Get to know our beautiful site at Nell Bank
Fully equipped facilities
We have a range of modern facilities for visitors to enjoy, including activity spaces, our specialist residential lodge, and even a conference room.
The Paul Hockney Room <<NEW>>
The Paul Hockney Room is new for 2024 and is a multi-function self contained classroom, predominantly for Early Years visits, but also for children and young people with SEND, adult training and as a small group meeting space.
It is set in a small woodland overlooking the large pond on our lower site with a cleverly positioned ‘bird watching’ window for children to enjoy passing wildlife.
It has its own toilets and nappy changing facilities, and is for year round use with heating and outside lighting. It is suitable for an Early Years class of up to 30 children.
We also have a brand new EYFS programme - the Outdoor Explorers* new >>
Our Site
Sitting in 25 acres of enclosed green space, Nell Bank feels remote and rural but is still very accessible. We have so many activity areas, every corner of the site has something exciting to discover.
Our site has evolved over the years. We have a range of modern buildings for our visitors to enjoy and we are always looking to develop new ways of helping children to learn with new activities, programmes and facilities.
Our Facilities
Activities
Amphitheatre
The amphitheatre is one of our fabulous covered meet and greet areas. It is a beautifully constructed wooden tiered seating area with a stunning view across the site, past our roundhouse, and over Ilkley Moor. We run our meet and greet activities and do some icebreakers before making sure everyone has everything they need for their day's adventure. The amphitheatre acts as our initial and final meeting point on site. Children can leave bags here safe in the knowledge they’ll be looked after.
Raised Ponds
Pond dipping is one of our most popular activities, and with three raised ponds, there’s plenty of space for children to explore these habitats and find the creatures lurking within them. For many, exploring the depths of our ponds transports them to another world. Natural curiosity often leads to children asking oodles of questions about what they find, prompting all sorts of fantastic experiential learning about adaptations, food chains, and predator-prey relationships.
Minibeasting
We have 5 minibeast areas across the site for children to explore, including our minibeast hotel that’s raised to provide easy access for children with disabilities. It is amazing what can be found when you roll over a log and look underneath and children are encouraged to explore freely whilst grilling our tutors with questions, who are expert minibeast hunters themselves!
Animal Senses
Our site is home to several purpose built areas designed for children to explore how animals use their senses. They can follow the scent trail with help from badger, be guided down our blind trail by mole, or avoid touching the long grass in the mouse maze. These are only a few and there are many more for children to experience.
Roundhouse
The roundhouse is our cosy Stone Age hut, the focal point of our early peoples programme. Decorated with Stone Age art, it houses a range of artefacts for the children to see and tools to use. Children following our early peoples programme experience what life was like in the stone and early iron age. Outside the roundhouse sits our fire lighting area where children can use bow drills and a flint and steel to get a small fire burning. Our nearby den building areas let children build their own shelter from which to go hunter-gathering.
Beamsley Classroom
This large indoor space is decorated from floor to ceiling with scenes from the British countryside. It comfortably seats 70 people and offers a warm and dry space for a range of activities – a great place for lunch on a cold and wet day!
Assault Course
(The Nellbanian Mountains)
An exciting challenge for all ages and abilities. Known to our team as the Nellbanian Mountain Range, explorers have to negotiate tricky obstacles whilst carrying their provisions, working as a team to preserve as much of their precious drinking water as possible. The course is entirely wheelchair accessible, we’ve even integrated specialist obstacles for those with mobility issues. At the end of the assault course, participants can board HMS Nelly, our big wooden ship, where they sail away to safety (and see how much water they spilt... or not!)
Adventure Playground
A dedicated play area for children to blow off steam after a hard day's learning. Accessible for all, children can spend time slipping down the slides, shimming through the tunnels, and clambering up the cargo nets or across the monkey bars. Wheelchair users can access the very top of the structure via a gently inclined ramp and also have their own adapted swing alongside it.
Water Play Zone
No trip to Nell Bank would be complete without visiting our water play zone. By pumping water with the hand pump and lifting it with the Archimedes screw, children can watch it flow from area to area, turn waterwheels, before escaping through plug holes and seeping away. There are plenty of cups and buckets scattered around for children to play with, and of course, a few water squirters - so teachers might have to duck for cover!
Under 8’s area
This area offers a chance for our younger visitors to explore the woodland with more independence. Through our music zone, imagination zone and physical zone, children can have their very own Nell Bank adventure, under the supervision of the Nell Bank Tutors and accompanying school staff of course.
Nellmobile
For those who need it, we have the Nellmobile, the centre's all terrain electric mobility vehicle, which can take people to every corner of the site.
Our Dorms
With 64 beds in 4 separate dorms, each with its own washroom, we can host up to two visiting form groups together. We have a fully equipped self-catering kitchen and accompanying dining room, along with the obligatory drying room to dry out any wet and mucky clothes. Visiting staff get their own en-suite accommodation, complete with a comfortable staff room that offers stunning views across the valley.
Kitchen and Dining Room
Our modern kitchen facilities give you lots of catering options including, self catering, a fully or part catered arrangement with our outside caterer, you can even have fish and chips or pizzas delivered to the door! The dining room seats 72 people and is a warm and comfortable space in which to relax and enjoy a meal.
Aiming High Lodge (Fully Accessible)
Dedicated top quality accommodation for children with disabilities. This fully accessible lodge caters for up to 20 children and their staff. It is fully equipped with a hygiene suite, complete with all the required equipment such as a track hoist, a hydraulic changing table, a sluice, a wheelchair accessible shower and a bath. In addition, the kitchen has height-adjustable work surfaces and sink, a lockable medicine fridge, and a range of other safety features.
With 4 profiling beds and accompanying bunk beds, the lodge can cater for a wide range of abilities, including children with profound and complex needs. A selection of soft play equipment is spread throughout the large common room, along with comfy sofas, a TV, and a peaceful sensory garden outside, helping to make the lodge a relaxing and quiet environment.
Meeting Rooms and Conferencing Facilities
An inspirational spot to host a meeting or team-building day. Our Aiming High Lodge has a sizable conference room perfect for an escape from your workplace to be creative and spend time with colleagues developing relationships.
Picnic Areas
We have several picnic areas around the site, so everyone can find a spot outside to enjoy their lunch in nice weather and have a catch up with friends about all the fun they’ve been having.
Undercover Areas
If the weather isn’t so good, every group has access to one of our covered spaces where they can escape the rain.
Toilets
Not the most glamorous part of the site, but we’ve numerous modern toilet blocks that are always free when you need them. We’ve also installed plenty of handwashing facilities to wash away all the mud before lunch and at the end of the day.
We are proud to be honoured with the King's Award for Voluntary Service. Learn more about this award >>
