Yorkshire Sculpture Park

We have been meaning to take Olivia here for ages, so we were super excited to go finally on a day trip with her friend Ivy. The girls had an amazing time and it was genuinely fun for the grown ups too – win win!

Planning your visit to Yorkshire Sculpture Park

YSP is near Wakefield – it takes around 40 minutes in the car from Halifax, but you can also get a bus straight there from Wakefield or Barnsley. There is a cafe and toilets, plenty of picnic spots, and even some tables under cover for having lunch outside if it is rainy.

YSP indoor galleries

They have some brilliant exhibitions on in the indoor galleries. When we went, there was a beautiful collection of woodland creatures by Mr Finch, and, my favourite, a stunning display of tree-inspired sculptures by Guiseppe Penone called Tree In the Woods. When we entered the Tree in the Woods section we borrowed an art park from the box for Olivia to draw pictures of the sculptures. She loved creating different shapes with the charcoal and magnifying glass.

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The YSP gardens

The sun came out halfway through our visit so we went outside to explore the gardens. They are beautiful in their own right, but it is especially fun to come across the amazing sculptures dotted around. the girls loved peeking through them and running round the secret pond.

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We had a fab day at YSP and we are planning to go back again – there is a lot we didn’t get chance to see, especially outside, so it would be good to go back on a sunnier day. One of the best bits was seeing Olivia just loving running round the gardens!

Avenham park and gardens

We ventured a bit further afield recently when Andy had some time off work and did a bit of exploring in Lancashire at Avenham Park. I used to live in Preston but had never been to this park, I was really surprised by how big and beautiful it was.

Planning your visit to Avenham Park

Avenham Park is at the South end of Preston, and is only an hours drive from Halifax. You can also catch the train, and then the park is a 10-15 walk from the station. There are toilets and a cafe, but there are also lots of lovely picnic spots if you want to pack a lunch and go for the day.

Landscaped gardens by the river

We spent a good while wandering along the riverbank at the bottom of the park – the views are lovely and Olivia enjoyed looking at the water and spotting lots of birds. along the riverside there are also lovely landscaped gardens, a fountain and lots of old steps and terraces to climb on.

Toddler adventure playground

We found a really lovely adventure playground just north of the river, next to the cafe. It was nice and quiet as it was late afternoon, and Olivia loved playing on the climbing rope structure and running round and round the willow tree tunnel.

There is also a Japanese water garden, which kids would love exploring, but unfortunately the water was all off due to the extremely dry weather we have been having. I definitely want to visit again after summer when the water will hopefully be back on.

Avenham Park is a beautiful spot, with lots of hidden places to explore, and several different play areas. It makes a good place for a full day out with kids of all ages, so especially great for the summer holidays!

St Ives Park in Bingley – an awesome adventure playground

We love finding new parks and playgrounds to explore – and especially in the summer holidays. We went along to St Ives to check our their huge adventure playground and had an amazing time.

Planning your trip to St Ives

St Ives park is near Bingley, around half an hours drive from Halifax. There is a huge car park with plenty of spaces, and you can also get buses up there from the centre of Bingley. There’s a lovely little cafe with outside seating, lots of space for picnicking, and an ice cream van next to the play park.

Exploring St Ives estate

You can do some lovely walks around the grounds, and there is lots to see with horses to visit, a lovely lake to walk around, and hidden little gardens to explore. You can easily get a buggy around the main parts, or you can off-road with a carrier  or older legs if you want to explore the nearby moorland and cliffs.

Adventure playground at St Ives

 

The star of the show for Olivia was definitely the adventure playground. It has so much to do for all ages, and she particularly loved the tall wooden castle towers with slides, the climbing walls, the tyre swings and the lovely musical playground area with squeaking planks and a musical tile set you can walk on.

After exploring the park we had ice creams on the grass and found this beautiful carved wooden chair to perch on.

Have you been to St Ives? Which is your favourite bit?

Hebden Bridge park and the Park Life Cafe

I have been meaning to blog about this place for a while now. We LOVE going to Hebden Bridge park, and often have breakfast or lunch in the lovely Park Life Cafe, which has tables outside and suits my little Toddlebeast down to the ground as she can scramble and run around whilst I enjoy a coffee in the sun.

Planning your trip to Hebden Bridge

Hebden can get very busy, especially on weekends or during holidays, as it is a popular destination for tourists. However, I’ve found that if you arrive in the morning, there is always a bit of space in the car park near the train station. There’s a path that goes directly from the car park down into the park, so it is super convenient.

Enjoying the playpark in Hebden Bridge

The playground area is great fun for all ages. There are dedicated climbing frames and swings for younger ones, and a really amazing wooden climbing structure for older ones with a huge tube slide. Can’t wait for Olivia to be old enough to scramble up there! There’s also a pirate ship and a water play area with lots of equipment for pouring and splashing in the summer.

Exploring the garden area in Hebden Bridge

In the bigger bit of the park there is a skate park which is great for older ones, and also an outdoor gym area which toddlers love climbing and jumping around. There’s also a huge field for playing ball games or spreading out for a picnic, and you can easily get onto the canal to spot some boats and ducks too.

Food and drink at the Park Life Cafe

The cafe is in the middle of the park, and has outside seating that looks onto a grass play area with some lovely wooden blocks scattered around for climbing and sitting on. They do brilliant coffee and the food is yummy, with lots of choice and a great range of vegetarian and vegan food too. The staff are very friendly and also very patient and welcoming around young children.

Toddlebeast checks out Wellhome park in Brighouse

With Spring just around the corner we have started checking out some of the local parks we have overlooked in the past. We had never been to Wellhome Park before, but had heard good things about the climbing frames and spacious garden bits. We went along to check it out on a sunny days a couple of weeks ago.

Planning your visit to Wellhome Park

Situated just outside Brighouse centre, the park is easy to get to by bus and also has plenty of on road parking round the edge. We took snacks with us today, but there is a cute looking cafe with an outside seating area which we might try out next time.

Exploring the Wellhome Park playgrounds

The play equipment at the park is brilliant – there is a smaller climbing frame for younger children, which Olivia enjoyed as soon as we got there, with some baby and standard swings right next to it. However, her favourite bit was definitely the area for older children, which has an amazing climbing structure, and lots of unusual touches like rope climbing and trapeze bars.

Walking round the Wellhome Park gardens

As well as brilliant play areas, the park has extensive garden areas you can walk round. There is a river running through the grassy area which was lovely for exploring, and I really liked the huge old tree trunks dotted around – we all enjoyed climbing and jumping off those.

There is also a great area for teaching cycling, with a painted on road, and a couple of little paths leading up into some woodland. We are looking forward to coming back to explore again soon, there is plenty to keep young children occupied over a morning or afternoon.

Exploring Judy Woods with the toddlers

We were lucky enough to have some dry, warmish weather at the weekend, and it spurred me to get us into the outdoors and enjoy some fresh air. The winter months can be hard on parents and kids, with little opportunity to enjoy fresh air and space to run and climb – definitely my toddler’s favourite things to do! So we togged up and went exploring in Judy Woods in Norwood Green, near Halifax.

Planning your visit to Judy Woods

Based just next to the village of Norwood Green, the best place to park is on station road near the marked entrance to the woods. If you are going by bus I would probably recommend getting off in Norwood Green or Wyke, and walking from there. There are no cafes or toilets at Judy Wood, so pack your picnic and be prepared for a woods wee if need be!

Exploring the leaves and mud at Judy Woods

Although the weather was dry, there was still plenty of mud for the toddlers to enjoy! Olivia loved squelching in the muddy puddles in her wellies and jumping through the muddiest bits. The woods are really pretty and there were lots of fallen trees to climb, sticks to play with and different plants to look at. There is a beautiful river running through the woods which we didn’t get chance to explore this time, but we will definitely be going back for a splash in the warmer months.

There are benches dotted along the paths in the woods if anyone needs a rest, and the toddlers enjoyed getting their picnic boxes out for snacks on as many benches as possible!

Trying out Norwood Green playground

Just round the corner from where we parked there is a small village playground, which was great for burning off some extra energy before a lunch time nap. The swings there a fab – old fashioned long chains which means really lovely high long swings, which Olivia loves. There’s also a great climbing frame with different bits for older and younger kids, and a slide.

We had a great morning exploring the woods and the playpark, it was fun to see the little ones enjoying the first nice spring day we have had. I’d like to try more woodland walks with Olivia and would love to hear about your favourite places to go.

The Deep – learning about sea creatures with your toddler

First things first – I know The Deep is in Hull and not technically in Yorkshire, but it is included as part of Yorkshire and The Humber, so I think we get to count it! Also, it only took an hour from our home in Halifax so it is close enough for a pretty easy day out. We went along in February this year for our first visit with Olivia and had an amazing time, there is a lot to see and do for young children.

Planning your visit to The Deep in Hull

The Deep is based on the river Humber near the centre of Hull and is a sealife centre with huge aquariums, housing over 3000 sea creatures. It takes just over an hour to drive to from Halifax, and they have a big car park which is free to park in. We went early in the morning and there was plenty of space. By train it takes under 2 hours from Halifax, so still manageable as a day trip, and there are lots of bargain hotels, including a Premier Inn, near by if you did want to make a short break of it. If you prefer to avoid the crowds then definitely go first thing. We arrived at 9.45 and they let us straight tin and there were no queues. Until about 11.30 it was very quiet and Olivia was able to go right up to all the tanks and take her time looking at the exhibits and the creatures. By 12 noon it was VERY busy so we were glad to have had some time to explore by then. We were delighted that the tickets we paid for are valid for 12 months – so we can come back as many times as we like this year, making it really good value.

 

Checking out the aquariums at The Deep

One of the most amazing things about the Deep is the sheer scale of their tanks – they are full of the most beautiful array of sea creatures and also a really impressive range of underwater plants. It was brilliant to see Olivia pressing her face up against the glass and asking questions about it all. She loved seeing the huge turtles swimming by and watched them for ages. In one of the larger tanks there was a particularly large fish which she followed round and round watching it pop up to the surface and dive all the way down again.

Not just fish to see at The Deep

As well as the beautiful fish there were some great chances to get up close with some of the creatures. There is a penguin area where you can see the penguins swimming under water and, at scheduled times, where you can listen to a talk about them and watch them have their lunch. There is also a small area at the beginning where children can learn about different rock pool creatures and even get the chance to touch some. Olivia was really excited to have a good look at an anemone, which she named a ‘pink sea hedgehog’, and she bravely gave it a stroke and said it was very spiky!

Lunch and snack time at The Deep

We took a picnic and found a small picnic area on one of the lower floors. Unfortunately, it was only when we stood up to leave the very crowded picnic area that we spotted a much bigger seating area round the corner! Moral of the story – scope out the area properly before you choose your picnic spot! The bigger seating area looked lovely with big windows to look out of and a counter to buy drinks and snacks. There is also a cafe at the top floor, and a small soft play area on the very bottom floor to run off some steam after lunch.

Toddlebeast rating: 5/5

We had a brilliant time exploring the sea creatures at The Deep and will definitely be making the most of our annual tickets to come back again this year. It is great to know that we can get to Hull so easily for a day trip out – do you have any favourite places you like to take children in Hull?

Leeds City Museum – a big hit with the toddlers!

We braved the cold weather this weekend to go on a family trip out to Leeds City Museum. Lots of people have mentioned have fab it is for young children, so we took Olivia and her friend along to explore the galleries.

Planning your trip to Leeds City Museum

My partner drove us to the museum, and we parked in the nearby Light shopping centre car park. Even on a busy Saturday it was easy to find a space, although it is £3 per hour so space doesn’t come cheap here! The museum is about a 10 minute walk from the train station. It is generally much quieter in the afternoon, so if you want to avoid the crowds, head there after lunch.

Natural history at Leeds City Museum

There is a lot to get round at the museum, with 3 floors of galleries themed around natural history, different cultures and local history. However we found that there were only really 2/3 areas which were particularly good for younger children. We loved the bottom floor with it’s amazing display of animal skeletons – I had no idea that Elk were so huge! There’s also a great section in there where the children can uncover fossils as part of an interactive display. Olivia spent some time at the colouring table and dressing up areas, but was mainly enjoying looking at all the animals and naming them as we went round.

Local history at Leeds City Museum

On the top floor there is a display all about Leeds and its history, and it houses a really lovely play area for under 5s with a mini town. Olivia and her fiend enjoyed playing in the house and filling wheelbarrows of bricks up to whizz along the little road. The usual endless conversations about sharing toys aside, they both really enjoyed this part of the museum.

Egyptian history at Leeds City Museum

Also on the 3rd floor, there was a gallery all about ancient Egypt, with a real preserved mummy and lots of beautiful artefacts. The toddlers enjoyed playing with the mini building blocks in here (until a grumpy security guard told one of them off for knocking them together!) and me and my partner enjoyed chuckling at a really weird mosaic of a wolf. Win win!

Eating and drinking at the museum

There is a cafe which looked fairly spacious, but we didn’t go in as we were going out for tea afterwards. Having experienced plenty of museum cafe food in my time, I would be tempted to suggest eating out in Leeds anyway, as there are lots of family friendly tasty restaurants to choose from.

Toddlebeast rating: 3.5

We had a great afternoon at the museum, but I think it is really only 1-2 hours worth for younger children. Definitely worth a visit though, and I look forward to trying out their Toby Tiger art club they run at some point as Olivia loves crafting.

Cliffe Castle – exploring a castle in Keighley

I love finding out about interesting and unusual places to explore with Olivia, especially when they are free and on my Yorkshire doorstep! I hadn’t heard of Cliffe Castle before it was recommended to me by another lovely mama, but her description of a museum with lots animals to look at and a great outside space meant we had to go check it out.

Planning your visit to Cliffe Castle

Cliffe Castle is just outside Keighley town centre, around 15 minutes walk from the bus or train station. It is easy to drive to, and has a car park which is free to use. It gets very busy on a weekend though so it is often easier to find a space on the streets surrounding the grounds, which are also free. The museum is generally open 10-4 weekdays and 11-4 weekends, but is closed on Mondays.

Exploring the museum at Cliffe Castle

We went into the museum first as it was drizzling when we arrived, and we were looking forward to exploring the mansion in the warm. The entrance to the museum is very beautiful and ornate, and it was lovely to see Olivia looking up at the carvings and paintings. Once inside, there are two floors of galleries to explore, themed around different areas of Victorian history, natural history, archaeology and social history.

Our favourite spaces were the stained glass display, the preserved mummies and the local student artwork section. Olivia loved pointing out all the different animals in the stained glass area.

The only downside for us was that there was a LOT of pressure on young children to be quiet and slow throughout the mansion. I generally think that, for a 2 year old Olivia understands fairly well about using inside voices and slow steps when necessary, but we still felt a bit on edge. There were signs everywhere in red and bold telling children to walk slowly and be quiet, and we saw a member of staffing walking around telling people off very grumpily. For this reason we only lasted about 20 minutes in the house and then went outside to explore in a more relaxed atmosphere.

The adventure playground

We were very excited to find a fab adventure playground outside which Olivia immediately ran to and starting exploring – I love seeing her confidence in the outdoors, she is such a dare devil! They had a great big tube slide which she played on for ages, and a nice sand pit area and some cool bouncing areas set into the floor. We spent a good hour on the park, and will definitely come back again in warmer weather.

The animals at Cliffe Castle

Unfortunately when we visited renovations were ongoing so the animal areas were not open. We would definitely like to come back and explore them another time, and have been told they will include bees and an aviary.

Eating and drinking at Cliffe Castle

There is a big cafe in the conservatory near the park, which looked nice, but we didn’t eat there so I’m not sure on the quality of the food. We took some snacks and there are lots of places to enjoy a picnic in the huge park in the warmer months.

Toddlebeast rating: 2.5

Cliffe Castle was a fun trip out for the afternoon, we really enjoyed the playpark, but I don’t think the mansion is that welcoming for younger children unless you can keep them VERY quiet and slow! We do look forward to returning in the summer though for picnics and exploring the big gardens.

National Science and Media Museum for toddlers

I remember going to the National Science and Media Museum as a kid, and absolutely loved it, but I was delighted to find it has been completely revamped and extended since my childhood visits, and has even more to offer families with young children.

Planning your visit to the National Science and Media Museum

Based in the centre of Bradford, the Museum is 5 minutes walk from the bus or train station, and there are several long and short stay car parks dotted around, including a really handy one right outside the back door which is only £1 on Sundays – brilliant! The museum can get quite busy on a weekend, but we have found that afternoons after 3 are much quieter, and it is open until 6 so still plenty of time to explore. I was amazed that entry into the Museum is still completely free, so it’s a fab option for a day out on a budget.

The Wonderlab

One of our favourite parts of the museum is definitely the Wonderlab – this gallery has a huge range of interactive exhibits which encourage children to explore ideas around the senses, our environment and perception. Olivia loves running through the hall of mirrors and playing with the glow in the dark shapes. She also really enjoyed showing her hot little tummy to the infrared camera! 😂

Exploring the galleries

The other floors of the museum have a range of themed galleries which you can explore, and during certain times like science week and half term etc they have great craft activities for the children to take part in. Olivia loves playing on the retro games machines with her Daddy and spends a good chunk of times jumping up and down all the stairs too!

Eating and drinking at the National Science and Media Museum

There is a pretty spacious cafe on the ground floor, which does hot lunches, snacks, cakes and sandwiches. Although the food is nice, it is very expensive and we generally take our own snacks. There is a handy indoor picnic room where you can take packed lunches, and it’s nice and big so great if you have a little monkey who likes to climb and run whilst they eat.

Olivia had a brilliant time at the National Science and Media Museum – it’s such a fab place to learn and explore and is a great free resource to have on our doorstep. We look forward to going regularly as there is a lot to intrigue children of all ages. Do you have a favourite part of the Museum?