Taking time off from writing, I went on a favourite walk in the Yorkshire Dales and found a huge model of our Solar System strung out along the River Wharfe.
This model, called the Buckden – Hubberholme Planet Trail, would be perfect for Hattie, Brea and Gramps to follow up on their planet-making and fruit bowl Solar System.
The model has been created for the Yorkshire Dark Skies Festival 2026. You can get an idea of the distance between the planets by pacing out the distances and recording the number of steps on your phone. What a science memory to make!
Here are some pictures as we boldly strode through the Solar System:
Introduction by the gate
The Sun and path along the river
The Earth
Jupiter
Saturn
You can find out more here:
https://www.yorkshiredales.org.uk/things-to-do/whats-on/shows/dark-skies-festival/
This surprise set me thinking about a project I did years ago called Science is Nearer than You Think! For this, I travelled around the country visiting places with a science connection, such as the homes of Newton, Darwin and Benjamin Franklin (including his house in London), as well as a real cabinet of curiosities in a country house in East Yorkshire.
You can find out more about these visits by exploring the archives of Science Education Ideas on the website, starting with the History of Science and Curiosity Box categories.
