The weather was bitterly cold but it wasn’t raining so I’d take a day like this anytime! Of course this was wishful thinking because after I wrote this in the morning, we got rained on by the end of the day. Oh well… I only have myself to blame!

It was my first time visiting Yorkshire Sculpture Park in over a decade and if I’m honest I couldn’t remember the last time I did anyway. So I visited the park with fresh eyes.

This place is massive! Whilst we didn’t follow any set routes and just our instincts, we did some hefty walking overall – Around 6km. If we weren’t pushing a toddler in a pram I don’t doubt we’d have walked even further!

I loved that there were so many paths to take in all directions and I had no idea what we would see next. Just a heads up, this blog post will contain spoilers!

Let’s start with the wide range of weird figures you will spot about the place. Most of the time I had no idea what I was looking at but a lot of them got your creative juices flowing.

My personal favourite was this Large Nijinski on Anvil Point made from bronze by Barry Flanagan.

Sculptures were made from all sorts! Galvanised wire, Cast iron and Polychrome bronze to name a few.

I don’t know if it was because the visit was in January and it’s quiet season but the place just seemed to be filled with what looked like derelict buildings. So many things unused and looking like they are in a state of disrepair. It was an eerie feeling especially when some of the buildings looked like they would make great wedding venues.

I LOVED the handbag. The photos don’t do it justice, you really need to see it for yourself to appreciate how real it looks.

There are maps throughout the park and signs showing how to identify woodland and wildlife.

We didn’t go to the cafes but we noticed there was a tiny one at the entrance that don’t allow dogs. Once you get in the park there is a larger one that does but I wouldn’t say it’s particularly inviting. I imagine it is much better in summer when you can sit outside.

Near this cafe were lots of sculptures everywhere we turned.

Once we’d explored the bulk of the park we decided to walk along the lake. My directions are useless since we didn’t follow a map but the beauty of this place is you can do exactly that. Let the sculptures guide you around the place!

The lake took us along to a giant lady who wasn’t just naked but also pregnant and rather exposed! What a striking sculpture and sure to grab your attention for many reasons. I really liked admiring this one.

After our walk we continued onwards to find somewhere to rest. Eventually this led us to The Weston.

The Weston restaurant had a small dog friendly area, which was exactly what we needed after the long cold walk. We were very lucky to grab a table in this spot since there were only 2 tables in this section and the place was very busy. It definitely looked like a popular lunch spot. I wouldn’t rely on getting a seat here if out with the dog.

So I enjoyed a hazlenut hot chocolate and interesting tomato soup; Well worth the wait!

The rain started to pick up as we left the restaurant. We timed our day perfectly and my daughter got to splash in the puddles on the way back to the car.

They even had a small children’s area filled with stepping stones, picnic benches and the odd giant mouse sculpture to gawp at.

We had lots of fun on our visit to Yorkshire Sculpture Park despite it being winter. During January 2025 they did a 2-4-1 offer making our entry only £9 for 2 adults and a free one year old.

Overall, I’d recommend the place to anyone and I bet it’s brilliant in summer. The land goes on forever and there is vast portions of the place that we didn’t make it to!

Let’s not forget the simplicity of some of the sculptures. Personally we think this one should have been named cock on a rock but what do we know!

I wonder what will have changed next time we visit? Probably in another decade with how fast time flies…

Next time you’re in Yorkshire and fancy a walk with a view – Give this place a try!

Yorkshire Sculpture Park ~ Visited January 2025