1. One of the most important doors in the country can be found at the Heart of Yorkshire

Inside St Helen’s Church in Stillingfleet you’ll find one of the oldest and most important doors in the country! The original Norman wooden door, with its original ironwork, including almost complete ‘C’ hinges is said to date back to the tenth century. You can visit Stillingfleet Lodge Gardens whilst you’re in the village as well and enjoy some fabulous homemade cake, surrounded by art from local artists in their Tearoom!

 

2. Skipwith Common is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and one of the last remaining areas of lowland Heath in the North of England 

Skipwith Common Nature Reserve is an ancient landscape with 270 hectares of open heath, ponds, woodland and a huge variety of plants and animals, with three waymarked trails, including the Bombs and Lizards trail.

3. The world’s biggest, purpose built, paintball bridge can be found here

Over 100m long and standing 13m high, the bridge at Yorkshire Paintball and Outdoor Activity Centre is the largest purpose built paintball bridge in the world. However, it’s not just a paintball centre! A number of fun and exciting outdoor activities are on offer, including paintball, laser blast, nerf wars, air rifle shooting, airsoft, archery…and more

4. A Heart of Yorkshire landmark is thought to be the inspiration for the nursery rhyme Humpty Dumpty

It was the arrest of Cardinal Wolsey by Henry VIII’s men at Cawood Castle that is believed to be the source of the Humpty Dumpty nursery rhyme. Today, the Wolsey Walk takes you round the historic sites of Cawood village, and you can stop for a bit of lunch at one of the village pubs, The Village Tearoom, or the Pickled Postie.

5. The region is home to the oldest brewery in Yorkshire

Founded in 1758, Samuel Smith’s Old Brewery is Yorkshire’ oldest brewery, based in Tadcaster. You can still see the shire horses as they make their local beer deliveries in and around the town.

6. The origins of the modern day American flag can be traced back to Selby Abbey

The Washington Window contains the Heraldic arms of the Washington family, which is said to be the basis of the flag of the United States of America. Because of the Washington connection, Selby Abbey is on the ‘American Trail’ of attractions around the UK with strong American historical connections. You can learn more about the window and its history on one of the new guided tours at the Abbey, which do need to be pre-booked but they are free and really interesting.

7. Vineyard at the Heart of Yorkshire

The walled garden is Carlton Tower’s very own vineyard, born from Lord and Lady Gerald’s passion for wine, which you can see if you visit the Stables Tearoom, or if you book on one of their vineyard tours.

8. Award winning Pubs

Over recent years, The Drover’s Arms, Skipwith has received many awards.  In 2020 they scooped a hattrick of awards including Welcome to Yorkshire’s ‘Pub of the Year’ award, Tourism/Leisure Business of the Year in the Selby District Business Awards and also ‘Pub of the Year’ in Visit York’s Tourism Awards.  They won ‘Pub of the Year’ again in 2022 and Tourism & Leisure business Award in Selby district 2023.  The Queen O’ T’Owd Thatch in South Milford (known to locals as ‘The Thack’) was of course awarded “Best Sunday Lunch” by the Observer’s Food Monthly awards in 2018 and 2022.

9. You can enjoy non stop gliding

Take a trial lesson in a glider with Burn Gliding Club and enjoy flying at the Heart of Yorkshire. Burn Airfield enjoys a unique location, surrounded by safe landable fields and enjoying thermals from the local power station and the mighty Pennine wave, meaning in winter, you can stay aloft for hours.

10. Tadcaster was built from the same beautiful, local limestone that was used for York Minster

Founded by the Romans, Tadcaster was originally named Calcaria from the Latin word for lime, reflecting the importance of the area’s limestone as a natural resource for quarrying, an industry that contributed to many notable buildings, including York Minster. You can see the beautiful limestone buildings as you enjoy a wander around the historic town, before rewarding yourself with a locally brewed pint!