We sent the Charlesworth family to experience the magical: Of the Oak in The Chapel at Yorkshire Sculpture Park. Not a typical art exhibition but an immersive sound-and-video installation that invites you to step metaphorically inside an ancient oak tree. Using digital scanning, soil sampling, and thousands of photographs, the show reconstructs every detail of a mighty oak’s life - from leaf canopy down through trunk and roots. It reveals the hidden ecosystem of insects, fungi, birds, and underground networks that sustain such a tree.

Yorkshire Sculpture Park took us by surprise—in the best possible way. Set in the beautiful 500-acre Bretton Hall estate, it’s known as Europe’s largest sculpture park, but it never feels overwhelming or intimidating. Instead, it feels welcoming, peaceful and full of discovery, with art and nature working perfectly together.

Walking through the rolling parkland and woodland, sculptures appear as part of the landscape: some bold and dramatic, others quietly tucked among trees. It turns a simple family walk into something far more exciting. Instead of “are we nearly finished?”, we heard, “what’s around the next corner?” The blend of fresh air, history, and world-class art from names like Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth and Damien Hirst made the day feel enriching without ever feeling like a formal museum visit.

One of our absolute highlights was Marshmallow Laser Feast’s: Of the Oak in the Chapel. Projected onto a huge floor-to-ceiling screen, it reveals the hidden life of an oak tree using incredible digital technology and a powerful surround-sound experience. Our 12-year-old son declared it “mesmerising and relaxing”, and we couldn’t agree more—it was calming, fascinating and surprisingly emotional.

We were also captivated by William Kentridge’s The Pull of Gravity. With over 40 sculptures across the Underground Gallery and gardens, it was imaginative, playful and thought-provoking, yet still wonderfully accessible. Even without deep artistic knowledge, we found ourselves absorbed, curious and chatting as a family about what we saw.

What we loved most about Yorkshire Sculpture Park is that it doesn’t just offer a walk or an art visit—it combines both into something truly memorable. It’s a place where you slow down, look closer and share the experience together. For us, it wasn’t just a walk with sculptures—it was art, nature and family time beautifully woven together.

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