Yeadon Tarn, Leeds

In need of a blast of fresh air we went to Yeadon Tarn on Friday afternoon. It's a big erm... tarn set within Tarnfield Park in Yeadon next to Leeds Bradford Airport, which is in North West Leeds. Those of you who've landed at the airport will confirm that it can get a bit breezy up there so coats are recommended. It's about a 10 minute walk from Yeadon town centre and has got a big free car park. Tarnfield Park is a public park and totally free.

It's essentially a big lake set within a park with the added bonus of ducks to feed, boats to watch, a bandstand, a playground and a frisson of excitement when your small person gets too near the water's edge.

First stop was to feed the ducks. There are loads of ducks, geese and swans; the tarn is a conservation area so is also home to lots of other birds including coots and terns. I found this good blog that's got more information about the birds. Though, the swans can sometimes get a bit ferocious so watch out. We saw loads of ducklings who were very cute. We also spotted this stripey goose, no idea what it is but it looked cool!

The Leeds Sailing Club is based at Yeadon Tarn and it's great to watch the boats. I love the sound that the masts make clinking in the wind. Makes me feel like we are somewhere by the sea. The Model Boat Club is also based at the tarn and there's a good shallow area for sailing remote control boats.

 

One end of the tarn boarders the runway so occasionally a plane taxis past. The combination of wild nature and massive jets is fab. The tarn has got a good path running around it. It's suitable for prams and is about 1km long. We walked round the lake, stopping occasionally to ask wave at ducks, jump in puddles and watch the planes. It's a good distance as you get a fair walk but even quite small legs can manage it.

After the lake we had the obligatory prance about the bandstand. I'm not sure why all children love bandstands but mine can't resit one. Then it was off to the playground. To be honest, the playground at Tarnfield is a bit ramshackle but the kids don't seem to mind and spent ages playing a very complicated game of off-ground tig.

It was a bit grey when we went so my photos don't really do the area justice. Here's a link to a Flickr group for Yeadon Tarn that I found. There are some gorgeous photos on there.

Yeadon Tarn isn't strictly speaking a whole day out but it's a great free place to visit and I would recommend it. We often combine it with a trip to the Square Monkey Cafe at the Multiflight Centre, it's next door to the airport fence and you get a brilliant view of planes and helicopters landing and taking off. There's good coffee, cakes, free wifi and loads of exciting transport/airport related things to keep the kids entertained.