Visiting the York National Railway Museum

If you find yourself in the city of York and have some time on your hands I would definitely recommend a visit to the National Railway Museum. In fact, I'd say if it is within easy travelling distance go ahead and plan a specific trip to go and visit, as my family all really enjoyed it when we went there in early August this year.

The museum is free to enter but they do ask that you make a donation if you can as they have a vision for improvement that needs funding. We spent about three hours at the museum and that was doing it quite casually with a relaxed cuppa, but if you are particularly interested or if you have younger children who'll want to enjoy the outside play area you could be there much longer.

You have to book in advance currently but there seem to be tickets readily available and even for the next day, but obviously, book a bit ahead for weekends and school holidays as York can be a really busy cit. 

10 Reasons to Fall in Love with York

In early August we were lucky enough to spend a weeks holiday staying at a friends house (a vicarage no less) on the outskirts of the city of York, which is the traditional county town of Yorkshire. I absolutely fell in love with the place and considering I no longer consider myself a townie, having lived in the countryside for the last eight years, I think this is a bit of a feat and therefore I wanted to share just a few of the reasons why I think York is a fabulous place to take a city break, or in fact, to set up home.

1.  There is so much history

The skyline is dominated by the 13th-century Gothic cathedral, York Minster. It is absolutely stunning with gorgeous stained glass and working bell towers. It seems to have been preserved really well and is humongous in stature, being the largest Gothic cathedral in Northern Europe. If you wish to view it as a tourist there is a charge, or you can go along and enjoy one of the daily services without having to pay. It is also quite fun that there is a walking ghost tour from outside the Minster each evening at 7.30pm. 

People meeting outside for the evening ghost tour

National Trust: East Riddlesden Hall, Keighley, Yorkshire

In half term we travelled up to Yorkshire to stay near Bradford, We had a lovely time travelling around and exploring the area. We had one day where we just didn't fancy a long journey so we stayed close by and headed to the nearest National Trust site for a bit of culture and outdoor space. East Riddlesden Hall was the closest, situated in Keighley, West Yorkshire. We weren't sure what to expect as this isn't the biggest site, but actually, it was really nice. The staff were friendly, interested and knowledgeable and there was plenty to do.

As soon as we arrived the kids spotted the birds feed for 50p a bag, so we all headed out to the lake and all my family enjoyed feeding the ducks. This simple act always seems to calm down my crazy girls and focus them on something nurturing. Even JJ loves to feed them, although he is always a little more vigorous in his feeding style! lol, I was happy to find some hale bales to sit on and just enjoy the dry weather and watch my family.

Review: Yorkshire Wildlife Park, A Fabulous Family Day Out

Earlier this week we visited the Yorkshire Wildlife Park, near Doncaster, and we had an amazing day out. It's probably my favourite walk-through animal park that we have visited, as it is relatively flat, super easy to get to, the large animals all appeared to have fabulous large enclosures and they have worked very hard to ensure that you are able to see the animals, without encroaching on their space.

We planned a break in Yorkshire so we could visit the park as Miss E has been polar bear crazy for some years now and this is one of only two places in the UK where you can view them. The weather was fine, but overcast on the bank holiday Monday that we visited and this seemed to be conducive to the animals being happy to have a walk around and be visible for all the visitors.

Nobby, the shy polar bear