RAF Riccall

The airfield at Riccall, just outside Selby, is one of those places that rewards curiosity more than it demands your time. During the Second World War, this was home to RAF Riccall - a bomber station where Avro Lancaster crews trained and flew operations. Today there's not much left to see in the traditional sense: the runways have largely disappeared into farmland, the hangars are gone, and you're mostly walking around fields trying to imagine what stood here seventy-odd years ago.

That said, if you're interested in wartime aviation history or have family connections to the station, it's absolutely worth the drive from Selby. The site is accessible to visitors, though there are no visitor facilities or formal museum - just the landscape itself. Bring good shoes and a bit of patience. Photography enthusiasts often find something worthwhile here, particularly around any remaining brick structures or memorial plaques.

If you're basing yourself at one of the nearby parks - York South Ltd or Cawood Park are both excellent five-star options within easy reach - Riccall makes a decent half-morning excursion combined with exploring the Selby area itself. Don't expect an hour-long attraction; this is more of a fifteen-minute wander followed by reflection. It's the kind of place that appeals to serious history tourists and aircraft buffs rather than families after a day out. Worth including in a broader wartime heritage trail through Yorkshire, but go in with realistic expectations about what you'll actually see on the ground.