Recommendations of things to do places to go near Masham

[Tootired1]

We’ve booked a weekend away in the Autumn for all the family (brothers and their families and our parents) There will be 14 of us altogether the youngest child being 18months old and the oldest child being 10. We will be staying at the White Bear and I’m keen to have a few suggestions of walks to go on/places to visit etc during the day. Any suggestions of must see places/things to do would be greatly appreciated.TIA

Goathland/Grosmont/Pickering for a ride on a steam train - it's the North Yorks Moors Historic Railway. They run the Hogwarts express and Thomas sometimes too, you can look it up for the dates you want and see what they are doing.
Or Hutton le Hole has the Ryedale Folk Museum.

Forbidden corner is great and appeals to the full range of ages.
Richmond drummer boy walk is lovely for a very gentle flat riverside walk.

Thorp Perrow Arboretum and Wildlife Park has something for everybody. There are nature trails, lakes, idyllic picnic spots, an adventure play area, daily flying displays at the Bird of Prey centre and a selection of unusual animals to visit.
The tearoom is especially lovely as it’s set in its own little garden and serves homemade food, a kids’ menu and has highchairs in a peaceful location. There are regular family event days with special children’s activities and seasonal trails.
Lightwater Valley is perfect for primary school aged children and pre-schoolers.
Big Sheep and Little Cow Farm
Fountains Abbey has family guided tours, school holiday activities and kids will love the wild deer and bats! It’s got a really good play area.

Big Sheep Little Cow Farm in Bedale. Great farmyard tours with lots of interaction with the animals. Or you can skip the farm tour and just visit their indoor play area/cafe.

Another vote for Forbidden Corner. It's quite pricey, and you must book tickets in advance - but it's well worth it.
Aysgarth Falls is a lovely local beauty spot, perfect for a walk. Brimham Rocks is well worth a visit too - free to get in, you'll only need to pay for parking (unless you're a NT member). Brymor ice cream farm is a great place to visit, has a hay barn play area, a go-kart circuit, and a lovely tearoom and gift shop.
The Wensleydale Steam Train will take you on a route through the Dales, and is well worth doing.
It's a beautiful part of the world, have a lovely holiday!

When are you visiting OP? The UCI World championships are here at the end of September and there will be lots of extra events locally around that - concerts, fairgrounds etc etc.

Ripon has got 3 museums for children- police and prison, workhouse and one I can’t remember.

I would do a day at fountains/ripon area and another day going into wharfedale from Masham.

If you like the outdoors , druids temple at ilton is...err interesting
If nothing else very scenic
Has nice cafe
There’s a brewery at masham that does tours
Also newby Hall is meant to be nice.
Lovely area, loads to do
Northallerton has a good market on Saturday

Swinton park is nice, you can go for a walk in the grounds and see the birds of prey for something like a fiver.

Would be nice to go for afternoon tea there too.

The druids temple is wierd isn't it!? We popped down for a look... very odd.

Newby is excellent, really good for kids - they have a little ride on train, water play, excellent play ground with little boats.

Steam trains at Pickering are lovely, but rather a long way from Masham?

And another vote for Forbidden Corner, but yes you do need to book well in advance.

Brymor Ice cream ! They make their own ice cream. Lots of different flavours. They also do diabetic versions.

They have a cafe, but we've only ever gone there for ice cream. They also have a lovely big grassy area with tables and childrens play ground and sand pit.
www.brymordairy.co.uk/
Not too far from Masham, maybe 10 minutes. Nice scenery.

Never been to Thorpe Perrow..we are thinking of going there this afternoon

We went with our dowsing group. A couple refused to go inside it..they didn’t like the energy there but I never felt a thing and my grandsons loved to scamper about on the Stones.

A real Druid was with us and she said they never worship in anything enclosed like that , they like to be out in the open.
It was built about 300 years ago by the local laird to give the locals something to do.
We actually believe it was to practice...let’s say more interesting rituals.
One excellent Dowser said there was a line of negative energy that was practically bolted down by two of the main stones and advised none of us to interfere with it
We checked each other’s auras before we left..all we’re fine.
So yes, interesting day all in all..with a nice cafe.

Thorp Perrow is lovely. Fantastic play park for the children, birds of prey displays, animal feeding etc.

Wensleydale Creamery if there are any cheese fans

Brymoor ice cream

Richmond- there's the castle and a museum in the centre of town

Wensleydale railway- there's some nice walks near the various stations.

As a bit further south is Mother Shiptons Cave.

Richmond Georgian Theatre is well worth a visit too, if there's anything suitable on while you're here?
Also, Thorpe Perrow often have open air concerts in the evening - there might be one that coincides with your holiday?

Another recommendation for the Forbidden Corner, although I think they may close in September. The pub/restaurant (The Stables I think) attached to it is worth going to though

I really dislike the forbidden corner - I live very close to Masham and I just don’t get it at all.

This is a wonderful place to walk, as is Swinton Park and the Druid’s Temple.

Johnny Baghdad’s cafe in Masham is a good cafe for lunch, order from the board, all freshly made with a twist.

Masham also has a wonderful gallery (I buy myself something from there most months ) and a glass works.

Pub food wise the Bruce Arms in West Tanfield serves lovely food (there is a Bruce Arms in Masham too, not related, not the same at all).

Well we went to the arboretum today. I was enchanted
It poured down so we ate in the cafe and the view was stunning
It cleared up at 3-30 and went round the park and we had the place to ourselves .
You couldn’t have wished for a more peaceful place
I haven’t been sleeping at all well and came out of there with so many energy
Thank you for suggesting it
Anyone visiting will not be disappointed

@Dowser The one at Castle Howard? That's near me. Their homemade cakes are lovely!

Abandon the kids with other grown ups and go do a tour of masham gin distillery! Or black sheep brewery if that floats your boat!!!

The White Bear is fabulous! Stayed last year for a big family event (multi generational) and the staff were great. There's a very good playpark in Masham itself, next to the cricket pitch(so that was everyone entertained) and a nice loop walk from there that we all managed, even the littles. And I'd second Thorpe Perrow as a good day out.

The black sheep brewery, which has a great cafe. If you can make the drive and want an impressive walk, go on the backroad down to Lofthouse village and then up to Scar House Reservoir

Its a set of connected dams and reservoirs up the valley that no-one lives above. Spectacular desolate scenery - you can do a round reservoir walk (about 6 miles irc) or add on Gowthwaite for a longer one. Really interesting history as they compulsory purchased the houses and floods the valley to make it

One side of Scar reservoir is tarmaced so easy for push chairs etc, the other isn't.

Just up the road from Scar and Lofthouse is this place (haven't been, local reviews are good) they have a fairy trail, lots of outdoor stuff and you can pre order picnics etc studfoldtrails.co.uk

Weatherheads in Pately Bridge on the way back for pork pies, and they have a decentish park for the kids

Ripon isn't far and you can see the cathedral (altho you'll get pressured to make a 'donation') and old stuff, fountains abbey is great for a day out too - really nice forest type park for the kids and decent tearoom and its mostly paved for pushchairs etc

Swinton Park is excellent too - we stayed for a 50th wedding anniversary but they have lovely grounds (and a glamping site!) and a brasserie and spa

Thank you so much. You lot are awesome. We’re only there for two days. Don’t think it’s going to be long enough. We’re not going until November but as I’ve organised it, I wanted to have a few suggestions of good things to do. You’ve given me loads of ideas and so pleased to hear the White Bear is good. My husband stopped there with work and suggested it and the area for our family weekend away. Really looking forward to it now 😊

No Britney..it was Thorp Perrow
But as soon as the land dries up we are going to Castle Howard.
Will have to keep my pendulum and L rods well hidden
We were going as a group of Dowsers but permission was denied..🤔

What are they hiding that they were afraid we’d find lol

Also , the Bay Horse in the village is lovely and was very welcoming to us as a group - unlike the Bruce Arms which looks great on their website but was actually a great disappointment for various reasons, including a completely broken and dangerous play area .