Outings, Visits and Holidays
Contact: Marian Goddard
Tel: 07412 936971
Email: info@knutsfordu3a.co.uk
Details and booking arrangements will appear on this page of the website, also in the Newsletter, and will be announced at the monthly General Meetings.
BOOKINGS FOR OUTINGS – Clarification of Procedure
The preferred method of booking is by Credit / Debit card or PayPal on our On-line Tickets page. It is very easy to use and you will get email confirmation of your booking.
Alternatively bookings can be made by using a bookings form and a cheque made payable to Knutsford u3a. Please write the name of the performance or outing on the back of the cheque and send to the event organiser. We will contact you only if your booking has not been successful. If you want confirmation that you have the places you want, please enclose a stamped addressed envelope. Usually your cheque will not be paid in until two weeks before the event. If an outing is fully booked when we receive your cheque you will be informed and placed on the waiting list.
Places on u3a trips and outings can only be booked for full or associate members of Knutsford u3a. If you need to bring a companion/carer to enable you to take part in a trip or visit please see our Accessibility Policy.
We hope to take bookings for the current outing at our general meetings but, as our outings are proving very popular we cannot guarantee the availability at the time of the meeting. In other words please book early to be sure of a place!
The outings subcommittee hope you like the outings we plan. Please contact Marian Goddard on 07412 936971 or email info@knutsfordu3a.co.uk if you have any ideas or suggestions for future outings.
Trip to Biddulph Grange Gardens and to Biddulph Old Hall
Thursday 16th July 2026
Price, £53 for non-National Trust Members, £40 for Members (including tea/cake)
Leave Knutsford Bus Station at 9am, return approximately 4.45pm
We will travel to Biddulph Grange Gardens which belong to the National Trust for a self guided visit. The beautiful Garden is Grade I listed and as a result you will find few handrails and gravel paths, steps and stepping stones and open sources of water. There is a tea room which offers refreshments and light lunches and there is additional outside seating if you fancy a picnic.
We will leave the Garden at 12.45pm and travel to the nearby Biddulph Old Hall for a guided tour. The original building on the site was a small single cell structure built out of large stone blocks around 1425-30. The building would have grown larger over the next 50 years when Francis Biddulph began the construction of his ‘Fair New House of Stone’. The house remained in the Biddulph family until the line ran out when it passed to the Stoner Family and was subsequently sold to the Sangha Trust and operated as a Buddhist Retreat and teaching centre.
The Hall was sold in 2004 and bought by Nigel Daly, David Daly and Brian Vowles who have continued the restoration work and developed the gardens round the Hall.
Brian will show us around the Hall and explain the fascinating history of the house and its occupants and the renovations which they have undertaken.
Tea and cakes will be served in the Library of the Hall prior to our return to Knutsford.
Tickets can be bought quickly and easily using our On-line Tickets page. If you want multiple tickets they must be bought separately as there are two price options.
Alternatively, please send your cheque payable to Knutsford u3a for together with the Booking Form to Irene Hardy, Holly Bush Farm, Pickmere Lane, Tabley WA16 OHP – Telephone 01565 633348. Please send sae if you require confirmation of booking.
Any remaining tickets will be on sale at the members’ meeting on Thursday, 11th June.
Peak District Coach Tour with Onboard Guide
Wednesday, 24 June 2026
Cost: £22.50
Dept: Knutsford Bus Station 09.00am, Return: 6pm approx.
Would you like a Magical Mystery Tour?
Then join us for a day out on a coach visiting the fascinating area of the Peak District National Park. On board will be Ellen Outram, a Blue Badge Tourist Guide who has a very deep knowledge of the area, its history, culture, geology and rural tales to tell. She will make the journey come alive with the wonderful background stories and anecdotes to match the stunning scenery.
We will visit various interesting places including small villages and bustling market towns scattered across this scenic landscape well worthy of its National Park status. We will travel on less well-known roads and see the spectacular views this area has to offer. Well planned stops (including coffee and lunch at own cost) with plenty to see and do with a light-hearted running commentary from Ellen pointing out places of interest on the way.
Are you intrigued? If so, let Ellen show you the Peak District from the comfort of the coach.
Tickets can be bought quickly and easily using our On-Line Tickets page via PayPal or Debit/credit card. Alternatively, complete the booking form and send it together with your cheque made payable to Knutsford & District u3a to:
Hazel Snowden, 27 Wheat Moss, Chelford, SK11 9SP. Telephone: 07733 360585
Any remaining tickets will be on sale at the monthly members meetings on Thursdays 14 May and 11 June 2026.
Ku3a Outings and Visits Group
Trip to Menton and Nice in France, February 2027
Come and join us for a trip to France to see, amongst other highlights, the Lemon Festival and Orchid Festival in Menton and The Battle of Flowers Festival in Nice. Departure is Sunday 14 February 2027. For full details and the itinerary please click here.
I would like to stress the urgency of booking a place as soon as possible as flights do need to be booked as quickly as possible. This route to Nice for this period is always in high demand as this is also a key arrival point for those on ski trips to the French Alps.
To book, please follow the details on the booking form and return to Simply Groups Ltd. We have travelled with this company on previous holidays and have been very well looked after.
I hope you will be able to join me on what promises to be a fantastic few days.
If you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact me on 01565 640640.
Jane Smallwood
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
Monday 30th November – ‘Christmas at Chatworth’ with Christmas Market, self guided tour of the house dressed for Christmas and the illuminated gardens.
For a review of the Holiday in Hampshire, June 2025, click here
For a review of the Holiday in Northumbria, June 2022, click here
For photos of the Hebridean Holiday, May 2017, click Hebridean Holiday Photos
For photos from the visit to Highgrove, August 2017, click Highgrove Visit Photos
For reviews and photos of the visits listed below, see the Reviews of Group Events, Outings and Visits page:
JCB Factory at Rocester, October 2014
Morgan Factory at Malvern, September 2015
Birmingham, September 2017
Wentworth Woodhouse, September 2018
Whitworth Art Gallery and the Portico Library, Manchester, November 2018
Chethams Library and Manchester Cathedral, March 2019
Black Country Museum, Dudley, West Midlands, May 2019
Tissington, June 2019
Cruise, Manchester Ship Canal to Liverpool, July 2019
Lichfield Cathedral and the National Memorial Arboretum, September 2019
A Day of Merchandise and Molecules: Visits to the Amazon Fulfilment Centre, near Manchester Airport, and to Waters’ Mass Spectrometry near Wilmslow, October 2019
Gorton Monastery, December 2019