We were recently visiting the South Yorkshire region. As a family who loves to travel in the UK, we jumped at the chance to explore what it has to offer. South Yorkshire consists of four boroughs, Sheffield, Barnsley, Doncaster, and Rotherham.
South Yorkshire Travel
Kelham Island Museum – Sheffield
Hopping off the train from Bristol to Sheffield on our first day, we strolled down to the Kelham Island Sheffield for the afternoon. The kids had so much fun learning about what it was like to live and work in the area, during the industrial revolution and Victorian era.
We loved spotting the models of workers in the industrial section and also the transport gallery. There were also lots of interactive displays that helped explain subjects like how steam is produced and used. I particularly loved The Little Mesters which is a reconstructed Victorian street. A couple of the workshops are still in use.
Everyone had such a nice time at the museum and finished the afternoon off with cold drinks in the courtyard outside.
You can visit the Kelham Island website here.
Visiting South Yorkshire
Elsecar Heritage Centre
On day two of our trip to the South Yorkshire region, we headed to the Elsecar Heritage Centre. It’s worth noting we did this trip without a car. All the places we visited were easily accessible by public transport. A short seventeen minutes by train and we arrived in Elsecar. We then walked the five minutes down to the heritage centre.
Elsecar Heritage Centre in Barnsley is an amazing little village full of a variety of independent shops. It’s a very relaxed and family friendly area so perfect for a day out. Our favourite part though was the antique shop which I could have spent hours trawling through. Be sure to check out when they run the Elsecar Antiques fair too.
Tom could have spent a lot of time in the record shop and the kids were wide eyed at the sweet shop. There were also a few food places that looked nice. The dedicated tea rooms looked so good but also a sweet cafe that served amazing-looking cakes.
There is a children’s indoor play centre at Elsecar too but we didn’t visit that day. Only because it was so sunny we really wanted to spend time outdoors. Also if you are a dog fan there were lots of great doggos out on a trip with their owners. You can visit the Elescar site here.
As we arrived by public transport we took full advantage of walking to our next destination. There is a beautiful public footpath through woods and fields and takes about 35 minutes to arrive in Wentworth in Rotherham. The kids absolutely loved the freedom of this walk. In fact Mabli ran across a field at one point shouting ‘ I feel free! ‘. We were so lucky with the weather that day and the views coming down into the village was beautiful.
Visiting South Yorkshire
Wentworth Woodhouse
Visiting Wentworth Woodhouse in Rotherham that afternoon felt really magical. The house itself was incredibly beautiful. Wentworth Woodhouse is a Grade 1 Listed stately home with 87 acres of garden.
The house is stunning and boasts some 18th century Greek statues which were commissioned for the family and just incredible to look at. As well as beautiful marbled ballrooms and ornately decorated spaces. There were also a few exhibitions on at the time of our visit. The kids especially enjoyed the one from the local primary schools.
Wentworth Woodhouse Gardens were incredible and we could have all spent the whole day there. I liked to envision myself into a period drama walking around as if I was the lady of the house. The kids were really keen to follow the map they were given and find the Wentworth bear which represents a bear that was kept in the walled garden in the Victorian era. There is also Wentworth garden centre which is just down the road where we popped in for coffee. The food looked great though!
Deckchairs are dotted around the lawn and there is an outdoor coffee cart so you can pitch yourself there for the day! We were a little full from our sweets from Elsecar or we would have definitely have gone to the tea room.
You can check out the Wentworth Woodhouse website here.
Visiting South Yorkshire by train
Conisbrough Castle
Our last day in the South Yorkshire region and a trip to Conisbrough Castle in Doncaster. We traveled to the castle by train again, a 30-minute journey and a five-minute walk from the station. The castle served as a great home educational trip as well.
The staff were so welcoming and we were lucky enough to have booked a slot where we were the only people there. Conisbrough Castle is an English Heritage site and we used the opportunity to pick up a year’s English Heritage membership pass whilst we were there. I’m excited to discover more places to visit!
What child doesn’t love a castle? Running around the ruins and pretending they are knights. We were given a fun worksheet to complete during our visit. Wilf’s favourite part was running between the cartoon style information signs as he was very interested in the history of the place.
There were some fun projections inside the keep which helped tell the story of the people who lived there and what life would have been like. Mabli’s favourite part was looking at the old-fashioned toilet drops!
Views from the top of the castle were amazing and we even spotted a nest of some birds of prey outside one of the windows. The visitor centre also gave some great insight into the time period and life in Conisbrough.
Welcome to South Yorkshire
It was such a brilliant few days spent in the South Yorkshire region and we have all left feeling inspired for more traveling in the area. Another reason was simply that the people were all so friendly and welcoming. (Wilf noticed this and mentioned it a few times even asking me if I know them at one point!). The area is incredibly beautiful and I feel like it has the perfect mix of a metropolitan city, stunning countryside, and fascinating history.
Thanks so much to Welcome to Yorkshire for sponsoring this post and inviting us to visit the region. You can check out their website and other places in South Yorkshire travel here.
Start your own South Yorkshire Story here
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One Response
I haven’t visited this area before but it sounds like is so much to see and do for the whole family.