The Forbidden Corner is a place that I’ve been bothering Sam about planning a visit to for about 6 years now. I first heard about it from my first London flatmate who was originally from Newcastle and it was one of her favourite childhood memories. About a year after that I saw it on an ancient episode of “Don’t tell The Bride”. That sold it for me. I needed to go. The problem is that it’s located in an isolated place so it never would have been do-able as a day trip up from London. But now that we live up North and Sam’s a driver it was finally within our grasp! (I mentioned it last week in my post about Masham.)
But what is The Forbidden Corner, you’re probably all thinking?! Well. It’s a folly garden (once private, now public) located in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Unlike most follies, this one is a fairly new build. Instead of being Victorian, it was built in 1980. However, it’s one of the largest in the world. Its walled gardens take up 6km of space.
It’s laid out like a maze and maze like it is. You’re given a map of things to find but no instructions on how to find them. It took Sam and I about 3 hours to complete. The garden features statues, towers, an underground maze, a labyrinth (with revolving floor), a 12 feet tall conifer dog’s head, a 20 feet tall oak green man, and water traps, as well as grottos. At some points in time you’ll get sprayed with water if you step on the wrong side of the pavement and solving the maze involved crawling around on all fours and going through the throat of a giant. (I’m not joking.) And I was genuinely scared going through the “Armstrong Family Mausoleum” – in fact, I’d give that part a miss if you have kids.
It’s listed as the best children’s attraction in Yorkshire, but I can assure you that it’s a hilarious day out for adults too. Was it worth the 6 year wait? You betcha! It’s almost impossible to describe what The Forbidden Corner is because it’s so mad and eccentric!
Tickets are £12 for adults, and you must book in advance. The Forbidden Corner is located at Tupgill Park Estate, Coverham, Middleham, Leyburn, North Yorkshire, DL8 4TJ . The nearest train stations are Northallerton and Darlington.
Have you visited The Forbidden Corner before?
This post is in no way sponsored, I was just super excited to visit!
