Last Updated: August 24, 2022
The Yorkshire Dales is a great place to visit with kids for a break in the beautiful English Countryside. And is one of England’s best National Parks.
If the countryside itself isn’t enough to entice you, then there are also some quirky, mysterious and fun sites you can visit as a family.
In particular, there is a great pocket in the North Eastern area, that has some interesting sites for families.
All the sits below are within easy driving distance of each other. So they can be squeezed into a couple of days for a great weekend of family fun.
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Druids Temple
| Type of Activity? | Site Seeing/Walk |
| What is it? | A cool and mysterious looking rock temple surounded by woodland walks |
| Where is it? | Ilton Village, about 3 miles from Masham |
| When to go? | Open all year |
| What to Wear? | It’s outdoors so dress for the weather, decent walking shoes/trainers for the mild walks |
| What to Take? | A camera |
| What’s the cost? | Free to enter, £4 for parking |
The Druids Temple is such a mysterious place and should really intrigue your kids like it did ours.
It’s a collection of dozens of carefully places rocks. Forming temples, thrones and pillars. Not too dissimilar to the famous Stonehenge.
The stones are so fun to explore for kids and they will feel like they’re in an adventure story whilst discovering this eerie area.
There are also a few mild woodland walks that surround the rock temples that are a great bonus. You will discover some more of the rock arrangements as you venture around these woodland walks, as well as some great views.
The journey to the temple can be a little tricky with narrow, winding, hilly country lanes. But just take your time and you should be able to navigate them without issue. Parking is just across from the entrance to the folly and is £4, paid for via an honesty box so make sure you have some cash on you.
Although the story behind the stones is a little underwhelming with it simply being a folly for William Danby, a wealthy land owner. It still has an air of mysteriousness surrounding it. And some people actually believe this may be a cover up and the stones may have more mystery and magic than the historians declare.
We’ll let you decide what you want to believe…
Jervaulx Abbey
| Type of Activity? | Site Seeing |
| What is it? | abbey ruins to explore |
| Where is it? | Jervaulx, about 3 miles from Middleham |
| When to go? | Open all year from dawn until dusk |
| What to Wear? | It’s outdoors so dress for the weather |
| What to Take? | A camera |
| What’s the cost? | £5 per Adult, £3 per Child, £1 for parking. Paid via an honesty box or online |
Not far from the Druids Temple is Jervaulx Abbey. A beautiful abbey ruins that is still very well preserved.
Me and my eldest had recently been reading the Tales of Redwall books, an adventure story about woodland creatures with an abbey at it’s heart. So this really got the imagination juices flowing when we arrived. Imagining where the rat hoard and mouse warriors would battle it out!
You can park over the road at the tea rooms. And this is also a campervan site. So a perfect spot if you want to stay near the abbey (as we did). You can then head over at sunset which makes exploring the abbey even more enchanting as the sun casts long shadows of the ruins across the abbey grounds.
Payment is made with an honesty box and is £5 for Adult and £3 for children. More information can be found on the Jervaulx Abbey website.
Middleham Castle
| Type of Activity? | Site Seeing |
| What is it? | Castle Remains to explore |
| Where is it? | Middleham, North Yorkshire |
| When to go? | 10.00-17.00, every day during Apr-Oct. Weekends Only during Nov-March |
| What to Wear? | It’s mainly open to the elements, so dress for the weather |
| What to Take? | A camera |
| What’s the cost? | Adults £8, Children £5 (Family Tickets Available), Free for English Heritage Members |
Middleham Castle is a really great old English castle from the 12th century. Mainly held by one of the most powerful families in England, the Nevilles, until later becoming one of the Royal Homes of Richard the III. Middleham Castle has a rich history, which you can learn all about when visiting and exploring the castle grounds.
It’s great fun to walk around and explore with kids with maps and information points dotted about. And kids will love exploring every nook and cranny.
You can park next to the castle on the road for free, although parking is limited and sometimes tight. You can purchase family or individual tickets either on the day or in advance on the English Heritage website and it’s free for members.
The Forbidden Corner
| Type of Activity? | Site Seeing/Theme Park |
| What is it? | A unique folly garden with strange sculptures and exhibits |
| Where is it? | Near Middleham |
| When to go? | Everyday April to October. Sunday’s only November to March. Closed January to March. Open 12-6 (or dusk) Monday to Saturday, Open from 10 Sunday’s and Bank Holidays |
| What to Wear? | Most attractions are outdoors so dress for the weather |
| What to Take? | A camera |
| What’s the cost? | Adults £14.50, Children 4-15 12.50, Under 4 free. |
The Forbidden Corner is an attraction like no other. A weird and sometimes disturbing collection of statues, tunnels, mazes and surprises along the way.
It was originally intended to be a private folly, created by Colin Armstrong and his good friend Malcolm Tempest. But as news grew of the interesting grotto that had been established, it was eventually opened to the public. It is now a popular place for visitors from all around to explore.
It’s hard to describe what the aim of the Forbidden Corner is and what you actually go there intending to do, but we just remember it being a lot of fun!
Kid’s Quote: “This Place is So Creepy!”
Aden, Age 5
It’s slogan is ‘the strangest place in the world’ and it’s hard to argue with that claim. You basically just wonder around, get lost and discover weird and wonderful statues and exhibits.
You get a ‘map’ at the beginning and a sheet of paper to do some coin rubbing. There are various indented symbols marked around the site and then rub a coin over the paper on them to mark it on your paper.
The map isn’t really a map, but has a number of the sculptures to tick off as you find them. We ended finding all but one! Despite our best efforts (I still lose sleep over it!).
You can book tickets online at the Forbidden Corner website. Parking is free onsite.
It’s a great day out for kids and adults alike is is something quite unique to experience in England.