Jasmine Park

Snainton is a pretty village which offers golfing and horse riding as well as trout and coarse fishing at the nearby Wykeham Lakes. If you’re feeling chipper, you can book in for a one-to-one woodturning lesson from the experts at the on-site Snainton Woodworking Centre.

The big destination in the area is Scarborough. With 360 years in the tourism trade (it was the country’s first ever seaside resort) this legendary coastal town has plenty of experience in keeping visitors happy.

As well as the obvious attractions of the sandy beaches, Italian gardens and the lovely Peasholm Park, there are trips by boat, open air bus or miniature steam railway, and it’s definitely worth making your way up to the imposing castle on the cliff tops. There’s no need to worry about rain stopping play either, thanks to the classic seaside amusements, Sea Life Marine Sanctuary, art gallery and geological museum. You could even hit the casino...

The town also has a packed programme of events, concerts and festivals running throughout the year, including the famous Scarborough Fair music festival, Seafest, which combines a celebration of the sea with international folk music; and the annual end of season cricket festival, which has been pulling crowds since 1876.

In the opposite direction is the smaller town of Pickering, which is transported back to the 1940s each autumn as part of its annual wartime weekend, but is worth a visit anytime for a trip on the North York Moors Railway, which steams through the National Park from here to Grosmont. Relax and enjoy the ride, try to spot the station used by the Hogwarts Express in the Harry Potter films, or disembark at one of the platforms along the 18-mile journey for some excellent walking in the glorious Yorkshire countryside.

Alternatively, visitors can follow the route taken by their Viking forbears to fun-packed York, home to the Jorvik Viking Centre, the soaringly beautiful architecture of York Minster, the gore and thrills of the York Dungeons, and nationally important railway and air museums.

Other attractions that can be reached in under 30 minutes include: Dalby Forest, which offers excellent birdwatching, wildlife spotting and walking; Castle Howard, one of the most beautiful stately homes in the UK, and a venue for concerts and many other events during the summer months; Flamingo Land theme park and zoo; the World War II museum at Eden Camp; and Go Ape!, a tree top adventure playground where visitors can make like Tarzan on the swings, bridges and zipwires.