boards for kids, and even fancy dress.

Woodland Walk

There’s more to do at Crich than just the trams, including the woodland walk and sculpture trail, despite the times we’ve visited we haven’t actually done the walk, but if you’ve got your walking shoes on and weather permits, kids can pick up an explorers backpack at admissions and complete one of a number of challenges as you follow the trail.

Wakebridge

Follow the woodland walk, or take the tram to the Wakebridge stop and take a look at the mining display. There is also more picnic spots which often seem quieter and a bird hide.

Play Areas

Whatever the weather there is plenty of space for kids to burn off energy. Walk up the hill from Victoria Park and you’ll find a large play area. There’s a few picnic tables up here as well so you can sit and enjoy your picnic while the kids can run around.

If the British weather isn’t quite playing ball there’s also a soft play next to the exhibition hall, it is small and better for younger children, but if you need to escape the rain it’s always a good option for the kids.