Brownhill & Ramsden Reservoir Review for Families

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Brownhill and Ramsden Reservoir

Just a short drive from Holmfirth, Brownhill and Ramsden Reservoirs make for a brilliant walk, whether you’ve got little ones in tow or, like us this time, you’ve put some time aside to focus on your own health and wellbeing while the kids are at school.

This visit is a chance to enjoy the peace, the views and, of course, scope it out for future family adventures. These two linked reservoirs sit in a stunning valley setting and are perfect for all (not just families) who enjoy a gentle, scenic walk surrounded by Yorkshire countryside. After our circular route, we popped into Holmfirth, a lovely market town just down the road, for a bite to eat. Amazingly, the entire time we spent at the reservoirs, we saw just two other couples. It felt like a moment to escape the trappings of modern life and a step back to quieter, simpler times. 

Brownhill & Ramsden Reservoir Overview
  • Location: Near Holmfirth, West Yorkshire
  • Parking: Free roadside parking and small lay-bys nearby
  • Facilities: Toilets and cafés available in Holmfirth
  • Route Length: Approx. 2.5–3 miles circular walk
  • Ideal For: Families, walkers, dog owners, nature lovers

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Leeds Urban Bike Park Cycling Review For Families

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Leeds Urban Bike Park

Route at a glance

Total distanceFlexible loops: Green trail ~1.4 mi; family loop ~3.6 mi; full network ~7 mi
DifficultyAll grades on site — stick to Green/Blue with kids
Top things to see
  • Hub: pump track, BMX track, café & bike shop
  • Flowy woodland singletrack & skills areas (observe signage)
  • Easy link into Middleton Park paths & play areas

Leeds Urban Bike Park is a gem of a project by Leeds council, the lottery funded and British Cycling & Sports England. At the top part of Middleton park is a mountain bike trail centre and BMX Track, a bike shop with a workshop and a cafe. The bike park consists of multiple different trails across all difficulty levels.

It’s incredibly family-friendly and is suitable for all ages. Best of all it’s completely free of charge. It connects nicely with the wider Middleton park meaning you can enjoy the facilities available including kids park and much more.

It’s run as a community project meaning it’s not for profit. Parking and the bike park are completely free but you can support them by purchasing items in the bike store or in the cafe.

There’s an abundance of courses and circuits that continue into the woodland. Our daughter absolutely loved it and we could have stayed for hours. Even for non-riders Middleton park has plenty of walking trails for you to enjoy.

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Betty Eastwood BMX Track Review

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Betty Eastwood BMX Track

As a family, we have become quite obsessed with BMX/Pump tracks. We feel they are a brilliant, safe way to get children into Cycling. Fortunately, we have one approximately 10 minutes from our doorstep. It’s a small one, but perfect for the kids to enjoy and pick up some key skills. This is Betty Eastwood BMX Track in Crigglestone, Wakefield.

The track has become a staple in our weekly routine. I tend to pick Barney up from Nursery, drive the short distance to Crigglestone and give him a short boost in improving his biking skills. As a parent, it’s just about giving your children that little boost of outside time and we’ve found on an evening this is a perfect spot.

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Wonders of Wakefield (WoW) – 21‑Mile Circular Route Review

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I’ve ridden almost every section of the Wonders of Wakefield loop in isolation over the years, but this was my first time stitching the whole thing together in one go. I rode it with my mate Chris (who contributes to Family Cycling), and it reminded me why the WoW is such a brilliant showcase of Wakefield’s green spaces: lots of traffic‑free riding, links between our favourite country parks, and plenty of places to stop. 

This review gives a friendly, practical overview for families and recreational riders: what to expect, how to navigate, the best stop‑offs, and how to adapt the loop for younger legs.

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Askham Bryan Wildlife and Conservation Park Review For Families

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Askham Bryan Wildlife & Conservation Park

We really loved our visit to Askham Bryan Wildlife and Conservation Park. It opened in 2017 and is part of Askham Bryan College, tied in with their animal management and conservation programmes. That means it’s both a public attraction and an educational space. On a weekend, when the students aren’t around, it feels peaceful and relaxed, absolutely perfect for families to wander at their own pace and discover an incredible variety of creatures. The park is home to over 170 species, from mammals and birds to reptiles, amphibians and fish, many of which are threatened.

Park Overview

Location
Askham Bryan village, 6 miles south-west of York. Free and easy parking next to the entrance.
Best For
Animal encounters, peaceful walks, family picnics, hands-on craft and learning.
Facilities
The Hive Café, craft room, small gift shop, toilets with baby changing, accessible paths.
Cost
Adults £8.50, children (3-15) £6.50, under 2s free, concessions £7.50, family ticket £29.50.
Conservation
Part of European breeding programmes, supports local projects like the Tansy Beetle Action Group, and raises funds for global wildlife charities.
Top Tip
Bring a picnic and take your time — there are plenty of benches and peaceful spots to stop and watch the animals.


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Graves Park, Sheffield Review For Families

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Graves Park For Families

Graves Park in Sheffield is one of those places that really does have something for everyone. From the free animal farm to the big playgrounds, woodland walks and wide open fields, it’s a great place to enjoy a day out if you are in and around the Yorkshire area.

We’ve taken Matilda and Barney a few times now, usually making a beeline for the animals, but the rest of the park is just as good for letting off steam and enjoying time outdoors.

Park Overview

Location
South Sheffield — main access via Hemsworth Road (animal farm). Additional car parks at Cobnar Road and Charles Ashmore Road.
Best For
Free animal farm, two playgrounds, woodland walks, big open fields for a kick-about.
Facilities
Rose Garden Café, toilets (incl. baby changing), multiple car parks.
Cost
Free entry to park & animal farm. Pay & display at main car park.
Events
Annual Country Show, Food Festival, plus seasonal family activities.
Top Tip
On busy event days arrive early, and bring snacks/picnic for flexibility.


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Riverside Park, Durham Review For Families

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Riverside Park, Durham

Sometimes it’s the unplanned stops that turn out to be the best, and Riverside Park in Durham was exactly that. We called in on the way back from a Scottish Borders trip during the February half term. Durham was a brilliant stop-off point, and as a vibrant, outdoor city, we knew it would have a good park. With a fantastic play area and riverside walkways, it’s definitely worth knowing about if you’re ever near Durham or fortunate enough to live in the city. 

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Middleton Park Review For Families

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Middleton Park

We’ve been meaning to do a proper review of Middleton Park for a while now. You might already know it as the giant green space that wraps around the Leeds Urban Bike Park (which we’ve raved about here), but it’s much more than just a spot for cycling.

This place is huge, varied, and full of the sort of outdoor family fun we love. It’s a fantastic spot for families, dog walkers and runners with trails, play areas, tennis facilities and a lovely cafe. Best of all, it’s completely free.

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Anglers Country Park cycling for families

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Anglers Country Park

Route at a glance

Total distance~2 miles / ~3.2 km loop
DifficultyEasy (flat, traffic-free once parked)
Top things to see
  • Room on the Broom adventure trail
  • Bird hides & lakeside wildlife
  • Play park by the visitor centre
  • Wide paths perfect for little legs

Anglers Country Park is an award-winning Green Flag destination where you can explore the unspoiled countryside, woodland, wetland and trails.

Anglers Country Park is in Wintersett, Wakefield. Once known as one of the deepest open cast coal mines, Anglers has since been transformed into a park which welcomes thousands of visitors a month. It has also flourished into a beautiful haven for wildlife including many migratory birds making it a perfect place to visit whether you are in or from the surrounding area.

We love Anglers because it has a central lake with a 2-mile trail around the edges. It’s a perfect place to cycle with small children as the terrain is flat and child safe. There’s also a Room on the broom trail as well as a playpark for the kids. Parking is completely free for the first two hours but living in Sandal we are able to travel to Anglers on the old Barnsley canal path.

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Camping for Kids: Why It’s More Important Than Ever in the Modern World

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Modern childhood often looks very different from a generation ago. Many kids today spend hours glued to screens and stay cooped up indoors, missing out on the free outdoor play that once defined youth. Children now spend about 50% less time playing outside in unstructured activities than their parents did in the 1970s

It’s a worrying trend – one reflected in health statistics: kids aged 8–18 average 7.5 hours per day on screens,  and only around one in four gets the recommended hour of physical activity daily. As parents, how can we counter this sedentary, digital drift?

For our family, as well as actively promoting an outdoor lifestyle in everything we do, the answer has also been camping. Good old-fashioned camping trips in the great outdoors.

We’ve long been a cycling-crazy family, but we’ve learned that camping offers something even bigger: a way to get kids moving, learning, and thriving outside. It doesn’t matter if you have a tent, caravan or stay in a lodge as part of a campsite; the campsites themselves are where the magic happens.

They provide the adventure and freedom kids crave, with benefits that last far beyond the holiday.

In this article, we’ll explore why camping is so important for kids today. From the core life skills it teaches to the joys of unstructured outdoor play, here’s a definitive look, backed by research and experience, at what makes camping such a fantastic gift for children in the modern world.

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