About Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Yorkshire Sculpture Park is a fantastic day out. It is recognised as one of the best open air art galleries in the world and I can see why. The park contains a massive 500 acres of breathtaking Yorkshire landscape filled with hills, fields, lakes, woodland, landscaped gardens and historic and modern architecture to explore and appreciate. Skip around with the lambs and play chase with the geese. Or don’t; you know geese usually win. As well as wildlife and farm animals, you will also find a diverse range of modern and contemporary art. Whether you are interested in art or not, there is definitely a lot to see, do and enjoy.
Child’s play
It’s the type of place that takes me back to my childhood. Yorkshire Sculpture Park encourages us all to embrace our inner-child as we wander around. Just forget the real the world, live in the moment and breathe in that fresh country air and you’ll soon regress to childhood. Seriously, it’s that easy. Have your photo taken as you stand next to the over-sized sculptures and laugh as you pretend to be much smaller – and younger. Some of those sculptures might be considered a little cheeky too; that always results in a giggle. Oh, and you can eat ice cream; pretty awesome Yummy Yorkshire Ice Cream to be specific. I tried the caramel fudge. I’d recommend you try it but I wouldn’t want it to sell out on my next visit.
Choose your own adventure
Whether you want to explore the art displays and exhibitions, attend a workshop, take a walk, go for a bike ride, or laze around and watch the world go by, it’s all possible at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park. Bring your camera, bring your art supplies and a picnic too. Alternatively, you can buy refreshments in the restaurant and shop, where you can dine al fresco with a fantastic view overlooking the fields, woodland and lake.
Go alone, with friends, family, your other half and take the dog too; but please keep your four-legged furry friend on a lead, stick to the dog-friendly routes and use the bins (you know what I’m saying). A place like the Yorkshire Sculpture Park only stays special with investment and care and we all need to do our bit.
If art is your thing, then you will appreciate that the Yorkshire Sculpture Park is also a finalist in the 2014 Art Fund Museum of the Year Prize. There’s no denying, the Yorkshire Sculpture Park gets my vote.
Getting there
Yorkshire Sculpture Park is contained within the grounds of West Bretton Hall, Wakefield, about 30 minutes drive from Leeds, just off Junction 38 of the M1 motorway.
The park is open daily except 24th and 25th December. Opening hours are between 10-6pm (some facilities close before 6pm).
Entry to the park is free, you just have to pay for car parking which helps fund the park and starts at £1.50 for an hour, up to £8 for a full day; further details about parking and bus services can be found on the Yorkshire Sculpture Park website.
Find out what’s on before you visit the Yorkshire Sculpture Park.
For more photos, see my more recent post; Photo Diary: the Yorkshire Sculpture Park
The bottom line
Is it worth it? Most definitely. I went to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park on May Day Bank Holiday Monday and although the car park was very busy when we arrived after 1pm, once inside the park that crowded impression quickly disappeared as there’s so much open space to explore; you can see this for yourself in my photos. Parking is reasonable considering there is no admission fee and if there’s a group of you travelling together, then parking is even better value. Some choose to find a place to park outside of the Sculpture Park, get the bus or cycle. Wandering around with a dear friend and her beloved rescue pooch was relaxing, peaceful and fun and I definitely plan to visit on a regular basis.
Have you been to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park? Let me know your thoughts in the comments, below.
Disclaimer: I have not been asked to write this review.
Leave a Reply