Need some adventure in your life? Catch these top 10 Christmas gift ideas for some exhilarating times in Yorkshire

How better to blow off the festive season cobwebs than with a Christmas gift designed to put a bit of adventure into your life? JOHN LEDGER takes a look at 10 gifts designed to put a bit of colour in your cheeks.
Go Ape Zip Wire

Lee Sobot featureGo Ape Zip Wire

Lee Sobot feature
Go Ape Zip Wire Lee Sobot feature

1 Up, up and away: The sky really is the limit for visitors to the Yorkshire Gliding Club on Sutton Bank where a trial flight in a two-seater glider taking in the spectacular sights of the North Yorkshire Moors and Vale of York costs £89.50. (www.ygc.co.uk)

2 Rolling in the deep: If you don’t have a head for heights, take to the high seas for a full day’s sea fishing from historic Whitby on the charter boat Sea Urchin. £63 buys you a day at sea and all your tackle and bait. Sea legs not included. (whitby-sea-fishing.co.uk/fishing-vouchers)

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3 On the fly: Or if mal-de-mer isn’t your thing, how about a one-day beginner’s fly-fishing course at Kilnsey Park in the Yorkshire Dales? You get to take a maximum of three fish home with you. And they’ll fillet it too. Courses cost £60 (£20 for under-16s) and run throughout the year. (kilnseyfishing.co.uk)

4 Wheely easy: The popularity of cycling shows no sign of slowing in Yorkshire with record numbers of bikes on the county’s roads and trails. A CycleBoost maintenance course will ensure you make the most of your time in the saddle. Sheffield residents pay just £5 for the course (non-residents £45), which runs over four Saturday mornings. (www.recyclebikes.co.uk/maintenance/basic-maintenance/

5 Winter is coming: Skiing is the most fun anyone can have standing up, and falling down is a memorable experience too, so find your ski legs with a lesson on real snow at the Snozone, Xscape, Castleford. An adult beginners’ day course costs £175.99 or for the more adventurous a freestyle day course is £129.99. (www.snozoneuk.com/learn)

6 Down, down, deeper than down: Learn to scuba dive in the Blue Lagoon, a flooded limestone quarry near Darrington in West Yorkshire, on an open water instructor-led course with Padi certification costs £350. (www.aboveandbelow.co.uk)

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7 Supercar and Segway: Hit the track in a Ferrari, Nissan GTR, Porsche or Audi R8 and then take to two wheels on a Segway rally course at Elvington near York for £59. (www.everymanracing.co.uk/tracks/elvington/SUPERCAR-AND-SEGWAY-RALLY)

8 Going underground: Yorkshire is as spectacular below the surface as it is above ground with the county home to some of the UK’s top caves and potholes. A guided Caving Yorkshire Experience from Ingleton or Pateley Bridge costs from £40. (www.live-for-today.com)

9 Keep it zipped: Those of a certain age may struggle to hold back the cries of ‘Taaaarzzzan’ as they fly through the treetops on a zip wire at Dalby Forest, where Go-Ape experiences cost £33 and £25 for juniors. (goape.co.uk/days-out/dalby)

10 Gorgeous gorges: Yorkshire has a wealth of ancient limestone gorges which are natural playgrounds for those with a spirit of adventure. Lost and Earth run gorge walking and canyoning experiences from £45 per person which are great for groups of friends, colleagues and families. (www.lostearthadventures.co.uk/gorge-walking)