The Reluctant Explorers: Yorkshire Walking With Kids

Jumping in front of White Wells in Ilkley

Visit Ilkley with Kids

If you are looking for a fabulously family friendly town set just outside of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, then Ilkley is the place to be!

This pretty town is buzzing with kid friendly stuff to do, places to play and with a newly revamped play park, it’s got to be on your must visit list!

Are you coming to visit Ilkley?

There is SO MUCH going on for the kids in Ilkley! This town is located just outside of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, at the South Eastern-most point. Home to the legendary Ilkley Moor (Baht’at and all that), this town has high street charm, with stunning views across the wild moorland that surrounds it.

It truly is a great place to visit as a family and on this page, you’ll find out all the must do activities in and around Ilkley itself; you’ll find details of local kid friendly attractions; where to walk with the kids and of COURSE where the play park is (as well as where to find the ice cream!) Ilkley is our home town, so we are all about shouting as loudly as we can about it!

You HAVE to read on to find out our favourite parts.

Our best family friendly Ilkley Walks

Ilkley is a hub for family friendly walks, with it being located at the base of the rugged and wild expanse of Ilkley Moor, but still being within stone’s throw of the town. We have loads of walks in the Wharfedale area but here are a few of our Ilkley based favourites!

Do you want to find a waterfall? Yes, Ilkley Moor has it’s very own secret waterfall (well actually there are more than one….) Our walk to the Beck Stone will take you right by it as well as heading past the must see Cow and Calf Rocks !

Fancy a walk to the White Wells Spa? You won’t be getting a massage or facial here though, but you can dip in the famous spa water for the price of a cup of tea from the cafe! Our White Wells walk will take you to an area of the moor that’s simply packed with history and you will also head to Ilkley Tarn too, so remember your duck food!

Looking for a woodland waterfall walk? Head for a dinosaur hunt at Heber’s Ghyll! Or check out the swathes of bluebells in Middleton Woods from early April to May.

Outdoor Stuff to do for Kids in and around Ilkley

You will NOT be surprised to hear that there is a whole LOAD of outdoorsy activities around Ilkley that are great for the kids!

Fancy a swim? Head over to Ilkley Lido, which has just undergone extensive restoration, and was originally opened back in 1935. Famous for its' charm and also for its Summer Soltice Swims the water may be chilly, but the views are outstanding! Check out the Ilkley Lido website to find out more and for their seasonal opening times!

Want to do a town centre VR trail? Why not download one of the augmented reality trails from Discover Ilkley. Simply download the free app, and off you go! You could learn a whole load of history in the process (as well as checking out some of the top local businesses on the high street).

Are you looking for a kid friendly seasonal trail? Then head to Bolton Abbey which is approximately a 15 minutes drive away, where you regularly find either the welly walk (Easter to Halloween) or a seasonal trail through the Strid Woods (Easter, Halloween and Christmas). You can find out more about the Bolton Abbey trails by heading to our Yorkshire Dales events page.

Looking for a family friendly open farm? Then Hesketh Farm is also located just down the road on the Bolton Abbey Estate. It has animals to pet, outdoor and indoor play areas and the epic tractor ride too (our favourite bit!!)

Staying in the area for a while? Check out our Visit Pateley Bridge with Kids Guide and Visit Grassington with Kids Guide to find out more going on in the areas. Both are around a 30 minute drive from Ilkley.

Rainy day stuff to do in Ilkley

Come on guys… it’s Yorkshire. The likelihood is, you’ll be dealing with rain at some point! But NEVER FEAR! For we have some IDEAS (see what I did there? Poet and I don’t know it and all that….)

Want to go indoor climbing? Then Clip n Climb is the place to be! Located next to the train station in the centre of Ilkley, this is a top rainy day place to go for active kids! There are occasional Tots sessions running, which are suitable for ages 2.5 - 6. Or there are the general climbing sessions, suitable for ages 4+ (including adults!) It’s a lot of fun, and there is a family friendly cafe on site too. Check out the Ilkley Clip and Climb website for more details. Booking is required.

Fancy a trip to the cinema? Ilkley Cinema is an independent cinema stuffed full of comfy sofas, and serves drinks and tasty food to your seat! They often have a fab range of films ranging from family friendly to arts and indie. Love it! To find out what’s currently showing, head to the Ilkley Cinema website!

Billy Bobs Ice Cream Parlour is a little drive from Ilkley (20 - 30 mins), but has a family friendly restaurant and indoor play barns (and outdoor play areas) too.

Ilkley Manor House Museum is free to enter and is found at the top of Riverside Park just off the main road through Ilkley. There, you can learn all about the history of Ilkley. Or perhaps a visit to the Toy Museum might be up your street!

Looking for an indoor Soft Play? Dan’s Den is just off the Grove and is suitable for the under 6’s. It’s brilliant and holds SO many happy memories for us as a family! My two grew up playing here, and I whiled away many an hour sipping coffee and nibbling cake in the cafe whilst the kids went off and played (and I generally don’t like soft play!) The set up is entirely family friendly, there is a sensory area and age specific play areas too. All surrounded by the most wonderfully friendly staff. I reckon I’ll also give a special mention to the toilets too. Yes, the toilets. They are equipped with spare clothes, socks, nappies, potties, and toilet steps. Basically everything you need as a parent to an under 5!

Where’s the play park in Ilkley?

Just down the hill from the Manor House museum is Riverside Park, where you’ll find the newly refurbished play area (as of 2022). With several areas appropriate for different age groups, the park is a much loved favourite by my two! Surrounded by green space, and the Riverside of Ilkley, there are ducks to feed, fish and chips nearby, and ice cream! You can tie it in with our pushchair friendly Ilkley Riverside Walk too and often during the summer months, you might find a bouncy castle.

Got a skater in the family? Ilkley also has a skate Park on the other side of the bridge to the play park, so check that out too!

Coffee and Cake from New Brook Street Deli

A Day Out in Ilkley must do Itinerary

Ok. You only have a day in Ilkley, what would we recommend you do?!

Grab a bite and a brew from Outside the Box Cafe (The Arcade, South Hawksworth Street) This community run cafe supports young people and adults with learning difficulties and is a great place for a nibble and a coffee!

Do the Discover Ilkley VR trail in the town centre (why not pop into some of the high street shops too! If we were to recommend any… The Grove Bookshop and Noras are some of our fav independent local businesses)

Head down to Riverside Park via the Ilkley Manor House Museum and New Brook Street Deli for a cake and a coffee (they sometimes sell duck food too and whilst I appreciate that’s more cake and coffee…. you can never have to much IMO!).

Book yourself in for a climb at Clip n Climb, then grab a tasty lunchtime platter from Friends of Ham Ilkley, or next door a familiar favourite, Pizza Express.

Walk to White Wells (dare you dip?!) and then feed the ducks at Ilkley Tarn.

Finish the day by watching the sunset skies up at the Cow and Calf rocks (and the food at the Cow and Calf Pub is family friendly too!)

Ilkley Old bridge looking over the River

Want to find some family friendly walks in Ilkley?

We have a whole page dedicated to them! So for pushchair friendly walks, walks for little legs, woodland wanders, waterfalls and more head to our Ilkley Walks!

Tap HERE To head to our Ilkley Walks

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