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Yorkshire’s Best Picnic Spots

Not only is summertime here again, National Picnic Month is too! 

Taking place throughout July, National Picnic Month 2024 encourages everyone to take all the food, drink and blankets you can carry to the nearest green open space to meet up with friends and family and enjoy a bite to eat in the open air.

With a huge array of suitable outdoor venues in and around our Manor Gardens community in Brafferton, the only question is: where should you go?

Here are our top three suggestions:

RHS Garden Harlow Carr

With specially designed gardens that reflect the Yorkshire landscape in which it sits, Harlow Carr is full of green spaces, trails, flowers, plants and wildlife – the perfect place for a picnic, basically!

Whether you’re in the mood for a quiet day spent relaxing with a good book or looking to get active with the whole family, Harlow Carr’s range of beautiful walks and its fantastic play area (be sure to check out the amazing treehouse!) means there’s plenty for everyone to enjoy. 

There’s even a Betty’s Café onsite if you forget to bring enough food – or just fancy a Fat Rascal as a treat!

RHS Garden Harlow Carr, Crag Lane, Beckwithshaw, Harrogate. HG3 1QB.

Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden

One of the first sites to be inscribed into the UNESCO World Heritage Site listings in 1986, Studley Royal Park is just as beautiful today as it was then.

At over 900 years old, the abbey offers a unique glimpse into the past and the park was built around it, creating a wonderful open space that’s filled with character at every turn. There are over 800 acres to explore here, with beautiful vistas and secluded spots where you can escape the bustle of day-to-day life and relax with a picnic… or even a snooze!

When it’s time for some post-lunch exercise, visitors can wander around the Abbey – one of the largest and best-preserved monasteries of its kind in England – through the immaculate Water Garden or work up a sweat on the newly refurbished adventure play area!

Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden, Ripon, North Yorkshire. HG4 3DY.

Mother Shipton’s Cave

England’s oldest visitor attraction, Mother Shipton’s Cave opened in 1630 and is based in the stunning scenery of the Royal Forest of Knaresborough, making it well worth the short drive to visit.

Home to a host of natural rock formations and beautiful open spaces, all of which make excellent picnic sites, the jewel in Mother Shipton’s crown is its historic woodland walk. A one-mile trek along the scenic River Nidd that leads to the titular cave in which Yorkshire prophetess Mother Shipton is believed to have been born, the walk also takes in the unique Petrifying Well, which appears to turn everyday objects to stone!

A fascinating day out for adults and children alike, Mother Shipton’s Cave is the perfect combination of beauty and intrigue – and really has to be seen to be believed!

Mother Shipton’s Cave, Prophecy House, Harrogate Rd, High Bridge, Knaresborough. HG5 8DD.

Happy National Picnic Month!

With a huge number of superb outdoor spaces available nearby, picnickers in Brafferton are spoilt for choice when it comes to deciding where to go for a sandwich in the sun. If we’ve forgotten to mention your favourite picnic destination, let us know about it on our social channels!