South View Retreat - Fun Days Out

Lightwater Valley is a family adventure park in North Stainley, near Ripon, set in 175 acres of North Yorkshire countryside. It began in 1969 as a self-pick fruit farm and grew into a theme park, and it was once home to The Ultimate, billed as the longest roller coaster in the world. The park has a mix of thrill rides, much-loved classics and attractions for families to share.

The Spinning Racer family roller coaster won Best New Attraction at the UK Theme Park Awards. Beyond the rides, the park hosts seasonal events, including a Halloween event called Frightwater Valley and firework displays over Swan Lake. It suits families with children of different ages, and anyone who likes a day of rides in a countryside setting. It stays open whatever the weather, though some rides may pause in heavy rain or strong winds.

Tip: Book tickets online in advance, before midnight the day before your visit, to get the online discount rather than the on-the-day price.

Flamingo Land is a theme park, zoo and resort at Kirby Misperton in North Yorkshire. It has been running since 1959 and was the first site in Europe to combine rides and a zoo. The theme park has eight themed areas, with thrill coasters such as Sik, Hero, Kumali and Velocity, plus gentler family and kids' rides.

The zoo is home to around 140 species, including giraffes, tigers, hippos, rhinos, meerkats, penguins and lemurs. Keeper talks and feeds run through the day, and there are daily shows and character meet and greets, including Peter Rabbit. Thrill seekers will head for the big coasters, while families with younger children can mix animals, shows and smaller rides. There are plenty of places to eat on site.

Tip: Check the day's keeper talk and show times on the website before you go, and plan your route around them.

Mount Grace Priory is a ruined Carthusian monastery, founded in 1398 and set in woodland within the North York Moors National Park. It was the last monastery founded in Yorkshire, and its ruins are the best preserved and most accessible of the nine Carthusian houses in England. You can explore the priory and get a sense of what life was like for a monk.

Within the priory buildings stands a 17th-century mansion, refurbished by industrialist Sir Lowthian Bell in the Arts and Crafts style. Outside, wander the terraced gardens with their richly planted borders, then walk through a wildflower meadow to the Monks' Pond. There's a family trail, a children's playground beside the café, and the Orchard Café, which is open to all and has indoor and covered outdoor seating.

Tip: Pick up a pamphlet pointing out the seasonal highlights, and walk through the meadow to the Monks' Pond.

The World of James Herriot fills the original 1940s home and veterinary surgery of Alf Wight at 23 Kirkgate in Thirsk, known in the books as Skeldale House. You walk through the restored family rooms, the cramped consulting room and the dispensary packed with old remedies, then out to the garden with its memorial statue.

There's plenty beyond the house itself. A hands-on children's gallery lets younger visitors try vet jobs, and a recreated TV studio from the BBC series lets you stand in front of the camera. You'll also find two Austin Seven cars and what's described as the world's largest collection of Herriot memorabilia. It suits fans of the books and TV series, families with children, and couples after a gentle, nostalgic day in Herriot Country. There's no cafe on site, but Thirsk marketplace has food and drink a couple of minutes' walk away.

Tip: There's no cafe on site, so plan lunch in Thirsk marketplace, a two-minute walk away.

Rievaulx Abbey was the first Cistercian monastery in the north of England, founded in 1132 and set in a wooded dale by the River Rye in the North York Moors National Park. It became one of the great monasteries in England before it was seized under Henry VIII in 1538. Today the ruins are owned and maintained by English Heritage.

Pick up an audio tour and wander the monastic buildings, then visit the museum, which is packed with artefacts and everyday objects used by the monks. There is an exhibition on how the monks used and transformed the river and its landscape, an on-screen presentation of the abbey's story, and a display on its destruction after the suppression. The café has views, and there is a shop for souvenirs and local products. Rievaulx Terrace is a short distance away, and the Cleveland Way passes just to the south.

Tip: Park in Helmsley and take the scenic walk from Helmsley Castle to the abbey; a joint ticket also covers nearby Rievaulx Terrace.

The Forbidden Corner is a folly garden in the Tupgill Park Estate at Coverham in Coverdale, inside the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Built in the 1980s as a private pleasure garden, it opened to the public in 1997. The Folly Fellowship voted it the best European folly of the 20th century.

The four-acre garden is laid out as a maze of statues, sculptures, towers, tunnels, grottoes and water fountains. Highlights include a labyrinth with a revolving floor, a 12-foot conifer dog's head and a 20-foot oak green man. Visitors are given a checklist of things to find, and there is also a brass rubbing sheet with 15 plaques hidden around the garden. There is a café and a gift shop. It has also been named the best children's attraction in Yorkshire.

Tip: Check the official website before you go to see how tickets are booked.

HMS Trincomalee is a Royal Navy sailing frigate built shortly after the Napoleonic Wars. She was made in Bombay by the Wadia family of shipwrights, using teak because Britain was short of oak. She is now a museum ship afloat at the National Museum of the Royal Navy in Hartlepool.

Her story takes in anti-slavery patrols, service on the North America and West Indies Station, and a spell with the Pacific Squadron. Later she served as a drill ship at Hartlepool, then as the training ship Foudroyant before being restored and renamed Trincomalee. Look out for the figurehead, a carved turbaned man believed to represent a Sri Lankan, named after the port of Trincomalee. It's a good fit for history fans, families with curious children and anyone who likes ships and the sea.

Castle Howard is a Baroque country house in North Yorkshire, designed by Sir John Vanbrugh and home to the Howard family for over 300 years. Inside, you can explore grand galleries, bedrooms and a world-class art and sculpture collection. The house is also well known as a filming location, including for Brideshead Revisited and Bridgerton.

Outside, the gardens and grounds have lakes, temples, follies, woodland and statues to wander around. Across the road, the Arboretum has over 7,000 trees from around the globe and is known for its autumn colour. Children can burn off energy at Skelf Island Adventure Playground, which has rope bridges, slides and a zip wire. There are shops and cafes on site.

Tip: Buying tickets online costs less than buying at the Ticket Office, so book online. House and Gardens tickets include the playground.