Open accessfree to visit at any reasonable time
John Aislabie bought Hackfall in 1731, and it was his son William who threaded grottoes, waterfalls and eye-catcher follies through the wooded gorge above the River Ure, drawing sightseers all through the 19th century (Wordsworth even wrote it up for tourists). The Woodland Trust and the Hackfall Trust rescued the site from decay and restored it with Heritage Lottery funding in 2007. It’s free to explore, with a small car park near Grewelthorpe, though paths can get properly muddy after rain. Thirsk station is about 18km east.
