By Nicola Stewart
This month, Your Local Link headed on down to the picturesque Murton Park for a family-friendly day out to remember!
We spent a lovely afternoon at Murton Park as a family, which is conveniently placed just 15 minutes away from the centre of York.
The site offers a wide range of activities for all ages, including the Yorkshire Museum of Farming, both indoor and outdoor play areas, living history sites, nature trails, and even its own railway!
If you love tractors, you’ll be thrilled to learn that there’s an interesting collection to browse here, which shows the different types of machines used over the years. The park is also home to a variety of animals – we are a family who love animals, so we always appreciate the opportunity to get up close and personal with these charming furry and feathered friends! We were able to purchase animal feed at the entrance, to give our newfound pals a treat.
We arrived in glorious sunshine, which later gave way to a spot of rain (typically) – given the array of indoor attractions on offer at Murton Park, we managed to keep the kids dry and entertained, as no matter the weather, there was more than enough to keep us busy. My daughter (aged 5) and son (aged 1) absolutely loved the steam train ride, which was undoubtedly the highlight of the day for them – the railway is surely a must-ride attraction if you are visiting, especially if you have little ones in tow! The staff (all volunteers) were fantastic, and they kindly educated us all on the history of the Derwent Valley Light Railway. The platform and train itself are perfect for capturing memorable photos!
The steam train track winds past the whole of Murton Park and under the A64, before stopping for a couple of minutes, where you can watch the train (depending on which end you are at) uncouple and then re-couple at the opposite end. The kids found this fascinating, especially as the engine driver blew the horn “TOOT TOOT” before setting off again!
The authentic recreation of the Viking Village and the WW2 Shelter were incredible, and prompted a whole new conversation between myself and my 5-year-old, which was great – it was lovely to see how interested she was at such a young age when it comes to learning about history. While exploring the village, we had the opportunity to peer into houses, which provided a fascinating glimpse into the lives of the Vikings.
Although picnics are welcome (there’s a lovely outdoor seating area with picnic tables outside the café), we decided to finish off the day with a lovely treat in the café, another highlight to recommend!
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