Outdoor adventures near York since 1988
Yorkshire Outdoor Activity Park has been providing outdoor activities in North Yorkshire since 1988.
Located on the Escrick Park Estate between York and Selby, the park has developed from its early Paintball roots into a large outdoor activity venue offering experiences for children, families, groups of friends, birthday parties, stag and hen groups, schools, youth organisations and corporate events.
Today, the site covers approximately 100 acres, with around half of that land used for permanent activity and game zones.
Rather than operating from temporary inflatables, portable barriers or a hired field, Yorkshire Outdoor Activity Park has been developed over decades.
Across the site you will find permanent buildings, bridges, towers, trenches, bunkers, aircraft, forts, woodland, rivers, defensive positions and purpose-built target ranges. Some of our game zones have been here for decades. Others have been added and developed as the activities available at the park have expanded.
The result is a venue with its own history, character and atmosphere.
Established in 1988
Yorkshire Outdoor Activity Park was founded by Andy in 1988, when Paintball was still a relatively new activity in the UK.
The original game areas included Speedball and the area now known as Beirut or the Green Hill Zone.
Over the following decades, new game zones, buildings and facilities were added.
The park developed into a substantial permanent venue capable of accommodating everything from a small birthday group to major open events with well over 300 participants on site.
More than three decades later, Andy remains actively involved in the venue. That long-term involvement matters.
The experience behind the park has not been acquired from a training manual or a franchise package. It has developed through thousands of activity sessions, changing equipment, evolving safety standards and generations of customers visiting the venue.
More than 35 years of outdoor activities
The activities available today extend far beyond Paintball. Yorkshire Outdoor Activity Park offers experiences including:
Different activities have different minimum school years or age requirements, group sizes and formats. Some are energetic team games played across our permanent outdoor maps.
Others are instructor-led target activities where the emphasis is on learning a skill, improving throughout the session and competing against the rest of the group.
This variety means families and organisers can choose an activity appropriate for the ages, confidence and interests of their group.
Permanent game zones built over decades
One of the biggest differences between Yorkshire Outdoor Activity Park and many smaller activity providers is the scale of the permanent game areas.
These are not temporary obstacles laid out for the day.
They are established environments designed around outdoor team games.
Different activities use the park differently
Not every group follows the same route around the venue.
Paintball groups may move between several large game zones during a session. Gelball groups normally use two selected maps. Junior Nerf and Laser Tag groups may use The Village or The Outpost.
Target activities including Archery, Axe Throwing and Air Rifle shooting take place on their own dedicated ranges.
The game zones and format are selected according to the activity, age of the participants, group size, weather and operational requirements. This allows the instructors to use the venue appropriately rather than forcing every group through an identical programme.
Outdoor Activities for adults
Adults are equally well catered for. The park hosts:
Paintball and Airsoft provide large-scale outdoor team games.
Axe Throwing, Archery and Air Rifle shooting offer more focused skill-based competition.
The Zombie Apocalypse Training Facility combines several target disciplines into a single themed experience.
For many activities, complete beginners make up the majority of participants. Previous experience is rarely necessary.
Dedicated ranges for target activities
Not every activity involves running through woodland.
The park also has permanent facilities for target-based experiences.
Facilities for groups
The main base area has been developed to cope with both small private parties and major activity days. Facilities include:
The car park can accommodate:
There is no charge for parking. Dogs are welcome when kept on leads.
Food and drinks
The serving counter normally offers a selection including:
Card and cash payments are accepted. Different party-food arrangements are available for children’s events. Adult groups may also bring their own food. We have a 5* Food Hygiene Rating from the Food Standards Agency.
Accessibility
Outdoor activity venues inevitably present some accessibility challenges. The site contains woodland, uneven ground, bridges, buildings and natural terrain.
However, wheelchair users have participated in several activities at Yorkshire Outdoor Activity Park, and we will make every reasonable effort to accommodate individual requirements.
Some target activities can also be adapted for participants shooting or throwing from a seated position. Because requirements vary considerably between individuals, we recommend calling before booking.
This allows us to discuss:
We would rather discuss what may be possible than automatically exclude someone.
Five private party rooms
The park has five private themed party rooms.
These are commonly used after children’s birthday activities when a group has ordered food.
Families who prefer to bring their own food can also hire a room separately.
There is no fixed time limit on party-room use, allowing families to eat, bring out the birthday cake, open presents and wait for collection without being rushed immediately out of the room.
Activities throughout the year
Yorkshire Outdoor Activity Park operates throughout the year.
Ordinary Yorkshire rain does not automatically stop an activity.
Many sessions continue in rain, cold weather and even light snow.
Some ranges are fully or partially covered.
Activities may be postponed when conditions create a genuine safety concern, particularly:
When the venue postpones an activity, customers are offered another date or booking credit.
More than a field with some equipment
Yorkshire Outdoor Activity Park has grown over decades.
That is probably the simplest way to explain what makes the venue different. The site was not created last year by putting some obstacles into a field.
Paintball began here in 1988. Permanent game zones followed. Buildings were constructed.
Bridges, bunkers, towers, forts and objectives were added. New activities were introduced. Dedicated ranges were developed.
Children’s events became an increasingly important part of what we do. Facilities expanded to accommodate larger numbers of participants, families and organised groups.
Some aspects of the park have changed considerably. Others have been part of the venue for decades.
That combination of history and continual development is what has created Yorkshire Outdoor Activity Park as it exists today.
