Unique things to do in Yorkshire

Back for its fourth year - the most festive event of the year! We will take a magical Christmas tour through the historic streets of central York, voted the UK's most Festive City. Along the route I will take you on a unique journey through the history of Christmas in the city, helping you to understand how the traditions of Christmas evolved through history. We will use beautiful locations in the ancient city as our backdrop, to tell the story of how an ancient mid winter festival developed into the Christmas we enjoy today. Bringing to life stories of how the Romans, Vikings, Victorians and others introduced their customs into our celebrations and we find the source and meaning of our traditions that make up Christmas and New Year. The tour lasts 90 minutes through the street and alleyways of historic York and we finish our tour around the Christmas Tree in St Helen's Square. A truly unique Christmas experience in the UK's best-loved city. We will all follow the Government guidance on social distancing to keep everyone safe. Other things to note Dress suitability for the weather and wear comfortable shoes. The walk is on flat solid ground but will involve standing

We will start with a Demonstration of making a pot on wheel, then slab pot techniques to make a jar. followed by your opportunity for you to make 2 pots in my studio in white clay. Decorate your pot and take it home. It can be painted and decorated,you can make two pots one on the wheel and the other slab built I will show you around my studio and explain how to make the pots including plates, bowls, tile, jewelry and buttons Tea and coffee will be available. The session is 2 hours long Another thing to note bring old clothes you don't mind getting mucky If you want to have your pot glazed and fired an extra session will need to be booked or I can do it for you and post it to u by arrangement. £30 You will go home with an understanding of ceramics and how to make your own pots bowls vases etc All welcome

When you arrive I will give you a quick tour of the workshop and get you an apron to get started on making your own piece of jewellery. You will learn how to measure, cut and texturise your silver before we solder the pieces of silver together. You will learn how to clean and prepare the silver ready for soldering and once soldered we will form our designs into shape using a hammer and mandrel finally pickling and polishing the jewellery ready to take home after your Experience Other things to note Our minimum age for workshops is 11 years old. We are accessible for wheelchair users.

You will meet and greet our beautiful Blacknose Valais sheep who just love the attention. The sheep will probably choose who he wants to walk with :0) We have Casanova (who likes to kiss) Prince jammie who is a real mummy's boy, his brother Humbug, Gogo the boss sheep whose gorgeous and he knows it, Rondo who loves to shout for attention and new boy Reggie We also have 3 very unusual Black, Blacknose Valais, who are to shy to walk on a lead with us yet but who knows what the future holds. We will take a walk around the grounds where you will see briefly our other residents (if you wish to do a full on sheep hugging tour then we now do a separate experience ) You'll have plenty of time to bond with your valais - one of the most peaceful, 'soft to the touch' animals you could hope to meet! Don't forget to take as many photos as you like to capture those all important memories. We will finish the walk with Vegan Tea & Scones in our shepherds hut (mini shop) where we sell handmade products using the wool from our rescued sheep Making memories to last a lifetime Other things to note We are a plant based, meat free site so please respect that. Children are welcome but must be with an adult.

We'll meet outside the entrance hall at Manchester Art Gallery for a short walking bee tour. The art gallery is the perfect place to spot a few bees. We will explore the significance of the Manchester bee, Industrial Revolution and Cottonoplois. We'll also look at the gorgeous William De Morgan Victorian tiles and Pre-Raphaelite Art. Then onto Manchester Town Hall to pay homage to architect Alfred Waterhouse (1830 ~1905) who designed the gothic style masterpiece. He created the incredible bee mosaic floor, the inspiration for our mosaic. Then over to Library Walk to see the flower mosaic floor and spot some more worker bees. As we make our way through the streets of Manchester we will see wonderful examples of architecture. Onto "Whitworth Locke Hotel” Co Working Space, Whitworth Street. Where we will settle in with a tea or coffee from Foundation Coffee and start to make our bee mosaics. You’ll leave with a unique mosaic to treasure forever, a wonderful memory of your trip to Manchester. All materials will be provided. I'll guide you through the mosaic process and technique, sharing my skills and tips on how to make the best bee mosaic. The experience is a wonderful welcome to Manchester, you're going to have the best time. It’s a unique experience, I know you'll love. This will be an excellent way of meeting new people if you are travelling alone.

Back for its fourth year - the most festive event of the year! We will take a magical Christmas tour through the historic streets of central York, voted the UK's most Festive City. Along the route I will take you on a unique journey through the history of Christmas in the city, helping you to understand how the traditions of Christmas evolved through history. We will use beautiful locations in the ancient city as our backdrop, to tell the story of how an ancient mid winter festival developed into the Christmas we enjoy today. Bringing to life stories of how the Romans, Vikings, Victorians and others introduced their customs into our celebrations and we find the source and meaning of our traditions that make up Christmas and New Year. The tour lasts 90 minutes through the street and alleyways of historic York and we finish our tour around the Christmas Tree in St Helen's Square. A truly unique Christmas experience in the UK's best-loved city. We will all follow the Government guidance on social distancing to keep everyone safe. Other things to note Dress suitability for the weather and wear comfortable shoes. The walk is on flat solid ground but will involve standing

We will start with a Demonstration of making a pot on wheel, then slab pot techniques to make a jar. followed by your opportunity for you to make 2 pots in my studio in white clay. Decorate your pot and take it home. It can be painted and decorated,you can make two pots one on the wheel and the other slab built I will show you around my studio and explain how to make the pots including plates, bowls, tile, jewelry and buttons Tea and coffee will be available. The session is 2 hours long Another thing to note bring old clothes you don't mind getting mucky If you want to have your pot glazed and fired an extra session will need to be booked or I can do it for you and post it to u by arrangement. £30 You will go home with an understanding of ceramics and how to make your own pots bowls vases etc All welcome

Come and help out on the farm with a hands-on lambing experience. Get up close and personal with our sheep and lambs and learn all about how we look after everybody at lambing time. We cannot guarantee a love birth, but we can guarantee plenty of babies for cuddles and photos, as well as plenty of fun helping with lambing time chores, including bottle feeding pet lambs, turning sheep and lambs out into the fields, mucking out lambing pens and more! We will also provide drinks and snacks fresh from the farmhouse kitchen.

Fancy having a throw with a master potter? This is a pottery class where you will learn how to handle clay, from preparing to manipulating it by hand on the pottery wheel. Guided by David (of Partington's Pots), you will produce your very own hand-thrown mug. After the session, the pot will be fired and available to collect (or be posted to you) the following week. This activity will take place inside a vibrant artist studio, buzzing with Salford-based creatives. This is your opportunity to unleash your inner artist!

Your two volunteer guides will meet you inside the Minster close to the Highgate door. Over the hour and a half, they'll introduce you to the characters in history responsible for the building of such an iconic and impressive Medieval minster. After a short walk around the ground floor, you'll be guided up a narrow, spiral stone staircase into the roof of the building. There you'll discover the incredible feats of engineering from almost a thousand years ago that hold this building together, the secret wall in the roof linked to the Black Death, a giant hamster wheel that helps to reveal a hole in the church ceiling where you can peer down 70 feet to the ground floor. You discover what brought thousands of pilgrims to this church from 700AD onwards and through this church and its own intimate history, you'll also learn about the history of England. We do offer a concessionary price for this tour for children (8-16), students, people in receipt of benefits and current National Lottery ticket holders. An adult concession requires evidence of qualifying status. To book a place for this lower priced ticket, please contact the host directly.

For alternative times, please drop me a message. A 3 1/2 hour workshop enabling you to design and make your own silver ring or bangle (bangle is at extra cost) Starting in copper you will learn how to adapt, and manipulate the metal by Sawing, piercing, hammering, annealing, patinating and forming. We will also cover 2 types of soldering. I will also cover texturing metal and include other techniques such as stamping. After playing and designing your piece, the techniques you learn will then enable you to create a solid silver ring band or bangle. IMPORTANT... The Wonky Jewellery Shed is a frugally built workshop in the beautiful private grounds of Pepper Arden. We have a dog, cats and the chickens live next to the studio. Its a rugged space with a friendly feel. The studio is accessed by a 'wobbly, rustic' track which can be accessed by car. No public transport nearby. You do not need any previous experience Hand tools are used alongside a simple power tool. Safety goggles provided. Toilet (ground level of my house) and refreshments available Extra bangle cost is £15. Please understand that this is a working workshop/studio not a Gallery space

When you arrive I will give you a quick tour of the workshop and get you an apron to get started on making your own piece of jewellery. You will learn how to measure, cut and texturise your silver before we solder the pieces of silver together. You will learn how to clean and prepare the silver ready for soldering and once soldered we will form our designs into shape using a hammer and mandrel finally pickling and polishing the jewellery ready to take home after your Experience Other things to note Our minimum age for workshops is 11 years old. We are accessible for wheelchair users.

I will show you how to make your own sterling silver ring or bangle from scratch. We will start by working out a design and the size needed first in copper wire or sheet, and how to create textures using a rolling mill, hammers or punches. I will show you how to correctly use a jeweller's piercing saw to cut the metal. After annealing the metal using a blow torch, you'll form the ring or bangle, using a mallet to shape it to the mandrel. I will demonstrate how to solder the join, and then you'll get a go! You will make the final piece in silver to your own personal design. And then it gets a final finish burnished, matt or shiny... and you get to put it on and it's yours to keep...or give to someone special as a thoughtful gift. Other things to note We are dog-friendly...Truffe my soppy springer spaniel gets excited when we have visitors, let me know if you would like a less exuberant welcome! There are stairs to reach the studio and bathroom.

You will meet and greet our beautiful Blacknose Valais sheep who just love the attention. The sheep will probably choose who he wants to walk with :0) We have Casanova (who likes to kiss) Prince jammie who is a real mummy's boy, his brother Humbug, Gogo the boss sheep whose gorgeous and he knows it, Rondo who loves to shout for attention and new boy Reggie We also have 3 very unusual Black, Blacknose Valais, who are to shy to walk on a lead with us yet but who knows what the future holds. We will take a walk around the grounds where you will see briefly our other residents (if you wish to do a full on sheep hugging tour then we now do a separate experience ) You'll have plenty of time to bond with your valais - one of the most peaceful, 'soft to the touch' animals you could hope to meet! Don't forget to take as many photos as you like to capture those all important memories. We will finish the walk with Vegan Tea & Scones in our shepherds hut (mini shop) where we sell handmade products using the wool from our rescued sheep Making memories to last a lifetime Other things to note We are a plant based, meat free site so please respect that. Children are welcome but must be with an adult.

We will meet at Whitworth Locke Hotel, Co Working space. Such a great space to host our experience. We will begin by having a chat about Manchester, the first industrial city in the world. The significance of the stylised flower mosaics, and why the architect Alfred Waterhouse incorporated them into the stunning mosaic floor of Manchester Town Hall. These designs are placed alongside a hive of bee mosaics. There will be examples of the stylized flower mosaics for inspiration. I will guide you through the mosaic process and techniques, sharing all my skills and tips. The tiles we will use to create our mosaic are a gorgeous unglazed porcelain ceramic. There will a be a variety of tiles in various colours for you to choose from. By the end of the experience you'll have your own unique Manchester flower mosaic that will last forever. The experience is a fab way to spend an afternoon. You’ll find the time passes really quickly and your mind will relax during the creative process. Other things to note Do have a look at the reviews on my other experience Make a Manchester Bee mosaic.

We'll meet outside the entrance hall at Manchester Art Gallery for a short walking bee tour. The art gallery is the perfect place to spot a few bees. We will explore the significance of the Manchester bee, Industrial Revolution and Cottonoplois. We'll also look at the gorgeous William De Morgan Victorian tiles and Pre-Raphaelite Art. Then onto Manchester Town Hall to pay homage to architect Alfred Waterhouse (1830 ~1905) who designed the gothic style masterpiece. He created the incredible bee mosaic floor, the inspiration for our mosaic. Then over to Library Walk to see the flower mosaic floor and spot some more worker bees. As we make our way through the streets of Manchester we will see wonderful examples of architecture. Onto "Whitworth Locke Hotel” Co Working Space, Whitworth Street. Where we will settle in with a tea or coffee from Foundation Coffee and start to make our bee mosaics. You’ll leave with a unique mosaic to treasure forever, a wonderful memory of your trip to Manchester. All materials will be provided. I'll guide you through the mosaic process and technique, sharing my skills and tips on how to make the best bee mosaic. The experience is a wonderful welcome to Manchester, you're going to have the best time. It’s a unique experience, I know you'll love. This will be an excellent way of meeting new people if you are travelling alone.

Join your professional Blue Badge Tourist Guide, in a 90 minute Festive Walk through the twinkling streets of York, the original Christmas City. For nearly 2000 years, York has been witness to the winter celebrations of Kings and Emperors, Warriors and the custodians of this festive city. We'll hear how ancient beliefs and ceremonies have created the traditions we still practice today. Beginning our tour in the shadow of the mighty gothic Minster, discover who really gave us Christmas. Find out if it true that York was home to the first ever Christmas celebrations exactly 1500 years ago. Hear the tale of how Rudolph got his red nose and all about the grinch who tried to cancel Christmas. Join me in the stunning assembly hall where a famous Victorian author read his stories in York and made us a present of Boxing Day Make unforgettable memories of Christmas 2021 by immersing yourself in the spirit of Christmas Past. A feast for the senses: Stunning Christmas lights and decorations, church bells and carols, the smells of cinnamon and pine. To end we'll gather around the Christmas Tree where you might want to treat yourself to a mulled wine or hot chocolate

A magical experience with some truly amazing sheep. I have a love for these animals as i feel they are very misunderstood. GIven the chance they are very affectionate and loving, very similar to a dog. We are home to 140 plus sheep, many shy and timid that have been in the farming industry, but a lot of our Forever flocks will run to you like an excited puppy. You will meet our Blacknose Valais, our rare breeds and our spoilt rotten forever lambs. We will finish with Vegan Hot Chocolate and homemade Rocky road We also have a small hut on site with homemade products using our sheared sheeps wool... Take away memories to last a lifetime Other things to note Our food is all plant based, if you have any allergies please let us know in advance. We use soya milk in our drinks but can offer other non dairy and can do gluten free but please message us a few days before arrival or when you book. Wellies are always good as even in summer

Get your hands dirty in the pottery studio! You'll learn how to throw on a wheel and some simple creative techniques to make your pots special. Everyone will at the very least produce a cup and a dish, you'll be able to decorate your work and it'll be included in our next wood kiln firing. Other things to note This experience is tailored for people who are creative, you don't need any experience of pottery... but if you do, great, you can really push your creativity.

On this two hour Wild Food Foraging Walk, you will firstly hear an introduction talk covering the advantages of and cautions involved in learning about wild food, then you will walk along the flat Riverside walk to meet about 25 plants. You will learn about harvesting, processing and medicinal properties as well as some recipes. Suitable for buggies, wheel chair users and friendly dogs on leads. Other things to note: Toilets, parking and cafe near start of the walk.