22 suggestions for great days out

So much to do, so little time! The only answer is to come back more often and discover all this great location has to offer.

At Tankersley manor you're really spoilt for choice, with the Peak district, Derbyshire Dales and Last of the Summer wine country all within easy reach. If listening to the tales of how TV's 'Most Haunted' visited us recently (and accidentally made contact with our still living housekeeper) has given you a taste for history, then Peveril castle locally dates back to Normandy times. There's also an award-winning heritage centre at Barnsley. And just because you're in beautiful countryside, doesn't mean you can't shop. Meadowhall shopping centre is reassuringly close by.

These tasters should whet your appetite...

Elsecar Discovery Centre, Barnsley.

Telephone: 01226 740203
An award winning Heritage Centre set in the conservation village of Elsecar. Discover working crafts, memorabilia from the last 200 years and explore the restored buildings and monuments of the former ironworks.

Meadowhall Shopping Centre, Sheffield.

Telephone: 0845 6006800
Europe's top shopping mall, which is extremely popular in the region with its extensive range of shops and restaurants, plus an eleven screen cinema complex. Free parking.

Pontefract & Doncaster Racecourse.

Telephone: 01302 304207
A very popular racecourse, home to the St. Leger, part of the British Flat racing season. The Town Moor course holds regular events, call for details.

Trans Pennine Trail.

Telephone: 01226 772574
A national route for walking, cycling and horse riding, the Trans Pennine Trail stretches right across the North of England and the Pennines. Barnsley is located in a prime position to explore the amazing route. Much of the trail is an easy, flat surfaced path.

Magna Science Adventure Center, Rotherham

Telephone: 01709 720002
Discover a day without limits at Magna, the UK's first Science Adventure Centre. Set in the former Templeborough Steelworks, you can explore the four elements of earth, air, fire and water and have fun firing giant water canons, launching rockets, boarding an airship, spinning in a gyroscopic chair and even learning to fly.

Cannon Hall Farm, Barnsley.

Telephone: 01226 790427
An award winning working farm set amongst the rolling Pennine hills where hundreds of animals are waiting to be fed and petted. There is also a tearoom and farm shop with home produced bacon and sausages.

Sheffield Arena

Telephone: 0114 2565656
One of Europe's largest venues for entertainment. This 12,000 seater arena offers top acts to suit all tastes.

Tankersley Park Golf Club.

Telephone: 0114 2468247
Located nearby to the Tankersley Manor, the Golf Club has an 18 hole, 6212 yard, par 69 rolling parkland course. Visitors are welcomed and should contact the club in advance.

Sheffield Ski Village

Telephone: 0114 2769459
A large all-season indoor ski area with the best facilities for snowboarding to be found in the UK. You can also enjoy skiing and tobogganing, with ski lessons for beginners.

Brodsworth Hall and Gardens, near Doncaster.

Telephone: 01302 722598
One of England's most complete surviving Victorian country houses furnished in the opulent fashion of the 1860s; it retains much of its original scheme to this day.

Rievaulx Abbey near Helmsley.

Telephone: 01439 798228
One of the most atmospheric of all the ruined abbeys of the north, don't miss the exciting exhibition, 'The Works of God and Man', which explores Rievaulx's history, employing a variety of lively and interactive displays.

Mount Grace Priory, nr Thirsk.

Telephone: 01609 883494
Ruins of a 14th-century monastery with a reconstructed monk's cell and herb garden.

Pickering Castle, Pickering (near Scarborough)

Telephone: 01751 474989
This splendid motte-and-bailey castle is well-preserved, with much of the original keep, towers and walls remaining. There is an exhibition in the chapel.

National Coal Mining Museum, Wakefield.

Telephone: 01924 848806
The highlight of any visit to the National Coal Mining Museum for England is the underground tour, with experienced local miners, which lasts just over 1 hour. Above ground are interactive galleries, pit ponies, an adventure playground and nature trail.

Pevril Castle, nr. Castleton, Sheffield

Telephone: 01443 620613
The tower of this Norman stronghold still stands to its original height This castle, perched high above the pretty village of Castleton, offers breathtaking views of the Peak District. Founded soon after the Norman Conquest of 1066 by one of King William's most trusted knights, William Peveril, the castle played an important role in guarding the Peak Forest area.

Eureka - The Museum for Children, Halifax.

Telephone: 01442 330069
Eureka is the UK's first and foremost museum for children offering over 400 must touch exhibits especially designed to inspire children under 12 about themselves and the world around them.
36 miles from Tankersley Manor.

Chestnut Centre, Otter, Owl & Wildlife Park, High Peak, Derbyshire.

Tel: 01298 814099

The Chestnut Centre is an enjoyable day out, strolling through 50 acres of unspoilt Derbyshire countryside. Encountering four species of otters, over 10 species of deer, foxes, Scottish wildcats, pinemarten and others. The Nature Trail is a natural environment for wildflowers throughout the changing seasons.

Denby Pottery Visitor Centre, Denby, Derbyshire.

Tel: 01773 740799

Enjoy a day out at Denby in the heart of Derbyshire. Our Visitor Centre is next to the Pottery in a cobbled courtyard. We're open daily with free centre entry and free parking.

Shopping at Denby is a delight. Discover everything from cards to canvasses, jewellery to jugs and plant pots to teapots!

Epworth Old Rectory, Doncaster, South Yorkshire.

Tel: 01427 872268

1709 Queen Anne period house, boyhood home of John Wesley. Portraits, period furniture, prints and Methodist memorabilia. New for 2006 is the John Wesley Physic Garden.

The Fire & Police Museum, Sheffield.

Tel: 0114 2491999

The Sheffield Fire & Police Museum is the largest, volunteer run, museum of its kind in the UK.Within the walls of the old Victorian Police and Fire Station are a multitude of Fire engines, both ancient and modern. Exhibits, ranging from Victorian brass helmets to state of the art breathing apparatus, can be seen alongside photographs and documents from the past.

Roche Abbey, Rotherham, South Yorkshire.

Tel: 01709 812739

Beautifully set in a valley landscaped by 'Capability' Brown in the 18th century, the most striking feature of this Cistercian abbey is the tall eastern end of its church, built in the new Gothic style in about 1170. It also displays one of the most complete ground plans of any English Cistercian monastery, laid out as excavated foundations and incorporating the original drainage ditch. The story of the pillaging of Roche, recorded by the son of an eye-witness, is among the most vivid documents of the Dissolution of the Monasteries.

Tropical Butterfly House, Wildlife & Falconry Centre, Sheffield.

Tel: 01909 569416

Dare you hold a royal python, spiky dragon, creeping giant millipede or hissing cockroach? How about flying a hawk in the falconry display or get to grips with an owl in the birds of prey centre? Try your hand at milking the nanny goat and bottle feeding baby farm animals or take a relaxing stroll around the nature trail. Free tractor rides at weekends and school holidays.