Birds & Animals Up Close

Experiences with other living creatures can be so memorable. Get up close and personal with beautiful owls, hawks and falcons and learn about their habits, all under the guidance of expert handlers on the Swinton Estate just outside Masham with a Swinton Birds of Prey Experience.

Or Thorp Perrow Arboretum and Wildlife Park have falcons and meerkats to marvel at and Big Sheep Little Cow in Bedale has hands-on farm experiences for children and adults combined with a range of indoor and outdoor play activities. All are experiences that the whole family can enjoy.

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Fun Days on The Doorstep

Fun family days out on our doorstep include the thrills and spills of Lightwater Valley, which is home to over 40 adventure rides and attractions, all tailored to the under 12’s. This is definitely at the top of the list for young families.

A more sedate visit for younger families would be Studfold Adventure & Fairy Trails, just 11 miles from Masham in Nidderdale. Studfold’s fairyland has plenty to feed young imaginations.

Who doesn’t love a heritage railway experience, especially one that takes you to the edge of the beautiful Yorkshire Dales? Wensleydale Railway operates mainly heritage diesel engines, with a smattering of steam trips and regular special themed trips and events.

The Forbidden Corner is a unique and quirky folly garden in Coverdale – a slightly surreal adventure which might not be fully appreciated by very young children. The whole garden is one big maze of tunnels, grottoes, novelty structures and sculptures, originally built as a private folly and later opened to the public. Set in four acres with panoramic views of the surrounding Coverdale countryside, to enter, you must pass through a giant mouth… prepare for a weird and wonderful experience – great for feeding the imagination!
More information here.

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Time for an Ice Cream Treat?

Just a few miles outside Masham is award winning, Brymor Ice Cream. Visit Brymor for a taste of their wide range of ice creams. Located just a stone’s throw from Jervaulx Abbey, they have twenty-five flavours to choose from. Enjoy the parlour, café and gift shop and there are outdoor and indoor children’s play areas plus animal corner and other seasonal activities like pumpkin picking to explore.

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Museums for a Rainy Day

If you love to learn, and immerse yourself in the objects and lives of people in the past, we have some interesting and quirky museums to captivate you. Ripon Museums – The Workhouse Museum, The Courthouse Museum and The Prison & Police Museum, are a perfect visit.

If you’re interested in insights into rural life in days gone by, you can’t beat the Dales Countryside Museum in Hawes or, slightly further away, Ryedale Folk Museum. If you fancy a day out, a 40 minute drive would take you to Harrogate where at the Royal Pump Room Museum you can even taste the Harrogate sulphurous mineral waters.

Further afield – there’s The Railway Museum and Jorvik Museum in York, the open-air museum of Beamish in Country Durham, the Science + Media Museum in Bradford or The Hepworth and Yorkshire Sculpture Park at Wakefield – all are accessible with a 60–90 min drive.

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