Scotter

Yorkshire Wildlife Park

Auckley · 15 miles

A wildlife-focused zoo set on the former Brockholes Farm near Branton and Auckley, south-east of Doncaster, offers a mix of animal conservation, rehabilitation and visitor attractions across roughly 100 acres. The park opened to the public in April 2009 after the site was bought in 2008 and redeveloped; the ceremony was performed by television presenter Justin Fletcher, MBE. It is recognised as a member of both the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria, and now houses around 500 animals representing about 100 species. Key areas include the Atlantic Forest, a South-American-themed zone opened in 2021 that displays bush dogs, maned wolves and lowland tapirs, and Lion Country, a ten-acre enclosure created in 2010 for rescued African lions. Visitors can walk through Lemur Woods to watch crowned, ring-tailed and red-bellied lemurs, or view Amur tigers from a 150-metre raised walkway in Land of the Tigers. The leopard enclosure, launched in 2012, features an eight-metre viewing tower and a long glass wall and is described as the world’s largest for the species. Project Polar, opened in 2014, provides a ten-acre habitat for six male polar bears, including deep pools. Facilities have been expanded with the Yorkshire Hive entrance, a larger car park, retail outlets, coffee shops, a restaurant added in 2022 and an on-site hotel serving guests and nearby airport travellers. Admission is charged and opening times are listed on the park’s official listing.

Potteric Carr Nature Reserve

Bessacarr · 17 miles

The reserve stretches over more than 3,000 acres on the south-eastern fringe of Doncaster, close to the Bessacarr community. Managed by the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, the site requires an entry fee and operates according to the opening hours listed on the Trust’s website. Its extensive wetland, grassland and woodland habitats are accessible via marked paths, offering opportunities for bird-watching, nature walks and informal study of the local flora and fauna. Historical records trace the area back to the mid-16th century, when the traveller Leland described a “largely impenetrable morass of bog and fen” that lay beyond the road from Rossington Bridge. The carr formed part of the medieval Hatfield Chase, later serving as a royal deer chase before falling into disuse under Elizabeth I. Over the following centuries attempts at drainage were made, culminating in a successful scheme by John Smeaton in the late 1700s, after which a duck decoy operated for about a century, its proceeds aiding the poor of Doncaster. The arrival of the Great Northern Railway in 1849 and subsequent coal-related developments fragmented the landscape, with marshalling yards, sidings and further railway lines cutting through the former carr. Despite these alterations, the present reserve retains remnants of its wetland origins, now protected for wildlife and public enjoyment.

Tickhill Castle

Tickhill · 19 miles

Dominating the landscape of Tickhill in South Yorkshire, the ruins of Tickhill Castle reflect a series of medieval power struggles. Originally erected as the 11th-century motte-and-bailey known as Blythe Castle by Roger de Busli, the site later received a stone curtain wall after a 1102 siege and an eleven-sided keep under Henry II, completed in 1192 alongside a stone bridge and chapel. Its strategic position on the Nottinghamshire–Yorkshire border made it a focal point during the reign of King John, serving alongside Windsor Castle as a principal stronghold against potential French invasion. Throughout the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries the castle changed hands, witnessing sieges in 1194, 1321 and a brief imprisonment of Joanna of Flanders in 1343. After falling into disrepair by the mid-sixteenth century, Sir Ralph Hansby repaired the structure in the early seventeenth century. The site remained loyal to the crown during the English Civil War, surrendering in July 1644 and being deliberately razed in 1648. The later Hansby house incorporated the surviving Norman gatehouse and parts of the former hall, while the former bailey now forms part of the surrounding gardens. Today the castle is a private residence owned by the Duchy of Lancaster; the monument is opened to the public only on the second Sunday of June, between 14:00 and 16:00. Wheelchair access is not available, and no additional visitor facilities are recorded.

Central Park

Lincolnshire House · 5.6 miles

Park and Garden

BAE Hawk T.1 Red Arrow

Scampton · 14 miles

Preserved old BAE Hawk T.1 aircraft from the Red Arrows

Rase Park

Market Rasen · 16 miles

Rase Park located at the Football and Cricket Club