York city centre
York City Walls · Photo: The original uploader was Steve nova at English Wikipedia.
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.
Landmark · 09:30–10:10 (40m)
Walk the short Bootham Bar to Monk Bar stretch, the best Minster views on the circuit.
Around two miles of medieval walls circle much of central York, with a raised walkway that is free to walk. Short sections, such as Bootham Bar to Monk Bar past the Minster, suit young children; there are steps and low parapets in places so hold hands.
Photo: The original uploader was Steve nova at English Wikipedia.
Food stop · 10:20–11:30 (1h10m)
Pick up a children's explorer backpack at the welcome desk.
Photo: FEGreene
Nature & gardens · 11:45–12:45 (1h)
Free picnic lunch on the lawns beside the St Mary's Abbey ruins.
Free botanical gardens on the riverside in central York, home to the ruins of St Mary's Abbey and fragments of the Roman fortress walls. Lawns make it the easiest picnic spot in the city centre.
Photo: Kilnburn (talk) 17:29, 18 August 2009 (UTC)
Museum · 13:00–14:30 (1h30m)
Book a timed slot; the ride comes first, then the finds galleries.
An indoor museum in York.
Photo: Jeremy Bolwell
Castle · 14:40–15:40 (1h)
Climb the mound steps for the rooftop view over York.
The stone keep of York Castle, perched on a steep grassy mound, managed by English Heritage. Inside, walkways lead up to a roof deck with views across the city; the climb up the mound steps is the main effort for small legs.
Photo: Tim Green from Bradford
YorkshireWakefield (M1 J38-39)
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.
Yorkshire Sculpture Park → National Coal Mining Museum
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
