Willow Campsite

Keen historians might start their exploration of York (25 minutes by bus/15 minutes by car) at the landmark Minster, where free guided tours take in the glittering stained-glass Rose Window as well as Roman and Anglo-Saxon artefacts in the Undercroft Museum. Continue your immersion in culture with an amble around the Roman/medieval city walls, stop into the Castle Museum to see recreations of Victorian streets and book evening events at the Barbican theatre. There’s more rich heritage to be admired at gorgeous Castle Howard (half an hour’s drive), with sumptuous apartments stuffed full of great art from the likes of Reynolds and Gainsborough. National Trust-owned Beningbrough Hall (15 minutes) is a close contender in the arts stakes, with a collection of paintings squirrelled away from London’s National Gallery. Anyone with an interest in wildlife can find plenty to see and do: there are raptor flying displays at York Bird of Prey Centre (15 minutes), while a wander in the Howardian Hills National Landscape (20 minutes) might bring you sightings of deer and hares in woodland and meadows. If your interest veers towards more powerful beasts, there’s flat racing at York (also 20 minutes) and a jumps course at Wetherby (half an hour).