When my eldest son, Oliver, 16, said he wanted to try fishing for the first time, my husband, Peter, began searching in earnest for somewhere not too far from us, and found Kilnsey Park, a trout farm set up in 1978, near Grassington, deep within the Yorkshire Dales, which offers on-site trout fishing, a small petting farm and a breathtaking woodland family trail respectively that they were both thoroughly impressed by on their first visit, last month.
So much so, even though I made it clear I didn’t personally want to fish, we visited as a family last week with the promise there would be much to do for all of us there, and that was certainly true!
Only his second try at fishing, Oliver caught 6 trout in less than an hour, and cooked them in butter and herbs on his return home.
But back to the visit…I must note that the park welcomes newcomers, families and experienced anglers with dedicated fishing lakes so if you want to try fishing for the first time, you really are in good hands there.
The greatest pull for me had to be the ridiculously pretty views of Upper Wharfedale, Great Whernside and the towering Crag that inspired the great painter Turner, no less. It’s hard not to feel equally grounded and inspired looking out into the countryside which wraps envelops the park.
Florence’s favourite pastime was running around the small but sweet farm which is home to sweet pygmy goats, rare breed pigs, alpacas, hens and their fluffy chicks we all fell in love with, and mini-sheep, we forgot to take photos of, grazing in the meadows beyond.
It felt like watching a live action recreation of Sylvanian Families providing us all with a level of cuteness that was hard to cope with, ha!
If that wasn’t enough to release at least one week’s worth of dopamine to help you forget your summer to-do list, then the (literally) million gallons of crystal clear springwater you can hear gushing from the hillside – the source of life there for over a thousand years there-forces you to relax in a way only running water can. This is my kind of r and r!
The cafe is a must-visit too with traditional and homegrown veggies and caught fish from the farm (I devoured the leek and potato soup), my husband adored the tangy chowder and the boys had fish and chips, and flapjacks respectively. They also sell cuddly toys (Florence left with a new furry bestie in the form of a cuddly rabbit toy), trinkets, homeware, cakes and sweets to take home.
I could have bought the whole shop!
What a joyous day. You must make a visit!
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Greek Myths, Folktales & Legends for 9-12 year olds
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