Fountains Abbey/Studley Royal © NTPL/Andrew Butler
If you want to burn off the excess Christmas calories there surely can’t be anything better than going for a walk around one of Yorkshire’s fine selection of historic sites.
Free tours of the wonderful ruins at Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire are available between December 27 and 29 (normal admission fees apply) while the English Heritage sites at Hardcastle Crags and Gibson Mill offer a New Year's Day walk with a difference. The latter tour is free but booking is essential – call 01422 844518 for more details.
A bracing 8-mile walk through the countryside surrounding Brimham Rocks and the Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Beauty will also take place on New Year’s Day. Telephone 01423 780688 for details.
To download a full list of all the festive walks available go to Neptune Walks page of the National Trust website where you will find pdf downloads.
Vampire enthusiasts could walk up the famed 199 steps to explore the atmospheric ruins of Whitby Abbey, which like most English Heritage sites, will be open from December 27 to 31.
If you fancy a skate more than a walk then you should head for York where a giant Ice Rink has taken up residence in front of Clifford’s Tower and is framed with The Castle Museum and the Law Courts on either side. Open until January 7 the rink has bars, viewing platforms and refreshments so what better place could there be for a spot of festive skating?
The Museum For Children, Eureka! will this year give youngsters the chance to burn off those excess Christmas calories with a futuristic exercise routine given by the Workout Wizard. Free with entrance to the museum from December 27 to January 5 it promises to be an eye opener.
Discount vouchers to skate at the Piece Hall Ice Rink can also be picked up here. For information on this go to www.piecehall.info/pages/ice_rink.html
