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  3. A series of special events will take place throughout the year
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Two adults walking inside Castle Howard looking at all the art and sculpture collection. Photo by Charlie Kirkpatrick
Your chance to win tickets to visit historic Castle Howard
One of the finest stately homes in the country, Castle Howard is steeped in history. Here’s your chance to visit the house and gardens and enjoy an afternoon tea.

A series of special events will take place throughout the year

It is one of the nation’s most cherished stately homes and here’s your chance to sample the grandeur of Castle Howard as well as its grounds while enjoying an afternoon tea picnic.

We have teamed up with the North Yorkshire estate to offer five tickets for one lucky winner to visit the historic property and its grounds along with an afternoon tea picnic to enjoy in its gardens.

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Two adults walking through Castle Howard looking at the sculptures

Credit David Lindsay

The tickets will include access to the property where you will be able to step back into 300 years of history.

You will be able to explore grand galleries, beautiful bedrooms and a world-class art and sculpture collection, as well as learning about the nine generations of the Howard family who have occupied the stately home, each putting their own mark on the house.

Visits are self-guided and take from 40 to 60 minutes. Castle Howard’s welcome team will also be on hand if you have any questions, or you can use the free audio guide voiced by Nicholas Howard, who runs the stately home with his wife, Victoria.

You will also be able to explore Castle Howard’s famous gardens, with two grand lakes, ornamental woodland, the Walled Garden, grand temples and historic statues.

All tickets for the gardens include access to the award-winning Skelf Island Adventure Playground, which is named after the historic site, Henderskelfe, that Castle Howard sits on.

There is also the chance to visit the arboretum and discover 120 acres of stunning landscape filled with trees from temperate regions around the world, peaceful lakes, hidden woodland glades and wildflower meadows.

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Adult and a child holding hands walking through Castle Howard

Credit David Lindsay

The Castle Howard Arboretum is home to one of the UK’s most successful red squirrel breeding programmes.

To round off the visit, the winner will also be able to enjoy an afternoon tea picnic in the gardens.

The picnics include sandwiches and hand-baked scones created by Castle Howard’s expert chefs, clotted cream and strawberry conserve, a miniature patisserie selection and iced tea. Vegetarian, plant-based, wheat-free and children’s options are available.

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Afternoon tea picnic by Emma Raye Photography

Credit Emma Raye Photography

There are also special events that are being staged this year, including an exhibition called Staging the Baroque: Vanbrugh at Castle Howard. Celebrating Castle Howard’s beautiful Baroque architecture, this new exhibition, curated by architect Roz Barr, explores Sir John Vanbrugh's visionary use of scale, shadow and light in the creation of one of Britain's most famous stately homes.

Visitors can also experience architecture through play with Playshapes: Castle Constructors, an interactive and colourful artwork inspired by the bold imagination of Sir John Vanbrugh, the architect of Castle Howard.

There is also a luminous new revolving artwork which takes over the Temple of the Four Winds, created by an internationally renowned artist and designer, Es Devlin. The artwork marks the national Year of Reading and is designed as a place where you can sit, read and relax.

Enter now

To stand a chance of winning five tickets to Castle Howard and its grounds along with an afternoon tea picnic, simply answer the following question:

Question: What piece of safety equipment does adventurer Jasmine Harrison always take with her when she goes swimming?

(Clue: the answer may be in one of the videos!)

The closing date for entries to the competition is Monday 17 August 2026.

ENTER NOW

Terms and conditions apply

  • entry is restricted to people aged 18 and over
  • the winner will be chosen at random from all correct entries
  • the prize is non-transferable with no cash alternative
  • the winner agrees to provide their name, a photo and a short quote for use in marketing and promotional materials
  • the winner must contact Castle Howard at least four days before their visit to organise the afternoon tea picnic and discuss any dietary requirements. The house can be contacted on 01653 648333 or via email at house@castlehoward.co.uk
  • the visit to Castle Howard must be booked by 31 October 2026

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See the other stories from this month's Your North Yorkshire.

Competition terms and conditions

Your North Yorkshire publication competition and prize draw terms and conditions

  1. The competition is open to all UK residents aged 18 years or over.
  2. All correct and eligible entries into the competition will be entered into the prize draw.
  3. All competition entries must be submitted online or on a postcard or letter to Editor, Your North Yorkshire, Communications Team, North Yorkshire Council, County Hall, Racecourse Road, Northallerton, DL7 8AD and only one entry per person is permitted.
  4. The opening date and closing date for entries to the competition shall be as specified in competition information. Entries received after this time will not be considered or entered into the prize draw.
  5. The entity offering the competition is North Yorkshire Council of County Hall, Northallerton, North Yorkshire, DL7 8AD. North Yorkshire Council accepts no responsibility for entries not received for whatever reason, including, but not limited to human error, any technical fault, technical malfunction, computer hardware or software failure, satellite, network or server failure of any kind.
  6. One winner from the prize draw entries will be chosen by random draw on the draw date.
  7. Winners will receive the prizes as specified in the competition information from North Yorkshire Council or the provider of the prizes (as applicable).
  8. Winners will be notified before the notification date and must provide a valid UK postal address to claim the prizes. If a winner does not respond to North Yorkshire Council within five business days of being notified by North Yorkshire Council, then the winner's prize will be forfeited and North Yorkshire Council will select another winner from the prize draw at random.
  9. The prize for the winner is non-exchangeable, non-transferable and no cash alternative is offered.
  10. The decision of North Yorkshire Council regarding any aspect of the competition and/or the prize draw is final and binding and no correspondence will be entered into in respect of the same.
  11. The winner's name and county can be obtained by sending a stamped addressed envelope to the Communications Team, North Yorkshire Council, County Hall, Northallerton, North Yorkshire, DL7 8AD no earlier than 42 days nor later than 84 days after the date of the closing date of the prize draw.
  12. Participants are deemed to have accepted and agreed to be bound by these terms and conditions upon entry. North Yorkshire Council reserves the right to refuse entry, or refuse to award prizes to anyone in breach of these terms and conditions.
  13. North Yorkshire Council reserves the right to hold void, cancel, suspend, or amend the competition and/or the prize draw where it becomes necessary to do so.
  14. Insofar as is permitted by law, North Yorkshire Council, its agents or employees will not in any circumstances be responsible or liable to compensate the winner or accept any liability for any loss, damage, personal injury or death occurring as a result of taking up the prize except where it is caused by the negligence of North Yorkshire Council its agents or employees. Your statutory rights are not affected.
  15. Winners may be required to participate in publicity related to the prize draw which may include the publication of their name in any media.
  16. Personal data supplied during the course of the competition and the prize draw may be passed on to third parties only insofar as required for delivery of the prize in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation.
  17. The competition and prize draw will be governed by English law submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.
  18. By entering the competition, participants acknowledge that, if selected as a winner, they may be asked to take part in promotional activities related to the prize.

Privacy notice

This privacy notice is designed to help you understand how your personal data is processed in relation to any Your North Yorkshire competition. This notice should be read in conjunction with our corporate privacy notice.

Who are we?

North Yorkshire Council is a ‘Data Controller’ as defined by Article 4(7) of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This means that we have a duty of care towards the personal data that we collect and use. The Council has appointed Veritau Ltd to be its Data Protection Officer. Their contact details are:

Data Protection Officer (Veritau Ltd)
County Hall
Racecourse Lane
Northallerton
DL7 8AL

infogov@northyorks.gov.uk / 01904 552848.

By entering this competition you are giving your consent for us to contact you in the event that you are the winner. We will never pass on your details without your consent or use your information for any other purpose. Personal data of the winner may be passed on to third parties only insofar as required for delivery of the prize.

If you are unhappy with the way in which your data has been handled or the way in which a data protection request has been answered then you may complain to our data protection officer.

If you are still unhappy with the response from our data protection officer, or if you would rather complain straight to a regulator, then you may make a complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office which regulates data protection and information governance matters in the UK.

First Contact Team
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Email: casework@ico.org.uk

For further information on how we process your personal data, including your rights, please refer to our corporate privacy notice.

Winners of the tickets to see Tom Jones and The Streets in Scarborough competition in the June edition of Your North Yorkshire

Winner of Tom Jones tickets

Tracy Goodall from Scarborough, who is pictured below.

"It was a lovely surprise to win the tickets and am looking forward to Tom Jones show on Sunday evening."

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Photo of Mr Goodall standing in his garden with flowers and plants behind him.

Winner of The Streets tickets

Mark Hopkins, Liverpool, who is pictured below.

"I'm so happy to have won the tickets. I'm a big fan of The Streets and I'm sure it will be a brilliant evening."

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Photo of Mark Hopkins

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The council provides services across North Yorkshire including Harrogate, Ripon, Scarborough, Whitby, Northallerton, Thirsk, Selby, Tadcaster, Malton, Pickering, Richmond, Skipton and more.

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