24 Hour Itinerary: Cultural Day Out
Enjoy a jam-packed day out featuring award-winning art and sculpture, medieval history and of course, amazing food!
24 Hour Itinerary: Outdoor Explorers
Did you know that the Wakefield district is 70% rural? As you can imagine, this means there are lots of great outdoor spots to be explored. With so many award-winning country parks to choose from, it’s hard to know where to start when planning a day of outdoor exploring, so we’ve pulled together an itinerary to help.
Morning
A highlight for many Wakefield visitors and locals is the chance to visit Yorkshire Sculpture Park. The YSP is made up of 500 acres of fields, hills, woodland, lakes and formal gardens and is a place where you can enjoy around 100 sculptures in the open-air collection, which currently includes a Damien Hirst exhibition. It makes the perfect start to any day, especially if you follow it with a visit to Notton Wood just ten minutes away. Right by Notton Wood you’ll also find Newmillerdam where you can stop by The Boathouse Café for coffee and cake. These local nature reserves offer stunning scenery and consist of lakes, pine and larch trees, with some stands of broad-leaves and several streams.
Damien Hirst, Charity, 2002-3. Photographed by Prudence Cuming Associates. © Damien Hirst and Science Ltd. All rights reserved, DACS 2019
Notton Wood
© Lee Ward @ LAW Photography
Afternoon
If you are looking to continue your afternoon of outdoor fun, you can take a 15 minute drive to Anglers Country Park, a beautiful countryside spot and a haven for wildlife. Recognised as one of the best parks in the country, Anglers has been awarded Green Flag status for its stunning walking routes. And if you’re looking to push yourself a little further, right next to Anglers is Haw Park Woods, the perfect spot for mountain bikers and thrill seekers.
Anglers Country Park
Haw Park Woods
Evening
Finally, chat about the day’s great adventures over an al fresco dinner at the New Inn in Walton Village, a lovely country pub where you’ll find great food and real ales.
Accommodation suggestion: Less than a five-minute drive from the New Inn is Waterton Park Hotel, the perfect spot for anyone who loves the outdoors. Situated in the middle of its own lake with a backdrop of ancient woodland, the hotel also boasts a championship golf course for those who might want to continue the outdoor fun the following morning.
Alternatively, Newmillerdam’s Best Western Hotel St Pierre is also set in picturesque surroundings and offers an ideal location, as it’s just a few miles from junction 39 in the M1.
The New Inn, Walton
Waterton Park Hotel
Hotel St Pierre, Wakefield
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