Time travel

When we visited the ten-acre park, off York's outer ring road, a group of Vikings from the Midlands had just set up camp at Danelaw, Murton Park's Dark Ages settlement.

It was the group's first visit to Murton and they were impressed.

They usually re-enact battles and show off their fighting techniques, but at Danelaw the emphasis is on "living history" rather than "dying history".

And so they were "chilling out" around a fire, cooking, sharpening tools, chopping wood, and chatting to visitors.

Chickens ran freely between the huts, barefooted children played happily, and smoke drifted through the camp.

Filter out the traffic noise from the outer ring road, and you could very easily have stepped back in time.

Each year, tens of thousands of schoolchildren visit Danelaw, and the nearby Roman fort called Brigantium (70-80AD), to experience life as it used to be. There is also a Celtic farmstead depicting life from about 50BC.

On our visit, Brigantium had been converted into a 1874 Texan fort and was inhabited by cavalrymen and their families from the Yorkshire re-enactment group called Trailblazers. Stories were told, guns were fired and whisky was drunk!

The US forts were built to the Roman pattern, so the changeover was relatively easy.

Re-enactment groups are at Murton most weekends through the summer, but it's best to check first.

New this year is the Millennium footpath, which links places of interest throughout the site.

We followed it back to the Yorkshire Museum of Farming - the original attraction at Murton Park, which was set up in 1982.

Here, Elliot, our baby son, saw farm animals for the first time - he'd only seen them in picture books before

He seemed to like the piglets best, although he took a shine to a pony and was mesmerised by the calves, lambs, rabbits and hens.

The livestock had only just returned to the park after foot and mouth restrictions were finally lifted, so our visit was timely.

The farm machinery collection at Murton is impressive (although Elliot did doze off at this point). It tells the story of agriculture from the 1800s and much of the equipment was in use up to the 1950s.

The veterinary surgery on display contains many items from James Herriot's original practice in Thirsk.

Murton Park is also home to the Derwent Valley Light Railway, which is run by a dedicated bunch of volunteers. It operates every Sunday, so we missed it by a day. Maybe we'll catch it next time.

The park also has a caf, souvenir shop, play area and baby changing facilities.

Last year, because of foot and mouth, visitor numbers were down by more than 40 per cent. People do not seem to realise that there is more to Murton Park than just the Museum of Farming, a point that Dave Thirlwell, the enthusiastic site manager at Murton Park, is keen make.

"All the signs directing people here say Yorkshire Museum of Farming. We'd have them changed, but we are a charitable trust and can't afford to," explained Dave.

If you have never been to Murton, then why not give it a go. You'll be impressed. And with a entrance fee of only £3.60 for adults and £1.80 for children aged over five, it's a day out which will not break the bank.

Fact file

- Easy access from York outer ring road. Take the A166 Bridlington road, then the first left to Murton. Follow the brown Yorkshire Museum of Farming signs.

- Murton Park is open daily from 10am to 5pm, until the end of October (November to February, 10am to 4pm).

- Admission: adults, £3.60; concessions, £3; children, £1.80 (under-fives free); family ticket £10; season ticket, £25.

Updated: 09:28 Saturday, May 25, 2002