The Forbidden Corner

forbidden heather

Guest blog post by Heather Healy

My boyfriend and I took a trip up to the Forbidden Corner in Leyburn North Yorkshire this weekend. Considered to be one of the best family days out in Yorkshire, the self-proclaimed “strangest place in the world” is made up of all sorts of weird and wonderful things including a significant underground element of tunnels, caverns and a load of statues that are intent on spraying you with water.

This was probably my 4th visit, having found the place to be different every time, whether you go with children or not. It’s also ridiculously popular and you have to book before you go (even the brown signs on the journey say no entry without a ticket).

As self-confessed big kids, we had a cracking day in the sunshine. If you can grab what’s left of the sunny weather, it’s a perfect spot in the Dales.

forbidden corner

Getting around the labyrinth itself is no easy task, as you wangle your way through mazes, trees and try to squeeze yourself through a tiny opening in a wall whilst desperately seeking out the weirdest elements of the park. On arrival, you receive a guidebook instructing you on the different things to look out for along the route, a guidebook which gives you no set path or order in which to find “what you must see”. Among the things you must find include a giant cat which lives underground, a temple leading to the underworld and, (obviously) the Devil.
We spent a couple of hours locating everything in the guide, getting lost, frustrated, tying ourselves up in knots and resolving not to cheat by going through one of the “chicken” doors within the park. I’ll admit, my initial smugness at thinking I knew the park well enough to navigate it soon wore off.

Tupgill Park itself stands on its own merit, with fab picnic areas, a lake and a deer park all of which are intertwined with bizarre sculptures to maintain the consistency of strangeness.
Okay so one minor issue, it claims to be for all ages; I’m not sure it really can be. Navigating a pram through the “woah I need to get on a diet” tunnels has got to be impossible and there is no way you’d get down to the underground caverns with one in tow…and they are clearly the best bit of the whole thing. Also, whilst we saw loads of children going bonkers and completely loving every second of the park, in equal measure we saw children really quite scared going into the dark underground. I’m not a Mum but I’d say 5+ is a safe bet.
We had a really fantastic day, get up there on a quiet day if you can, I’d jump at the chance to run around it without other people around.

P.S. make sure you have a mandatory pit-stop at Brymor ice cream parlour on the way back. Get yourself a delicious sugar cone then go and get licked by the cows that produced the milk!

2 comments

  1. Just returned from our first visit today. Absolutely fantastic day out – better than any theme park. Kids (boy of 5, girl of 3) loved everything in there, though the 3yr old was terrified of the tonsils on the very first mouth entrance! Managed to find all clues, toward the end pretty much dragging tired kids along as neither me or my wife wanted to leave without getting them all. Not sure who the kids were at that stage!

  2. Amazing! One of the best day’s out with my 4 year old grandson.We laughed,were frustrated,a good thing that made us determined to find everything and try every door. It was exciting to open a door and discover another hidden place with new wonders.The element of slight fear increased our enjoyment while the lovely gardens were a contrast…but don’t underestimate the gardens there are hidden surprises even among the herbs! My biggest challenge were the stepping stones at the temple,Yes I failed in my calculations and got wet! Josh,4 years, did well,he was a little scared of the crow the sounded like a witch,but with some encouragement he go through it and he was not keen to open all the doors in the chamber for fear of what was behind,but we had six hours of fun.I would go again even on my own to really see everything.I would say, take a mack in your back pack,don’t think anywhere is dull, there are hidden treasures and open every door and have FUN!

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