Our next day in Yorkshire was spent in the town of York.  We drove to a park and ride lot and took a shuttle bus into the city, much to the delight of Tommy.  He was absolutely thrilled with the big articulated bus!  

Our first stop was the National Railway Museum (reportedly the largest railroad museum in the world).  The railroad buffs of our group loved this place.  It’s huge and full of railroad engines, cars, and railway memorabilia.  I was impressed with how many trains looked like ones from Thomas the Tank Engine – that’s about the extent of my railroad knowledge!

There were even some Harry Potter items:  The Hogwarts Express and a Platform 9 3/4 sign.  

We attended a show at the museum on the science of how trains move.  This was fun and interactive, and Joey was even chosen as a volunteer.  We all had a laugh as the presenters joked that Joey and the other children “broke science” as they participated in the demonstration.

“You broke science!”

From the Railway Museum, we headed into the city of York to check out the sights.  We saw the spectacular York Minster and wandered through the streets (doing a little shopping along the way).  

Sam’s feet were absolutely soaked by the end of the day. He simply couldn’t stop himself from walking in the gutters in the streets!

Narrow alleyway in York.

From the moment he heard about The Forbidden Corner – billed as “The Strangest Place in the World” – Joey was determined that we would go there.  This place defies description.  It’s an elaborate garden fantasy world that is part maze and part treasure hunt.  I didn’t take many pictures here.  We were too busy exploring!  

Our next stop was a walk at Aysgarth Falls.  Because of all the rain we had received the falls were raging and the water was a dark tea color.  

Top on Paul’s must-see list for Yorkshire was to visit some of the local breweries (and sample the local beer).  We took a tour and had lunch at The Black Sheep Brewery in Masham.  Then we popped across town to see Theakston Brewery where we bought some beer at the shop.  

Beer at Black Sheep is crafted using a traditional open fermentation method with vessels called Yorkshire Squares. The round fermenters in this picture are the modern version of a Yorkshire Square.

Theakston Brewery

After visiting the breweries we were ready to get back out and explore the Yorkshire countryside.  Our next stop was a visit to Brimham Rocks.  We were all amazed by the fantastic rock formations.  

“Take our picture, Mama!”

The boys discovered many bilberries amongst the rocks. These are similar to blueberries in appearance and taste but are much messier. Here’s what Sam looked like after eating a few!

We spent our last day in Yorkshire relaxing at Newby Hall.  This was another one of the ubiquitous English stately manor homes that have been preserved for the public to enjoy.  This one happens to be privately owned, but many are operated by the National Trust.  We enjoyed exploring the gardens and the children loved the playgrounds and kids’ activities.

The fact that it was NOT that warm did not stop the boys from playing in the water!

These boats were a little hard for Tom to manage on his own, so Mama ended up jumping in to help out!

The boys got to try their hand at sculpting rock.

Yorkshire was a relaxing and beautiful way to end our time in England.  When we returned to Dorking we had a few days to finish packing, wrap up loose ends at work, and enjoy our favorite local haunts one last time.  It was an amazing year.  England will hold a special place in our hearts forever.