Flamborough / Bridlington
RSPB Bempton Cliffs · Photo: Crimson Caribou
A clifftop coast day around the chalk headland. Rockpool at South Landing in the morning, cross the headland for lunch and a cliff walk at North Landing, and end at Bempton Cliffs, where the viewing platforms overlook one of England's biggest seabird colonies.
Nature & gardens · 10:00–11:45 (1h45m)
Rockpool around low tide, then try the woodland sculpture trail.
A sheltered sand-and-chalk-pebble cove on the south side of the Flamborough headland, popular for rockpooling at low tide, with a sculpture trail through the wooded nature reserve above. The Yorkshire Wildlife Trust's Living Seas Centre here runs rockpool safaris on event days.
Photo: eastridingcoastandcountryside.co.uk
Nature & gardens · 12:00–14:00 (2h)
Lunch at the North Landing café, then a short clifftop walk; keep well back from the edge.
A Yorkshire Wildlife Trust reserve on the Flamborough headland, reached on the clifftop path from the North Landing cove where fishing cobles are pulled up the slipway. Entry is free; in early summer puffins nest in the cliffs, and seals and porpoises are sometimes seen offshore.
Photo: ywt.org.uk
14:20–16:15 (1h55m)
Follow the clifftop path between viewpoints; toilets and baby change at the visitor centre.
An indoor and outdoor family attraction in Bridlington, aimed at ages 4–12.
Photo: Crimson Caribou
YorkshireSaltaire / Bradford
A free day in and around the Victorian model village of Saltaire. Play in riverside Roberts Park, have lunch inside the huge Salts Mill with its free galleries, then hop two stops towards Bradford for the boating lake, Mughal Water Gardens and free art at Lister Park's Cartwright Hall.
Roberts Park → Salts Mill → Cartwright Hall Art Gallery → Lister Park
YorkshireSkipton / Wharfedale
Start inside one of England's best-preserved medieval castles in the middle of Skipton, then drive up the Wharfe to Bolton Abbey. After lunch by the river, follow the family trails to the ruined priory and the stepping stones, or into Strid Wood, where the river squeezes through a narrow rock channel.
Skipton Castle → Cavendish Pavilion → Bolton Abbey Estate
YorkshireYork city centre
Start high on the medieval walls with the Minster towering beside you, then step inside the cathedral, where under-18s go free with a paying adult. After a picnic among the abbey ruins in Museum Gardens, ride through Viking-age York at JORVIK and finish on top of Clifford's Tower looking back over everything you've walked.
York City Walls → York Museum Gardens → Jorvik Viking Centre → Clifford's Tower
