The Mill House

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.

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.

The World of James Herriot fills the original 1940s home and veterinary surgery of Alf Wight at 23 Kirkgate in Thirsk, known in the books as Skeldale House. You walk through the restored family rooms, the cramped consulting room and the dispensary packed with old remedies, then out to the garden with its memorial statue.

Tip: There's no cafe on site, so plan lunch in Thirsk marketplace, a two-minute walk away.

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.

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.

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.

York Minster is an Anglican cathedral in the city of York and the seat of the Archbishop of York. Most of the building dates from between 1220 and 1472. It keeps most of its medieval stained glass, including the huge east window, the largest expanse of medieval glass in the world, and the Five Sisters window in the north transept.

Tip: Pre-book your tickets, and note that a Minster ticket is valid for 12 months. The Central Tower needs a combined ticket and a minimum age of 8.

The National Railway Museum in York tells the story of rail transport in Britain and its impact on society. Around 100 locomotives and pieces of rolling stock are usually on show at York, alongside thousands of other objects. Highlights include the streamlined Mallard, Flying Scotsman, Duchess of Hamilton, the Royal Train saloons of "Palaces on Wheels" and a Japanese Shinkansen bullet train.

Tip: Check the official website before you go for current opening days and times, and book ahead for Wonderlab and the afternoon tea.