Constable Burton Hall Caravan Park

Naturally, one should stop off first at Constable Burton Hall Gardens, the woodland and formal patches surrounding eighteenth century Palladian mansion Constable Burton Hall. Guided tours are available of the formal and woodland gardens, but for the hall itself, enquire in advance about a guided tour.

Elsewhere, minus booking in advance, we recommend the market towns of Leyburn and Bedale; make your way to Leyburn on Fridays for market days and to Bedale for cobbled street Tuesday markets, the petting zoo Big Sheep Little Cow Farm and the stop on the 22-mile heritage train ride from Northallerton and Redmire.

While at Bedale, there’s a nifty Heritage Trail from the local tourist information centre about the town’s ancient history (Bedale was mentioned in the Domesday Book), and the Thorp Perrow Arboretum is good for green-fingered and animal fans: it’s home to five National Plant Collections and has meerkats, birds of prey and wallabies among other locals.

North Yorkshire in general is great for gardens , so we must also bloomingly recommend The Forbidden Corner in Tupgill Park, a folly full of tunnels, ‘chambers, follies and surprises’ on a four acre site in the centre of the Yorkshire Dales. Elsewhere gardenly, go for Helmsley Walled Garden at Cleveland Way and Castle Howard in York, and for green spaces and nature reserves we insist on the grassland and meadow Leyland Old Glebe Nature Reserve via the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, which is full of flower and hay meadows.

We must also insist on the Yorkshire Dales National Park – for watersports, adventuring, fishing and climbing…if that sounds too much, flow to theme park Lightwater Valley near Ripon for peaceful pursuits. And if you have delightful darlings to hand, fab family-friendly options around Leyburn and in North Yorkshire include high ropes at Aerial Extreme and quad biking at Action and Adventure, both in Bedale, or touring the caves at the nearby Stump Cross Caverns.

We also recommend a wander around the medieval village of Middleham, the site of the leading racehorse training centre in the north of England and a pull for race goers from around the world; pick up a souvenir in one of the independent shops or have a look at medieval Middleham Castle, former home of possibly misunderstood monarch Richard 3.