What do locals do near Haworth and Oxenhope?

[YouWereGr8InLittleMenstruators]

I will be travelling to this area with DC aged 8-11. We'll have a few days to explore, and I always like to know what locals enjoy doing most in their area.
Any ideas?

Kirkstall Abbey in Leeds is nice at this time of year and free to enter - you can have a good walk around the park and ruins and there's a small museum there too.

If the weather is good there's Ilkley Lido which is an outdoor swimming pool. There's also lots of walks around there by the river and a great park with a large cafe selling fish and chips etc or the famous Betty's tea rooms. My children used to love a trip to Eureka in Halifax and the Piece Hall also has lots of child friendly events. If you're staying in Oxenhope The Dog and Gun is a great pub for food.

Following for ideas, we’re heading that way in August! Love that part of Yorkshire

We're from a completely different part of the country and unlikely to find ourselves back in the area again, so wouldn't mind covering a bit of distance to see special attractions

You may want to rethink that

West Yorkshire alone is a large county and there's so much to do, then you have North, East and South Yorkshire to consider. You could spend a fortnight in either of West or North Yorkshire and you wouldn't even scratch the surface of attractions for outdoorsy families that don't mind the occasional museum/historical stuff.

I'm about half an hour east of Oxenhope but near the 'special attractions worth travelling to' of the Yorkshire Sculpture Park and the Royal Armouries, National Media Museum.

There's also loads of smaller places like Sandal Castle, Pugneys lake, Cannon Hall Farm and Newmillerdam, Roundhay Park, Kirkstall Abbey and Abbey House museum, Thackray Medical Museum, Industrial museums in Leeds and Bradford (eye opening for the average 8 and 11 YO that if they'd been born in Yorkshire in the late 19th century they'd have been working full time in the mills, running under looms and dodging machinery) Temple Newsam and Lotherton Hall all on the outskirts of Leeds - so there you have a week's worth of stuff to do. Then there's York and the east coast.

Closer to Haworth and Oxenhope is Heptonstall, a historical village up the hill with views, easily walkable from Hebden Bridge if you're fit.

I don't know south Yorkshire that well (even locals don't get there that much because we're too busy visiting West Yorkshire attractions and places like York and the coast) but there's the Yorkshire Wildlife Park, National Trust places like Nostell Priory.

@collywobble

If the weather is good there's Ilkley Lido which is an outdoor swimming pool. There's also lots of walks around there by the river and a great park with a large cafe selling fish and chips etc or the famous Betty's tea rooms. My children used to love a trip to Eureka in Halifax and the Piece Hall also has lots of child friendly events. If you're staying in Oxenhope The Dog and Gun is a great pub for food.

The Lido is closed currently- the indoor pool is open.

Oh really that's a real shame I've spent many a sunny afternoon there with a picnic. I'm guessing it's because of covid or is there another reason?

Last year, Skipton castle was admission by booking only. It may have changed but it's worth checking if that's something you're interested in. It's definitely worth a look. Good wet weather activity as it's not missing its roof unlike most castles.

Oh please please don’t attempt any wild swimming. There have been far too many deaths recently in the local area of people in the water, like PP said very recently there was a death at Ponden but there have also been kids at Brighouse and Goit Stock off the top of my head. This year feels like it’s been the worst in a while for people getting into serious trouble in the water.

Hardcastle Craggs is lovely, not far out of Hebden Bridge.

You Yorkshire people are SO generous with your recommendations! This is much more than I had hoped for. I'm looking to try to go a bit earlier in order to do a bit more, on Barbara's advice. Thank you all so much (especially about avoiding wild swimming, local knowledge is so important).