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Harewood House, Harewood

Companionship careWest Yorkshire

Days out in West Yorkshire for an older parent

Eight places in West Yorkshire that make a good day out for an older parent, from Harewood House to National Science and Media Museum. For each one: what its own access information confirms, what it costs, how long to allow, and the carers nearby who drive and could take them.

Researched by PrimeCarers from each place’s own website and access information  ·  Updated October 2026

Harewood House. Photo: User:Gunnar Larsson, CC BY-SA 3.0

Eight days out across eight towns

The best places to take an older parent in West Yorkshire

Seven of them are free to visit or to walk around. The access information for two describes a step-free route, and four confirm an accessible toilet. Where a place does not publish its access, we say so.

Harewood House, Harewood

Photo: User:Gunnar Larsson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Historic house · Harewood

Harewood House

Harewood House is an 18th century country house between Leeds and Harrogate, with Robert Adam interiors, Chippendale furniture and paintings by Turner and Titian. The estate includes Capability Brown parkland, a lake, walled gardens and a bird garden.

A free mobility shuttle run by volunteers carries wheelchairs and drops visitors at the house, church, courtyard and lakeside, which makes the large estate manageable.

Time to allow
A full day
Cost
Paid entry

What their access information confirms

  • Partly step-free

Their websiteAccess information

Carers who drive, based near Harewood

Yorkshire Sculpture Park, West Bretton

Photo: Sergiusz Pawlowicz, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Gallery · West Bretton

Yorkshire Sculpture Park

Yorkshire Sculpture Park is an open-air gallery in 500 acres of historic parkland at West Bretton, with works by Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth and many others among the fields and woods. There are indoor galleries, cafés and a shop.

The visitor centre has flat access, a lift to the café and galleries and accessible toilets on both floors, with Blue Badge parking beside it and Tramper scooters for the parkland.

Time to allow
Half a day
Cost
Free entry, parking charged

What their access information confirms

  • Partly step-free
  • Accessible toilet
  • Blue Badge parking
  • Café

Their websiteAccess information

Carers who drive, based near West Bretton

The Hepworth Wakefield, Wakefield

Photo: Stephen Craven, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Gallery · Wakefield

The Hepworth Wakefield

The Hepworth Wakefield is a free art gallery beside the River Calder, showing sculptures and working models by Barbara Hepworth, who was born in Wakefield, alongside modern British art and changing exhibitions. It has a riverside garden and a café.

The café is on the ground floor with level access from the foyer, lifts serve the galleries and there are accessible toilets, so a carer can plan an easy indoor visit.

Time to allow
An hour or two
Cost
Free entry

What their access information confirms

  • Step-free route
  • Accessible toilet
  • Café

Their websiteAccess information

Carers who drive, based near Wakefield

The Piece Hall, Halifax

Photo: Steven Haslington, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Market town · Halifax

The Piece Hall

The Piece Hall is a Georgian cloth hall in the centre of Halifax, built in 1779 around a huge open square and now filled with independent shops, cafés and bars. Its heritage displays tell the story of the wool trade.

It is free to enter, lifts serve the upper galleries at the South and West gates and there are wheelchair accessible toilets, while the square itself is open and level.

Time to allow
Half a day
Cost
Free entry

What their access information confirms

  • Partly step-free
  • Accessible toilet

Their websiteAccess information

Carers who drive, based near Halifax

Salts Mill, Saltaire

Photo: The original uploader was Markj 87 at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Gallery · Saltaire

Salts Mill

Salts Mill is a huge Victorian textile mill in the model village of Saltaire, now home to a large permanent display of David Hockney's work, bookshops, homeware and cafés. Saltaire village and Roberts Park by the River Aire are on the doorstep.

Disabled parking spaces are by a glass canopy at the entrance, with level access to all public areas and a lift from there, and there is an accessible toilet on the ground floor.

Time to allow
Half a day
Cost
Free entry

What their access information confirms

  • Step-free route
  • Accessible toilet
  • Blue Badge parking

Their website

Carers who drive, based near Saltaire

Kirkstall Abbey, Leeds

Photo: Minda, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Day out · Leeds

Kirkstall Abbey

Kirkstall Abbey is one of the best preserved Cistercian abbey ruins in Britain, founded in 1152 on the banks of the River Aire in Leeds. The ruins stand in a free public park, and the Abbey House Museum across the road recreates Victorian streets.

The ruins sit in open grassland with paths and benches beside the river, so a carer can plan a gentle walk round the outside of the abbey.

Time to allow
An hour or two
Cost
Free

Access

Their website does not set out its access in detail, so ring ahead about parking, paths and toilets.

Their website

Carers who drive, based near Leeds

Ilkley, Ilkley

Photo: Tim Green, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Market town · Ilkley

Ilkley

Ilkley is a Victorian spa town in Wharfedale with a tree-lined shopping street called The Grove, riverside gardens along the Wharfe and Ilkley Moor rising behind the town. It has tea rooms, including a branch of Bettys, and independent shops.

The Grove and the riverside gardens are fairly level with plenty of places to sit, so a carer can plan a short walk and tea without climbing towards the moor.

Time to allow
Half a day
Cost
Free

Access

Their website does not set out its access in detail, so ring ahead about parking, paths and toilets.

Their website

Carers who drive, based near Ilkley

National Science and Media Museum, Bradford

Photo: Chemical Engineer, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Museum · Bradford

National Science and Media Museum

The National Science and Media Museum in Bradford tells the story of photography, film, television and sound, with collections including the earliest surviving photographic negative. It has the Pictureville cinema and changing exhibitions.

Entry is free, the front entrance is wheelchair accessible with automatic doors, manual wheelchairs can be borrowed and there are accessible toilets on Level 0.

Time to allow
Half a day
Cost
Free entry

Access

Their website does not set out its access in detail, so ring ahead about parking, paths and toilets.

Their website

Carers who drive, based near Bradford

Regular groups and events in West Yorkshire

Something to go back to every week or every year, from our research into what older people enjoy doing in West Yorkshire.

  • Cooking & Baking · WakefieldWakefield Rhubarb Festival and the Rhubarb TriangleAn annual February festival in Wakefield city centre celebrating the forced rhubarb grown in the surrounding Rhubarb Triangle, with market stalls, tastings and cookery demonstrations. A carer could take a parent for an hour at the stalls, buy a bundle of forced rhubarb and help make a crumble at home afterwards.Details
  • Music · QueensburyBlack Dyke Band concertsFormed at John Foster's mill in Queensbury in 1855, Black Dyke is one of the most decorated brass bands in the world and still gives concerts around the region. A carer can watch the band's concert listings, book seats near an aisle and handle the travel.Details
  • Music · HuddersfieldHuddersfield Choral Society at the Town HallA choral society founded in 1836 that performs a regular season, including its long running Messiah, at Huddersfield Town Hall. A carer could arrange tickets for an afternoon or early evening concert and organise a taxi door to door.Details
  • Dancing · LeedsDance On classes for people aged 55 and overYorkshire Dance runs weekly Dance On classes for people aged 55 and over across Leeds and Bradford, along with festivals and work in care homes. A carer can accompany a parent to a class, and the organisation publishes guidance specifically for carers and support workers.Details
  • Fishing · LeedsLeeds and District ASA water on the Aire and Calder NavigationLeeds and District Amalgamated Society of Anglers controls the Aire and Calder Navigation from the start of the canal down to Woodlesford Lock, holding bream, pike, perch and roach, with parking at the lock. A carer could sort the club book and rod licence and drive to a swim close to the parking rather than walking far along the towpath.Details
  • Photography · LeedsA long established camera club with talks and outingsLeeds Photographic Society, formed in 1852 and based in Roundhay, meets for talks and competitions in winter and more social outdoor meet-ups through the lighter summer evenings. A carer can handle the transport and carry the kit so an older member can keep attending evening meetings and join the easier outdoor sessions.Details

Hobbies and carers who share them in West Yorkshire

At a glance

The eight places side by side

What each place’s own access information confirms. “Ask” means it does not say, not that it is missing.

PlaceTimeCostStep-freeToiletCafé
Harewood HouseHarewooda full dayPaid entryPartlyAskAsk
Yorkshire Sculpture ParkWest Brettonhalf a dayFreePartlyYesYes
The Hepworth WakefieldWakefieldan hour or twoFreeYesYesYes
The Piece HallHalifaxhalf a dayFreePartlyYesAsk
Salts MillSaltairehalf a dayFreeYesYesAsk
Kirkstall AbbeyLeedsan hour or twoFreeAskAskAsk
IlkleyIlkleyhalf a dayFreeAskAskAsk
National Science and Media MuseumBradfordhalf a dayFreeAskAskAsk

Where the places are in West Yorkshire

The county’s boundary, numbered as on this page, with the main towns for reference.

South ElmsallHolmfirthWetherbyTodmordenOssettGarforthSilsden12345678
  1. 1Harewood House, Harewood
  2. 2Yorkshire Sculpture Park, West Bretton
  3. 3The Hepworth Wakefield, Wakefield
  4. 4The Piece Hall, Halifax
  5. 5Salts Mill, Saltaire
  6. 6Kirkstall Abbey, Leeds
  7. 7Ilkley, Ilkley
  8. 8National Science and Media Museum, Bradford

What it costs

What a day out with a carer costs in West Yorkshire

Carers in West Yorkshire charge £19 to £20 an hour through PrimeCarers, typically £19, with our fee included. A four-hour outing is about £76 for the carer’s time. Entry, food and parking are extra, and travel costs are only payable if you agree them with the carer in advance, in writing. The cost of home care in West Yorkshire has the full figures.

Photographs on this page are from Wikimedia Commons, credited under each one.

Questions

Questions families ask about days out in West Yorkshire

Harewood House in Harewood, Yorkshire Sculpture Park in West Bretton, The Hepworth Wakefield in Wakefield, The Piece Hall in Halifax, Salts Mill in Saltaire, Kirkstall Abbey in Leeds, Ilkley in Ilkley and National Science and Media Museum in Bradford. Each has its own section on this page with what its access information confirms, the cost and how long to allow.

The access information for The Hepworth Wakefield and Salts Mill describes a step-free route. Yorkshire Sculpture Park, The Hepworth Wakefield, The Piece Hall and Salts Mill have an accessible toilet. Access changes, so ring ahead about anything your parent depends on.

Yorkshire Sculpture Park, The Hepworth Wakefield, The Piece Hall, Salts Mill, Kirkstall Abbey, Ilkley and National Science and Media Museum. Parking is often charged even where entry is free.

Yes. A companion carer can drive your parent there, walk at their pace, help with the toilet and meals, and bring them home. 39 of the carers with a rate near West Yorkshire drive. Visits are booked by the hour, typically £19 an hour here with our fee included. Companionship care in West Yorkshire shows who is available.

Often. Many attractions let a carer or companion in free, or at a reduced price, with a disabled visitor, and some ask for proof such as a letter or a benefit award. It varies, so check each place’s access or prices page before you go.

Where the nearest carers live

From the profiles of the carers based within about 45 minutes of West Yorkshire

Where the nearest carers live. A carer close to home can manage a longer day out.

Companionship care in the counties around West Yorkshire

Days out in the areas around West Yorkshire

Companionship care by town in West Yorkshire

Each town page shows the carers who list it as home, with their rates and reviews.

Find a carer who could take them out in West Yorkshire

See carers near West Yorkshire who drive, with their photos, interests, rates and reviews. Talking to them is free and nothing is booked until you say so.

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