Lake Farm Cottage

Lightwater Valley is a family adventure park in North Stainley, near Ripon, set in 175 acres of North Yorkshire countryside. It began in 1969 as a self-pick fruit farm and grew into a theme park, and it was once home to The Ultimate, billed as the longest roller coaster in the world.

Tip: Book tickets online in advance, before midnight the day before your visit, to get the online discount rather than the on-the-day price.

Fountains Abbey is a ruined Cistercian monastery near Ripon, founded in 1132 and dissolved in 1539. Historic England describes it as the best preserved of English abbeys and the finest picturesque ruin. The abbey church and many of the monastery buildings survive, including the chapter house, refectory and lay brothers' dormitory.

Tip: Check the National Trust website for current opening days before you set off, as winter closures apply. The West Gate car park gives level access to the abbey, while the walk down from the visitor centre is steep.

The Forbidden Corner is a folly garden in the Tupgill Park Estate at Coverham in Coverdale, inside the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Built in the 1980s as a private pleasure garden, it opened to the public in 1997. The Folly Fellowship voted it the best European folly of the 20th century.

Tip: Check the official website before you go to see how tickets are booked.

Ripley Castle is a Grade I listed 14th-century country house, three miles north of Harrogate on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. It has been the Ingilby family seat for centuries, with a history that includes the Gunpowder Plot and the Civil War.

Tip: Check the Ripley Castle website for current opening and castle tour availability before you travel, as the estate has been put up for sale. Parking is charged.

Tropical World is a licensed zoo in Roundhay Park, Leeds, made up of climate-controlled glass houses that each recreate a tropical environment. You start in the butterfly house, where butterflies fly freely around a swampy setting with terrapins, koi and Morelet's crocodiles. From there you move into an Aztec-themed aquarium with stingrays, octopus, seahorses, piranhas and poison dart frogs.

Tip: Free parking is close by, a short walk away, and buses 2 and 12 stop right outside. Dogs, including assistance dogs, are not allowed inside.

Newby Hall is a Grade I listed country house beside the River Ure, near Ripon. Built in the 1690s, its interiors were remodelled in the 1760s to designs that include work by Robert Adam and John Carr, and it holds a collection of furniture and paintings. The house is visited on a guided tour.

Tip: Dogs are generally not allowed in the gardens or woodland (assistance dogs excepted), so leave pets at the lodge; there's a small dog exercise area by the picnic area.

Knaresborough Castle is a ruined fortress perched on a cliff above the River Nidd. Founded around 1100, it later became a royal residence and was largely dismantled after the Civil War. You can wander the medieval ruins, including the pair of towers that formed the main gate, and take in dramatic views over the river.

Studley Royal is a landscaped park and garden in North Yorkshire, covering about 800 acres. It is a World Heritage Site and a grade I listed park and garden, and the River Skell runs through it. The garden reflects many stages of English garden fashion, as owners extended the design rather than replacing older parts.