Combining art and the outdoors, Yorkshire Sculpture Park (YSP) is an independent charitable trust and registered museum situated in the 500-acre, 18th-century Bretton Hall estate in West Yorkshire. While walking in the impressive grounds, you can view incredible sculptures that are either loans or gifts from artists, with around 100 on display at any one time.
Visiting Yorkshire Sculpture Park
Located in Wakefield, YSP is easy to get to and well sign-posted around Yorkshire. I definitely think it’s worth a further trip for anyone interested in culture and the outdoors. You can even bring the dog, but there are some restrictions, such as not being allowed indoors and remaining on the specified path.
YSP is £9 for standard entry, but free for anyone under 25! There is more information on pricing here.
We only went for half a day this time (spontaneous trip as always!), but you can easily spend a full day there and we definitely missed some parts on this particular visit. It is a long walk, with us managing 15,000 in a few hours, but there are places to stop, including a cafe, coffee shop and restaurant. The indoor exhibitions are perfect for gloomier days too.
There are also regular events including sign language walks, family days, and historic tours. I’m especially excited about the menu tasting evenings that will run throughout the year.
The Sculptures
I don’t want to show them all and spoil any surprises, but here are a few of the stand out pieces for me, including the incredible, renowned Damien Hirst sculptures – some of which have also spent some time in Leeds City Centre.
The Walks
There are some beautiful views and the walk itself is enjoyable before the added bonus of art. There is a Chapel and some interesting historic buildings within the grounds too.
We had a lovely, wholesome day out, stopped for some smoothies at the cafe (we’d already eaten, but the food looked great!), checked out the gift shops and took back some homeware. No matter how many times you visit, there will always be something new to see so it’s a great Yorkshire day out.
