RHS garden and Castle’s ticket-only re-opening

TWO MORE of Yorkshire’s major outdoor attractions have announced that they will re-open in June.

Visitors must book tickets in advance to gain entry to either Castle Howard or RHS Harlow Carr gardens, in Harrogate, as social distancing measures will be in place and capacity is limited.

Castle Howard’s grounds will open on June 3 for members and June 8 for general visitors. The gardens and parkland will be accessible, but Skelf Island, the adventure playground and the house itself will remain closed, as will the cafes. There will be a takeaway food service and the farm shop and garden centre will be open. Portable toilets will be available on the North Front.

RHS Harlow Carr will open on June 1 in line with other RHS gardens around the country. Admission will be reserved only for those with tickets, including RHS members. As the on-site cafe is franchised to Bettys, it is not clear whether a takeaway service will be available.

Tickets to either attraction can be purchased via their respective websites.

The National Trust has announced that Beningbrough Hall, near York, will be its second Yorkshire site to re-open after Nostell Priory. The parkland and gardens will be accessible on June 3, but the first wave of tickets released have already sold out. The play area, house and restaurant will remain shut.

Bolton Abbey’s estate grounds have already re-opened and a ticket-only admission system is in operation.

Forestry England have reopened Dalby Forest, in Ryedale, but the cafe, bike hire centre and playground are out of bounds.

Fans of properties owned by English Heritage will have to wait longer for the charity to re-open their Yorkshire sites. The first four, Mount Grace Priory, Brodsworth Hall, Whitby Abbey and Scarborough Castle, aren’t scheduled to re-open until early July.