The Forbidden Corner is a unique visitor attraction set in the beautiful Tupgill Park near Leyburn in North Yorkshire. It was originally built as a private folly but opened to the public due to demand. And I'm very pleased that it did!

My husband and I visited Forbidden Corner in April 2007, with our then 6 year old daughter, 10 year old nephew and 5 year old nephew. We had heard such fantastic reviews of the place that we had to give it a try for ourselves! We travelled from Stockton-on-Tees, through Northallerton and Bedale, then up through the Dales. It was a beautiful hot spring day and the scenery on the drive up was so beautiful! The place itself is a little off the beaten track but was well-signposted. We had booked in advance for the visit, this is essential and is put in place is to ensure that the place doesn't get too busy. Tickets are sold on a first come, first served basis.

We had taken a picnic with us and ate it while we were waiting to go in in the large picnic area at the entrance. We found this area to be very clean with plenty of benches and bins. There is a cafe there, serving sandwiches, drinks and snacks, but we have been ripped off in places like this before so always take a picnic (though if anyone has tried the cafe it would be great to read about that so we know for the next time we visit!)

The place itself was fantastic; i can honestly say it's one of the best days out in the region, we had so much fun, although the little ones were a little scared in places, especially the room with the "devil"! There was so much to see, and I still don't think we saw everything even though we were there all afternoon. The place is not ideal for buggies; we did see a few people struggling round with toddlers! I would personally not take any child under the age of about four or five as I don't think they would enjoy it. It is no good for disabled visitors either as most areas are not accessible by wheelchair. Also if you are a little clautrophobic you may want to avoid the underground tunnels which are quite tight in places.

I would recommend Forbidden Corner as a great day out, and hope to return there once my baby boy is older.

Admission:
Adults: £10.00
Senior citizens: £9.00
Children 4 - 15: £8.00
Children under 4: Free
Family (2 adults + 2 children): £34.00

Opening times:
Everyday 1st April - 31 October then Sundays until Christmas
Monday - Saturday 12 noon - 6 pm.
Sundays and bank Holidays 10 am - 6 pm (or dusk if earlier)

No dogs allowed except guide dogs.

I have taken the above information from The Forbidden Corner website:
www.theforbiddencorner.co.uk

It says on the website that the average visit to Forbidden Corner takes about 2 hours; however we found ourselves staying for about five hours as there was so much to see, and the views are spectacular. Prepare to get a bit wet in certain areas, especially where you have to jump over the stones - my nephew fell in here and had to walk around with wet socks and shoes all day! So I would recommend taking a change of footwear!