Old Pasture Park

Whether your holiday plans tend to include peaceful cycles, wildlife spotting or memorable meals out in local pubs, Old Pasture Park is a good base for all of these sorts of things. This peaceful North Yorkshire countryside escape is an adults-only site with its own lake seven miles from York city centre. For pedals there, there’s a cycling track one and a half miles out from the site, and it leads to Selby in the other direction, a splendid little market town with a medieval abbey and 15th-century gatehouse.

Dogs are welcome to join you on your break here and handily, the lake, though not available for fishing, has a path that’s just the thing for the walkies. There’s also Skipwith Common National Nature Reserve for more dog walks 15 minutes' drive away. As for mealtimes, there are dog-friendly pubs in the surrounding villages, all a short drive away.

Keep your eyes peeled for the wildlife that uses the site's lake as their habitat. Ducks, oystercatchers and moorhens are some frequent visitors, but indeed, they are not the only animals around this place. Being a working farm, the fields surrounding the park are home to a medium-sized herd of suckler cows and their calves in the summer months.

When you’re ready to get out and about, there’s a fair choice of final destinations, from two golf courses within around seven miles of the site to the historic York city centre (20 minutes’ drive), with its minster, the Shambles street and homemade fudge shops. To get around, there’s a handy bus service 40 metres from the site entrance.