Chasing Rainbows 🌈
This weekend arrives with a shift in the skies above Yorkshire. Thursday gave us everything at once: sunshine, sudden rain, thunder and lightning, and this morning a rainbow stretched across the Calder Valley.
The seasons are edging forward, the weather turning wilder, but there's no shortage of reasons to step outside. From coastal festivals to heritage walks, Yorkshire offers plenty to anchor us in the week ahead.
What's On This Week:
12th to 18th September
North Yorkshire
Staithes Festival of Arts and Heritage – Sat 13th & Sun 14th Sep - The picturesque fishing village bursts to life with open studios, live music, heritage talks, and street performance.
A Heritage Walk on the Duchy Estate, Harrogate – Wed 17th Sep - Step back in time with a guided walk around Harrogate’s historic Duchy Estate. Discover how the area has evolved over the centuries.
East Yorkshire
Visit the Zoo Keeper’s Yard, Hull – Sat 13th & Sun 14th Sep - A chance to explore a rare surviving example of a Victorian urban micro dairy with this quirky heritage experience at the Zoo Keeper’s Yard
Archaeological Excavations at St Mary’s, Beverley – Tue 16th Sep - Take a rare look behind the scenes of a live archaeological dig and uncover the hidden history of St Mary’s Church.
South Yorkshire
From Tip to Trail, Sheffield – Tue 16th Sep - Explore the future Upper Don Trail on a guided walk linking Wharncliffe Side to Deepcar, with insights into the Trans Pennine Trail.
Bird Roost and Bats, RSPB Old Moor, Barnsley – Wed 17th Sep - Watch egrets, spoonbills, and cormorants gather at dusk while barn owls head out hunting. A magical evening for wildlife lovers.
West Yorkshire
Hebden’s Happy Hounds – Sat 13th Sep - A celebration of all things canine in Hebden Bridge, with fun competitions, stalls, and plenty of wagging tails.
Square Lens Alliance: Women in Film, Dean Clough, Halifax – Thu 18th Sep - An evening of screenings and discussion highlighting female filmmakers and voices in cinema.
Get Off T' Internet...
Royal Recognition for Yorkshire's Wild Heart
Landscapes of Ingleborough National Nature Reserve
Ingleborough National Nature Reserve has just expanded by 179 hectares, bringing the total protected area to 1,186 hectares, making it one of the most significant wildlife-rich landscapes in northern England. More significantly, it's now part of the King's Series of National Nature Reserves, established to celebrate His Majesty's Coronation.
What does this mean for those of us seeking wild Yorkshire? It means improved access from Ribblehead railway station on the famous Settle-Carlisle line, and protection for species found nowhere else, like the tiny white stars of Yorkshire sandwort, which grows only here.
The expansion protects some of the finest limestone pavements in the Yorkshire Dales (home to a third of the UK's remaining examples), along with the evocative calls of curlews and the rare northern brown argus butterfly that depends on wild thyme and rock-rose.
This weekend, as the seasons shift and the weather turns wild, consider a pilgrimage to this newly crowned landscape. From moorland fell top to species-rich meadows, it's one of the best places to see a mosaic of nature in action, all found in a single section of the valley.
Sometimes the most potent response to digital chaos is simply standing on ancient limestone, breathing in the Yorkshire air, and remembering what truly matters.
Final Brew
That’s all for this week. If you have an event or activity you’d like me to share, drop me an email or connect on Instagram or Bluesky.
Off on a Yorkshire adventure this weekend? Tag us in your photos using #YorkshireUnscrolled and let’s showcase the wonderful people, places, and quirks of this grand county!
Until next week, enjoy the weekend and keep Yorkshire Unscrolled!