BRITAIN’S RAREST WILD FLOWER ON SHOW AT DALES ORCHID FESTIVAL

Britain’s rarest wildflower is the star attraction at the Wild About Orchids Festival (25 May-2 June) to be held at Kilnsey Park in the Yorkshire Dales.

The Wild About Orchids Festival promises to be a fantastic feast of activities and fun, including guided wildflower walks, children’s activities, 'Meet the Expert' events, a photography competition and a special ‘Orchid High Tea’ served in the Estate café.

The full programme is as follows:

'Meet the Orchid' walks - Sat 25 May - Sun 2 June - Daily at 11am and 3pm (approx 30 mins)

Kids Wildflower Bingo and colouring - Sat 25 May - Sun 2 June - Daily from 9.30am - 5pm

Orchid High Tea - Sat 25 May - Sun 2 June - Served in our Cafe Daily

Storytelling - Sat 25, Sun 26, Mon 27 May at 2pm

Face painting and crafts - Sat 25, Sun 26, Mon 27 May, Sat 1 June 11am-4pm

Kilnsey Park - a haven for wildlife

Kilnsey Park has a nature reserve with more than 150 species of wildflowers, orchids and grasses; an unusually high number for a small site. This is due to the special limestone spring water that runs beneath the ground. Eight types of orchid, including the rare Lady’s Slipper, grow at the Park, which also boasts red squirrels and is part of the UK’s red squirrel captive breeding programme.

The Lady's Slipper Orchid

The Lady’s Slipper orchid (Cypripedium Calceolus) was thought extinct until a single plant was rediscovered growing at a remote location in the Yorkshire Dales in 1930. The orchid remains closely protected and thrives today, but the privately owned site is too fragile with viewing strictly prohibited. Its beautiful flower was much sought after and was dug up for gardens and collections as early as the 1600s. It was even sold on Skipton and Settle markets in Victorian times.

Today, a group called the Cypripedium Committee co-ordinates conservation work for the plant. They protect the last known wild orchid and from it propagate new ones that are planted out across northern England. Working with Kew Gardens over many decades of intensive conservation activity, the group successfully reintroduced the orchid back into the countryside on a handful of sites, including the Kilnsey Estate, which is today one of the few places you can see the orchids in the wild. The wild plant is still guarded during its flowering period each year to prevent theft or damage.

Conserving nature at Kilnsey

Jamie Roberts, managing partner at Kilnsey, is the fourth generation of the Roberts family to live and work on the Estate. He has worked in conservation for 10 years, most recently as Director of the National Trust on the remote British territory of St Helena in the South Atlantic. There he was responsible for helping to save the Bastard Gumwood, the world’s rarest tree, from extinction.

Commenting on the event, Jamie Roberts said: “The Lady’s Slipper is a particular passion and fascination of mine and has been since childhood. I remember vividly being taken to see the orchid when I was a young boy. I wasn’t told where I was being taken only that it was a very special plant and that I couldn’t tell anyone else about it. Even at a young age the flower struck me as being incredibly beautiful. I’m one of the lucky ones, because even today the site remains a secret to all but a handful of conservationists."

Wild About Orchids forms part of the Flowers of the Dales Festival 2013.

Job vacancies in the Yorkshire Dales

Would you like to join our team? We have a number of seasonal vacancies available at Kilnsey Park Estate:  

Waiting Staff

We are looking for people with lots of energy, good communication skills and the ability to deliver great customer service. Candidates with experience of working in a restaurant/coffee shop environment preferred. Full and Part time positions available. Must be able to work weekends and school holidays.

Fishery Assistant

Help make a visitor's day at our popular visitor attraction. We are looking for someone to help out on our fishery and family fun fishing and look after our animals. The successful candidate will be good with people, reliable, hard-working and happy to work outdoors whatever the weather. Full or Part-time position, depending on candidate. Must be able to work weekends, school holidays and some evenings.

Please request an application form or email your CV to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

To celebrate our 35th anniversary we have a busy programme of family events. Join us for a great day out in the Yorkshire Dales!

Life is Sweet – Honey in the Yorkshire Dales Sat 4 – Mon 6 May

Find out what makes the honey flow at this fun family event. Join us for a fun weekend of busy bees (face painting, candle making, crafts) then make a bee-line to our cafe for a honey milkshake or locally-made honeycomb ice cream. Learn why bees make the world go round - including a guided walk with a bee expert, beekeeping demonstrations, and the opportunity to look into the extraordinary world of the beehive, where there can be up to 60,000 bees living happily in a box the size of a small TV! You can plant a bee-friendly seed to take home and find out how you can help wildlife in your garden.

Wild About Orchids Festival Sat 25 May – Sun 2 June

Want to meet the UK’s rarest, most beautiful wildflower? The Wild About Orchids festival celebrates the wonderful world of wild orchids. Get close to the wild orchids growing on our nature reserve – including the Uk's rarest orchid the Lady's Slipper. Activities for all the family, including guided nature walks, storytelling, kids crafts, ‘meet the expert’ events and a photography exhibition. A special orchid high tea will be served in the café.

Herbs and Potions Sat 22 – Sun 23 June

A weekend of events to experience herbs and potions. Find out why herbs have kept us healthy for thousands of years. Discover how the monks of Kilnsey used herbs in their day to day life in the 1200s. Make your own potions with a medicinal herbalist, and learn about the healing properties of herbs. Find out how growing herbs in your garden can benefit wildlife too. Herbal tea tastings in the Kilnsey Estate cafe all weekend.

The Mad Professor’s Bug walk Sat 6 July 1.30 – 4.30

Step into a wonderful mini-Universe with our very own Mad Professor of Bug-ology! Discover the extraordinary diversity of bug life all around us on a gentle walk around the nature reserve. Find out why humans couldn’t live without insects. Not sure whether you like creepy crawlies - we’ll convert you! Includes the chance to make your own bugbox.

Celebrate! Kilnsey Park 35th birthday weekend Sat 10 – Sun 11 August

Kilnsey Park & Trout Farm reaches its 35th birthday in 2013 - and we want you to help us celebrate. A whole year of special events and promotions will culminate in this weekend of food, drink, family activities, live music and fireworks. Learn about our conservation work.

Red Squirrel Weekend Sat 5 – Sun 6 Oct

Meet our colony of red squirrels and find out what we are doing to conserve them. Then enjoy a specially made Nutty Ice Cream! Learn about a day in the life of a red squirrel - and what you can do to help these fantastic animals to survive. Part of national Red Squirrel Week.

Meet the Kilnsey Witch Sat 26 – Thur 31 Oct

An action-packed week of spooks and adventure for all the family – in the company of a real-life witch! Come to meet Nancy Winter - Old Nan - a real-life witch who lived in Kilnsey in the 1700s. She was famous for telling people's fortunes. A special Halloween Trail leads you to her grotto where she will tell you about her life - and show you how to make a special potion! (meet the real witch available at set times only).

Kilnsey Park Celebrating 35 years 1978 - 2013

World's greatest cycle race to visit Kilnsey

The Tour De France - one the world's great sporting events - will be coming through Kilnsey on Saturday 5th July 2014.

The route of the 190km First Stage of the Tour's 'Grand Depart' has just been announced, and it will run from Leeds to Harrogate through the stunning landscapes of the Yorkshire Dales.

'I grew up watching the Tour cyclists battling up narrow roads in the Alps - it's incredible to know that soon they will be travelling through the magnificent landscape of the Dales,' says Jamie Roberts of Kilnsey Park. 'Kilnsey, with its towering Crag and picturesque village, will be a fantastic place to watch the race from.'

The cyclists will travel up Wharfedale from Skipton on the B6160, reaching Kilnsey mid-way through the Stage. From Kilnsey they will proceed up the Dale to Buckden and then over the moors into Bishopdale and Wensleydale. The race takes in the cathedral city of Ripon before finishing the day in Harrogate.

The Second Stage of the Tour on Sunday 6th July travels from historic York down to Sheffield, and will pass close to Kilnsey Estate once again (Bolton Abbey is only 7 miles away).

Kilnsey Park is planning a special event and BBQ for when the Tour De France visits. 'The 5th and 6th of July 2014 is a wonderful opportunity to witness the world's greatest cycle race in some of the world's greatest scenery,' says Jamie Roberts. 'Join us and help the Dales give the Tour a hearty Yorkshire welcome'.

Kilnsey Estate attractions such as family fishing, pony trekking and the nature trail will all be open. Facilities available include the cafe/shop and toilets.