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UK / Yorkshire and the Humber / North Yorkshire

Half Term Family Fun at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway

Park Street, Pickering, YO18 7AJ

24th - 31st May

Hop on board for an unforgettable family adventure this May half term at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.

From hands-on activities and creative play to exciting bird encounters, there’s something to keep every little explorer entertained all week long. Plus, enjoy the added bonus of our special autocar services.

Don’t miss out – take a look at our full schedule and see what fun awaits.

Brickin’ It Workshops: 24th & 25th May
Location: Pickering Station, Platform 2

Unleash your little builders at our LEGO workshops brought to you by Bricks McGee. Get involved in one of the Railway 200 or Mini Engineer themed workshops and test your building skills with the construction challenges. Various one-hour sessions are taking place across the weekend – booking is required. Children must be supervised by a parent or guardian during the activity. £5 per person (5+ years old).

LEGO is a registered trademark of the LEGO Group, who do not own or endorse Bricks McGee, or the Brickin’ It Workshops. Workshops are not suitable for ages under 5 due to small parts.

Free Drop-In Activities
All the following activities are free to join and are drop-in, so just turn up at the stations during the running period and enjoy. If you’d like to travel on our heritage trains from Pickering to Whitby, tickets can be booked in advance or bought on the day at any of our stations.

Art Day: 26th May
Location: Pickering Station, Platform 2

Get creative at our self-led Art Day from 10am – 2pm. Unlock your artistic skills and craft your own railwayinspired masterpiece to enter into our Railway 200 Writing & Art Competition. All materials are provided, just bring your imagination! Sketch steam engines or paint scenic tracks, let your ideas take the express route! No booking required, drop in anytime and create at your own pace.

Train Time Stay & Play Sessions: 27th & 28th May
Location: Pickering Station, Platform 2

Explore, play, and imagine in our hands-on railway world from 11.00 am to 4.00 pm. Build, play and explore with trains, tracks, and endless imagination in our interactive stay and play session. Perfect for little engineers with big ideas.

Birds of Prey: 31st May
Location: Pickering Station, Platform 2

Get up close with majestic birds of prey at the Whitby Falconers static display. Come face to face with these impressive birds from 9.30 am – 4.30 pm. Free to view, with a small charge for handling.

The railway is closed on Thursday 29th and Friday 30th May: as standard, please see timetable for all running dates in 2025.

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Opening Times

9.30 - 18.45

Please note that the railway is closed on Thursday 29th and Friday 30th May.

Prices

Brickin' It Workshops per person (5+ years old)

£5.00

All other activities

FREE

See our website for details.

Facilities

Café

Car Parking

Picnic Site

Baby Changing

Disabled Access

Toilets

Other things to do nearby

12th - 15th Jun

Annual Diesel Gala at North Yorkshire Moors Railway

Join us for four fantastic days celebrating the sights, sounds and sheer power of heritage diesel locomotives, all set against the breath-taking backdrop of the North York Moors National Park.

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27th Sep

Theakstons Beer Festival and Harvest Festival at Ripon Races

On this day we are supporting Ripon Community House with our Harvest Festival Initiative.

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26th Aug

Afternoon Racing at Ripon Races

This is a perfect day out for all the family and as always we welcome junior racegoers, with FREE admission for accompanied under 18′s.

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25th Aug

Bank Holiday Family Day at Ripon Races

Not only do we have our final family fun day of the season, on our Bank Holiday showdown on Monday 25th August we look forward to our only listed race of the season.

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16th Aug

William Hill Great St Wilfrid at Ripon Races

Our most valuable race day of the season on Saturday 16th August which last year had over £144,000 of prize money on offer including a total pot of £75,000 for our feature race.

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19th Jul

Go Racing in Yorkshire Festival at Ripon Races

Go Racing in Yorkshire Summer Festival – Afternoon meeting.

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7th Jul

Evening Racing at Ripon Races

2025 we will again offer reduced price entry to our evening meetings.

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4th Aug

Teddy Bear’s Picnic at Ripon Races

Teddy Bear’s Picnic & Afternoon Racing.

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