CHILDREN from primary schools in Ryedale have spent a day learning about the countryside.

Pupils from schools including Nawton Primary spent last Friday at Duncombe Park near Helmsley, with sessions organised by the Countryside Learning group.

The children rotated around six "stations", including learning about river invertebrates in a class run by Ryevitalise - a new project on the river Rye.

There were also classes on moorland birds run by the National Park, working dogs run by Gary Richardson of Countryside Learning, heraldry and local history run by Helmsley Castle and English Heritage, plants and planting run by Helmsley Walled Garden, and gamekeeping run by the Duncombe Park Shoot and BASC.

Anna Hare, from Countryside Learning, said: "I wanted to promote local places to visit as a side objective.

"It was a beautiful day. It was held as a result of Jake Duncombe’s generosity, and it was free for the schools. The feedback from the schools was great, in fact one teacher said it was the best school trip she had ever done."

The children all went to the Birds of Prey centre in the afternoon and watched a flying demonstration.