We were kindly invited along to Yorkshire Sculpture Park a few days ago (August 2024)
It has been on my list of places to visit so I am very pleased we managed to visit this year.
A truly magical Place for a family adventure
A little bit about the Park first
A 500 acre outdoor art gallery, what's not to love!
YSP is a leading outdoor art gallery with some impressive awards under it's belt. It is also a registered charity trust and museum which was founded in 1977 and was the first sculpture park in the UK and largest of its kind in Europe.
There's so much to see here from various artists including:
Bharti Kher, Elisabeth Frink, Leilah Babirye, Carol Douglas, Damien Hirst, Barbara Hepworth and so many more.
YSP has worked with over 1,000 artists over the last 45 years from over 40 countries and welcomes thousands of visitors each year. They also support over 40,000 people each year through the learning programme. In the 18th Century gardens you can expect to find around 100 sculptures which is just amazing.
Our Visit
We headed down just after YSP had just opened, the car parks were starting to get a little busy but we weren't too bothered because of the size of the place, plus we got parked straight away.
Upon arrival make sure you have your tickets ready on your phone or printed to show at the gate as this is where your tickets are checked and it is advised that you have your tickets on you throughout the day because some of the pathways go out of the park
We headed indoors to the visitors centre first for a toilet stop and we did have a nosey around in the centre before heading outdoors. Inside you can find a shop, café, restaurant, toilets, various exhibition rooms and I particularly liked the quiet room. A room where you can just chill from the busy of the world.
We then headed outdoors to explore. There's so much to see here and you do need to be prepared for lots of walking as the place is huge. We made our way around the park and stopped to look at the different sculptures, we chose a path and stuck to it which took us down to the lake and across one of the bridges where we decided to head into the woods for a wander.
We did come face to face with cattle but they were no bother and as long as you are quiet they will not bother you.
We really enjoyed our day here and spent around 4 hours exploring although you could easily spend the full day here.
We did stop to just take in the views a few times and we spotted some fab sycamore seeds to play helicopters with, we climbed trees and just enjoyed being out in the fresh air.
We also watched some squirrels collecting nuts and we found some hidden painted stones which we re-hid. Even the teen put his phone away and enjoyed just being out in the countryside for a while messing around in nature.
It was a great family day out which offers lots of space to explore and we are already talking about a return visit.
You can get a free map from the visitors centre or alternatively take a photo of a map on your phone. Staff were all lovely and helpful and the whole site was pretty clean with recycling bins in various locations so please get rid of your rubbish responsibly.
On our visit it was still the Summer holidays (we visited end of August) at this time there was loads going on for kids with various trails and activities to get involved in.
If you are visiting with kids you can enjoy little wild woods, scavenger hunts, trails and more. You could create your own scavenger hunt, bug hunt, toadstool hunt (please do not touch or eat them) Bird hunt etc
Top Tips for visiting
Good to know
🌸Set in 500 acres
🌸Over 90 sculptures to see
🌸Café
🌸Dogs are welcome on a short lead and you must clean up after them
🌸Restaurant
🌸Free parking included in ticket price
🌸Picnic benches or you could pack a blanket and sit on the grass (there's tons of space everywhere)
🌸Cattle grazing (in the woods)
🌸Not suitable for those with mobility issues unless you are in an off road wheelchair! It is quite steep in places and uneven, for more info on accessibility please go HERE
🌸Mobility scooters to hire -Pre booking is required
🌸Lots of open spaces to explore and let your imagination run wild
🌸It is recommended you pre book tickets as it can get quite busy
🌸Water re fill stations are available to use ( I would suggest taking your own drinks, we had our own but I did hear someone complain of spending £12 on 4 cans of pop. Yikes! ) I love these and think more places should use them.
🌸Shop in the visitors centre with some lovely items including a few pocket money items
🌸I recommend wearing good sturdy walking boots
🌸Lots of photo opportunities
Tickets
There are various ticket options available.
Adult tickets cost just £11 each with Kids going free (under 18)
If you are in receipt of Universal credit you can receive a discount taking your ticket from £11 to just £7 (proof is needed) Other discounts are available check them out HERE
Opening times During Summer is 10am - 6pm
Summer ends 29th September when the park switches to Winter opening times keep an eye out on the YSP website for new opening times
Getting to Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Follow the post code WF4 4LG
We travelled from Sunderland which was just under 2 hours, a pretty easy journey straight down the A1M and M1. If you use Google maps it will tell you if there are any delays.
The park is situated just 7 miles from Wakefield and 20 miles south of Leeds
Free parking, priority parking for Blue Badge holders close to the visitors centre and there are EV chargers available to use in the main car park.
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