William’s Den Celebrates Its Fifth Anniversary In Style

William’s Den, the award-winning East Yorkshire children’s tourist attraction, is celebrating its fifth anniversary in style.

The unique family destination at North Cave, near Brough, has opened its doors again for the summer after a challenging two years because of the global pandemic.

Brand-new attractions this year include a mouth-watering homemade ice cream parlour and a well-designed beach area, while planning permission has been granted for a camping site, which is now open.
Tor Carver, who has created William’s Den with her husband Christian on their farm, explained that Covid had given her and Christian the opportunity to develop plans to make William’s Den one of the finest family tourist destinations in the north of England.

Tor commented: “There’s no doubt that Covid was a challenge, and gave us many sleepless nights, but with every challenge comes an opportunity. And we seized this opportunity as best we could.

“The new attractions, together with the camping site, underline that William’s Den is an attraction for all the family, not just children. The ice cream parlour reinforces our reputation for award-winning food, while the camping site provides the opportunities for families to escape from the pressures of modern live and to enjoy our beautiful East Yorkshire countryside.”

William’s Den was inspired by Tor and Christian’s son William who, when asked how he wanted to celebrate his fifth birthday, came up with the simple concept of wanting to take a few of his friends into the local woods to explore, build dens and cook food on a campfire.
Tor remembered: “The children loved it. It was great to see the smiles on their faces, hear their shrieks of joy and just watch their imagination. It was this day which finally gave us the exciting vision of what we wanted to create. We think the best childhoods start with imagination and adventure.

“We grew up in the countryside surrounded by open spaces and the freedom to play outside in all weathers for hours on end. Our childhood years were spent endlessly running, jumping, cycling, exploring, den building and using our wild imaginations to entertain each other until it was time for bed.

“I often hear parents saying ‘We’ve had an amazing day. The only problem is my children don’t want to go home.’ This makes me feel extremely emotional, and I know I’ve achieved what I set up to do. And it has led to our new camp site, which means you don’t have to leave at the end of the day”.

The jewel in the crown of William’s Den is the unique indoor playground – created by experts in play and built by skilled craftsmen who used sustainably sourced materials from woods on the estate.

The playground incorporates a huge six-metre high Ancient Oak linking to a tree house, with swings, balancing pole branches, bridges, and a three-metre slide into a sandpit below; a cascading stream, pool, and rainmaker to stimulate a rain shower; and the Forest Glade and Eagles Rest, where children can play hide and seek.

Tor commented: “We all live in stressful times and concern about mental health, not least about children’s mental health, is growing daily. We firmly believe that a day out at William’s Den, with all we have to offer, is incredibly beneficial for children both physically and mentally. Joy is such a precious and positive feeling.”

William’s Den’s summer season has got off to a tremendous start with the news that the venue had triumphed in the prestigious National Farm Attraction Network (NFAN) awards – winning in the Best Food and Beverage category.

Tor added: “This fantastic endorsement of our food offering left us overwhelmed and very proud. It was also a tremendous tribute to our loyal and hard-working staff and our brilliant suppliers. This was a team effort.”