VISITORS have been promised a wild time at a North Yorkshire stately home during the half-term spring bank holiday.

Castle Howard plays host to a wild week filled with creepy-crawlies, birds of prey and wildlife safaris.

From Tuesday to Sunday, June 1, small game hunters on a special bug safari can join the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust as they seek out the exotic and bizarre insect life inhabiting the woods, water and grasslands at Castle Howard.

More than a dozen birds of prey will be performing flying demonstrations and visitors will even have the chance to create their own pet rock in nature workshops.

Outdoor tours will explore the serpentine paths of the Wild Wood, hunt out the wild birds of Castle Howard, and look for the myths and monsters in the statues.

Updated: 09:33 Wednesday, May 21, 2003