Yorkshire best place for 50 favourite things to do before you reach 11¾

Yorkshire is one of the best places for children to tick off ‘50 things to do before you’re 11¾’.

Four of the 50 activities are best experienced in Yorkshire including exploring inside a cave in the Yorkshire Dales, rock climbing at Brimham Rocks, hunting for bugs at Hardcastle Crags and making a home for a wild animal at Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal.

After drawing up the list, the National Trust asked 1,700 children to vote for their top activities and then identified the best place to experience them.

They are:

Go on a really long bike ride – Yorkshire Dales;

Build a den – Rievaulx Terrace and Temples. Hemsley;

Climb a tree – Beningbrough Hall and Gardens, York;

Cook on a campfire – Hardcastle Crags, Hebden Bridge;

Hunt for fossils and bones – Yorkshire Coast;

Discover what’s in a pond – Brimham Rocks, Harrogate;

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Track wild animals – Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal, Ripon;

Hold a scary beast – Roseberry Topping, Newton under Roseberry;

Go bird watching – Marsden Moor, near Huddersfield;

Go on a walk barefoot – Nostell Priory and Parkland, Wakefield.

Nationally, the top 50 puts climbing a tree at number one, followed by rolling down a big hill, camping in the wild, building a den, and skimming a stone.

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Running around in the rain, flying a kite and catching a fish with a net also feature.

Lower down there is building a raft, bird watching, using a map and compass, cooking on a campfire, riding a horse and canoeing down a river.

The 50 things website – www.nationaltrust.org.uk/50things – has information to help children and adults tackle the 50 adventures.

Tom Brockington, visitor experience and events co-ordinator in the Yorkshire Dales, said: “We’re passionate about getting children outdoors so we’re thrilled at how many under-12s have been engaging with the 50 things initiative.

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“This inspired the Trust to source the nation’s best place to explore inside a cave and we’re delighted that the Yorkshire Dales has been chosen.

“Caves are incredible. For one thing, you don’t always know they are there.

“Hidden beneath your feet, sometimes only a couple of metres away, is a secret world of amazing sights.

“Go exploring with an experienced leader and a day’s caving in the Dales will be one of the best days you’ve ever had.”