Wakefield (M1 J38-39)
Yorkshire Sculpture Park · Photo: Nigel Homer
Two of West Yorkshire's best-value big days out, four miles apart. Walk the open-air galleries at Yorkshire Sculpture Park, where under-19s go free, then spend the afternoon at the free National Coal Mining Museum learning about life down the pits.
Park · 10:00–13:00 (3h)
Follow the parkland trails between the big outdoor sculptures; lunch at the on-site café.
An indoor and outdoor park in Wakefield.
Photo: Nigel Homer
Museum · 13:30–16:00 (2h30m)
Free; explore the pithead buildings and mining galleries.
An indoor and outdoor museum in Wakefield, aimed at ages 0–12.
Photo: Maurice Miner
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
YorkshireWhitby
Cross Whitby from west to east. See ammonites and model ships at the Pannett Park museum, where under-18s go free, then have harbourside fish and chips. Cross the swing bridge to the house where young James Cook lodged as an apprentice, and finish by climbing the 199 Steps to the abbey ruins on the clifftop.
Whitby Museum → Magpie Café → Captain Cook Memorial Museum → Whitby Abbey
YorkshireHull city centre
Hull's Old Town packs a lot into a short walk. Spend the morning at The Deep with its sharks and penguins, then follow the river into the free Museums Quarter for vintage trams and a 1940s street, and end in the grand old dock offices of the Maritime Museum.
The Deep → Streetlife - Hull Museum of Transport → Hull Maritime Museum
