At the weekend we finally made it to somewhere that has been on my local bucketlist for a long time – The Forbidden Corner! This markets itself as ‘The strangest place in the world’ and I would say it truly does live up to its name!

I decided to do very little research before I went because something like this doesn’t deserve to be spoilt. I like the element of surprise and I knew the less we knew the better. All I’d heard is it was worth a visit and that was enough for me.

So off we headed to the far corner of the Yorkshire Dales setting off on a lengthy 2 hour drive from our house. It was a lot of driving for one day I realised as we agreed to pick up my sister from Ilkley en-route!

The day was perfect. It was the last day in September so the temperature was dropping but not quite cold yet and the sun was out in full force! We got lucky with a very sunny Sunday.

On the drive we managed to take a winding road through the dales feeling car sick with all the twists and turns. It was a beautiful and scenic route with far-reaching views.

We had the 12.30pm slot booked for The Forbidden Corner and didn’t leave until closing time around half 4. You can really spend a lot of time here especially with a slow-walking toddler!

We had no expectations and no real plan so we let our 2 year old Hilda lead the way.

As we entered we were faced with a very strange tunnel to walk through and already I could tell our daughter was a little apprehensive. It was definitely a sign of things to come..

The first thing I noticed was lots of skeletons and ghosts and as we hadn’t been here before I didn’t know if this was normal for The Forbidden Corner or if it’s because we are nearing Halloween!

I love Halloween and I was happy to find the place decorated all over in preparation for the holiday. Nice and early too so it was an unexpected surprise!

The Forbidden Corner is a unique Labrynth. A collection of mazes in which you have no map for. The physical map you are given shows only some of the things you need to spot and not where to find them. That part is up to you! If there are characters you have missed, you know you need to turn back!

I love that you can really let your curiosity lead the way or in our case, a toddler. She let her little legs carry herself to all the things that grabbed her attention. Giant spiders in the woods, dogs barking or the sound of water trickling. There was so much to look at and I think for children this is a real treat.

My favourite part of this was walking through some of the tunnels that lead you underground. The use of doors and darkness to make you feel lost was a lot of fun. You also never know what you are going to stumble upon.

At one point we found ourselves heading towards a door that looked to be a normal size yet somehow got smaller as we got closer to it. The illusion was incredible and reminded me of Willy Wonka or Alice in Wonderland. It was ace but i’m not going to lie it freaked me out. I had a real moment where claustrophobia sunk in and I started panicking which is very unusual for me. This place isn’t for the faint-hearted that’s for sure!

A lot of the features incorporate water which is always a hit with kids. We really didn’t want to get wet and managed to avoid this on the stepping stones. Unfortunately Hilda wasn’t so lucky when it came to one of the statues who managed to soak her little feet when we ran past!

In the underground mazes we came across an assortment of rats in the ‘pub’. Thinking about this, it wasn’t just strange it was incredibly creepy. I don’t know who comes up with this stuff!

The collection of weird sculptures and decorations is what makes this place quirky.

We stopped off at the cafe for a quick lunch break part way where my sister and daughter shared nice and healthy fried doughnuts! It was great to be able to enjoy our lunch overlooking the beautiful scenery.

After our break we walked along the walls overlooking the dales. You can really admire the setting here and it definitely feels like you are in such a strange corner of the world. It is very remote and not what you’d expect to see out here at all. How often do you spot a pirate ship out in a field?

Walking around the mazes we had a lot of fun getting lost and retracing our steps to make sure we didn’t miss anything. When we finally did leave, we noticed we remembered we’d forgotten to go up the tall tower. The choice of routes can easily have you side tracked! So we headed back towards the castle and up the stairs. One of the rooms was decked out for Halloween and I think this was one of our favourite displays.

We also enjoyed the bears in the woods but I must admit the creepy corn man that we couldn’t avoid crashing our photos was purely terrifying!

My personal favourite part of the whole place was the garden located near the play area. I loved the cute little frog fountain that sings and puts on a show at set times throughout the day. We were lucky to catch this and come out dry too!

The gardens were pretty too and filled with herbs for my husband to point out to  Hilda. She loves giving them all a good sniff and learning about the different plants.

Overall we had a great day at The Forbidden Corner. It lived up to its name and can definitely be described as strange!

We ended the day at the gift shop which was a very cute collection of handmade items. I could have easily spent longer in here shopping but it was time to go before I spent more money on things I don’t need!

A fabulous family day we all had and a great attraction I’d recommend to everyone. Whilst I can’t see us going back anytime soon we had a lot of fun. We were thankful to visit at Halloween because the decor was taken up a notch and i’m not sure if it might have felt a bit plain without all the skeletons!

Next time you find yourself in Yorkshire looking for a place to explore give it a go…

~ Visited The Forbidden Corner in September 2025 ~

Useful bits

Website: https://www.theforbiddencorner.co.uk/
Location: Yorkshire Dales National Park – ‘Middle-of-nowhere’ vibes!
Entry Fee: (Correct in October 2025) Adults & Children £18 – Under 15s £16 – Under 4s FREE
Bonus Factors: Free parking and plenty of it. Loads of outdoor space for picnics before you enter and a couple of benches by the cafe if you want some snacks when inside. A unique experience with lots to explore. Beautiful views of the dales and a lovely gift shop at the end.
Verdict: The entrance fee was reasonable but I was pleased my 2 year old was free. I don’t think I’d have felt it was value for money had I paid for her. It makes for an expensive day out overall however they do offer family tickets. I felt this place is a one-time thing and we probably won’t revisit for many years if at all. I also felt that without the Halloween decor it might have been lacking slightly. It’s worth a visit and makes for a great day out despite being a little pricey.
TripAdvisor: The Forbidden Corner