Top Stag Do Ideas in and around York

Conveniently placed in the centre of the North of England, York is surrounded by breath-taking nature and makes an epic destination for a Stag Do. Due to its fantastic location York offers the opportunity to fill your day with amazing outdoor activities and still be able to go out in town in the evenings. 

If you’re a Hen Party looking for some activities that don’t fall into the classic Hen territory, all the activities below welcome Hen Parties also. 

At Collctiv we know that organising a Stag do can be a right hassle and we’re here to make this easier for you. Save yourself the research because we have sourced the top Stag Do activities around York for you. 

Yorkshire Outdoors

To kick off the weekend in the right fashion, why not make the most of all the outdoor activities Yorkshire has to offer with Yorkshire Outdoors (that’s the name of the business and it does what it says on the tin!)

What they do

Yorkshire Outdoors offers a range of action-packed activities such as 4×4 off-road driving, quad bike trekking and clay pigeon shooting. You can off-road in Landrover 110s or race around a dirt course in Honda Pioneer Buggies. Richard and his team put a huge emphasis on quality to ensure you have the best time. 

Great for 

An unforgettable experience for adrenaline junkies and petrol-heads.

Price point

Varies depending on activities, most common is a double package e.g. like a ride and a shoot - £139 pp. Book over the phone. 50% deposit on booking and remainder to be paid 4 weeks before the event.

Additional extras 

You can also book in for Archery or rent some Segways. 

Good to know 

Yorkshire outdoors has bagged several awards such as best track experience winner. They have a 50-acre track and all the instructors are incredibly experienced to ensure you have a safe and enjoyable time. Bookings are usually 10 am - 2 pm. Saturdays are their main day, they are not open on Sundays. Feel free to turn up in fancy dress if you’d like, or indeed just the stag - they recently had a Stag group for a shooting experience where the stag was made to dress as a fox!! 

The business was started by Richard over 30 years ago. He has a huge passion for the place he lives and works and everything offered by him and his team is about quality. They are aiming to offer a truly unique experience where customer satisfaction is absolutely paramount. Yorkshire Outdoors is definitely a fantastic place to start for any Stag Do. 

Love Cheese 

After a long day outdoors you can ease into the weekend and start your York City experience with Love Cheese! A must for every lover of wine/beer and cheese (I mean, it’s in the title!). It makes for a perfect destination to round up an unforgettable weekend. 

What they do

Love Cheese is a Cheese and Wine bar also called Speakcheesey. They also have a fantastic outdoor space aka the Secret Garden. When booking a Stag Do the whole Garden can be reserved for you or the very photogenic Speakcheesey can be exclusively yours - whichever you’d prefer! If that alone doesn’t convince you to book (I would!) then the amazing offering of different wines or beers paired with lovely local cheeses will do the trick. 

Your wine/beer tasting involves up to 6 different drinks and you’ll have an amazing host who will talk to you about the different beverages and cheeses, which makes for a fun yet educational experience. Don’t worry, you don’t need to be a wine and cheese connoisseur to get enjoyment from this. Love Cheese cares about you feeling comfortable and offers the tasting in a relaxed atmosphere.

Great for

Any Cheese and Wine lovers who enjoy a relaxed atmosphere 

Price point

£ 35 pp for a wine and cheese or beer and cheese tasting, £50 pp for all you can eat/drink in 2 hours. Call to book,

Additional extras

You can swap the wine for beer if you prefer and they have 15 craft ales to sample. There is also a shop to buy wine and cheese and you can order on the regular through their online store. 

Good to know

Love Cheese offers a wine tasting in a very informal and fun way. You don’t need to know a lot about the world's favourite combo and you can just bring your best self without feeling out of place. 

Harry and Phoebe took over Love Cheese in September 2015. They saw a lovely little shop that served the locals and both loved it. With a passion for good food and drink, it was an easy decision to make. They wanted to take it and reach a wider audience that was unaware of what a little gem they had on their doorstep and now they want to share this experience with you. 

Yorkshire Flight Simulator

Another experience you can only find in York is the Yorkshire Flight Simulator. This is not your traditional commercial plane simulator, instead, you get the chance to fly an F16 fighter Jet (hello Maverick!) and a Cessna 172. The Cessna 172 is commonly used for flight training and many commercial pilots around the world have gained their wings in this aircraft.

What they do 

Yorkshire Flight Simulator is run by commercial airline pilots. During your visit, you get scored on your skills and you can learn aerobatic manoeuvres. Don’t worry, you don’t have to choose between the two aircrafts as you’ll have the opportunity to fly both. As a group, you’ll be taking turns in the simulator and the rest of the group can enjoy themselves as they watch on. 

Great for 

Aviation enthusiast or not; who hasn’t dreamt of flying a plane!

Price point

£300 for a 3-hour session, maximum of 10 people. £50 deposit with remainder paid on the day. 

Additional extras 

You are given a certificate at the end of the session. There is a Maverick flight suit and helmet you can use to take pictures in to make the stag’s Top Gun Ace dreams a reality. There is free tea and coffee available in the waiting area, or you can also bring your own drinks (including some cheeky alcoholic ones!). The guys at Yorkshire Flight Simulator can also arrange for food to be laid on for you if you’d like. 

Good to know 

When you enter the F16 you will be seated in a mock ejector seat which then slides into the cockpit. Your time flying will not start until you're ready for take-off so you will be sure to get the most out of your time in the air. Allow for an additional 30 mins on top of the session time for your visit. 

For the Cessna 172 Experience, it's a full-size fuselage with a fully functioning cockpit. There are global airports, different weather and times of year along with day and night flying.

Jason who is the founder of Yorkshire Flight Simulator is a commercial airline pilot and he built the simulators himself. How awesome is that? He has many amazing stories to share and will guide you through the experience and share his professional knowledge. To get you into the spirit we’d suggest having a Top Gun rewatch the night before!

Bawtry Paintball Fields

One thing not to miss out on at an epic Stag Do is a bit of Competitive fun. The best way to whoop the groom’s ass is and will always be Paintball. And which place is better to do this at than Bawtry Paintball Fields. They are ranked top of the UK for quality, achieve the highest ratings on Trip Advisor and focus on the recreational side of Paintballing which makes them an ideal destination for a Stag do or Hen party.

What they do 

Don’t let the name throw you off. Bawtry Paintball Fields offers more than just paintball. They have a wide range of activities available such as High Ropes, Climbing walls and Axe Throwing. 

What’s awesome is the fact they have lots of props (including two helicopters!) from actual film sets like“ The Edge of Tomorrow” which featured no less than Tom Cruise himself! They also have tanks where you can do a mini-tank paintball fight - the only place in the country that can offer this! Check out this epic video to see what it’s all about. (Sign me up!)

Great for 

Anyone who likes some action as part of their Stag Weekend (who doesn’t!) - great for anyone with a competitive side. 

Price point 

Half-day Paintball starts at £20 per person - full days and specials available. Everything can be booked directly through the website or you can call. 

Additional extras 

There is a Cafe and Ice Cream Parlour on site so you can refuel throughout the day. All equipment will be provided for you. 

Good to know 

The venue is only a 25-minute train journey from York which makes it super easy to access for a large group. No need to hire a minibus! Bawtry Paintball fields host a lot of Stag and Hen pirates and welcome you to dress up and wear funny outfits if you like.

York Gin

For the evening we recommend a visit to York Gin. Started by 5 friends in a York pub just down the road from their shop, it’s a hyperlocal experience that gives you a great taste for the city. The grains which build the basis of the Gin are from Yorkshire and the distilling process is undertaken with Yorkshire water. York Gin is committed to buying local. Hannah and Evie, who run the events, are from York and all other employees are local as well and know all about the area. A great opportunity to ask for recommendations.

What they do

York Gin is a High-End Gin shop and distillery set in a beautiful Tudor building. Their Gins are made with labour-intensive and exacting techniques which mean a higher price but superior quality and consistency. They’ve earned the title of Distillery of the Year 2021. Once the doors of the shop shut for the day the Gin Tasting starts. With the full experience, you get to try their six different Gins throughout the tasting, as well as, learning why Gin is served in Copa de Balon glasses, with ice, what garnishes work best and what botanicals to use with each Gin.

Great for

Any Gin lovers.

Price Point

£50 per person for a 2-hour session - 6 Gin & Tonics. A deposit of £50 is paid upfront followed by the full amount the day before the event. There is also a 1-hour session for £30.

Additional extras

Hannah and Evie are great at reading the room. They have knowledge for days about Gin but they will assess what you want to learn and will share the relevant knowledge with you or just make it all about fun if the group prefers. They both drink the Gins with you too which always helps to create evermore atmosphere!

One of their business principles is to have as much fun as possible so they will ensure you’ll have a great time. 

Good to know

There is also the option to come to your venue of choice to do the tasting there. This could be a restaurant if in agreement with the venue or your accommodation. Hannah and Evie are very flexible and happy to cater to your needs. They can also offer extras such as prosecco on arrival, so it’s best to call them and they will build the experience you want.

York Gin is a massively ethos driven company with a huge focus on sustainability. They do a lot of great stuff and are 100% powered by Green Energy, operate plastic-free and are a living wage employer. What’s not to like!

Live For Today

Finally, if you still have any energy left, we’d recommend you to check out Live For Today a Yorkshire based activity company who offer their service across three stunning locations; Hazlewood Castle, Ripley Castle and Castle Green Hotel in Kendal.

What they do

Live For Today have a vast amount of activities on offer but the ones that stood out to us are paddleboarding, canoeing, caving and even escape rooms. It’s definitely worth checking out their offerings. 

Want to build a raft or defuse a bomb? Live For Today will make it happen for you. 

Great for

A groom who loves the outdoors and enjoys trying new things. 

Price point 

They offer a package of 2 activities for £59 pp or 3 activities for £69 pp but you can bolt on further activities. A £50 deposit is required with the remainder paid 4 weeks after booking. 

Additional extras

Each location is easily accessible with plenty of free parking. You will be provided with all the equipment needed for the activities. All sites are located in tourist hotspots which means there is always a pub and refreshments nearby! 

Good to know

What you get is the care and attention of a bespoke company but the scale of a large and professional organisation. This is due to “Live for today” owning all the activities and not outsourcing the activities to any other providers. 

Now you’re all set and ready for a Stag weekend to make history. 

If you don't want to organise the whole weekend, why not check out the two amazing Stag Weekend Planners we featured in this blog.

We’re super excited for you to try the amazing activities we’ve selected for you in this blog. Let us know your favourite and make sure to tag us in your adventures on Instagram. 

Download our App to make group payments super quick and easy and bag yourself the amazing offers in this blog and many more. Find out more about how Collctiv helps you to never be left out of pocket again. 

Do you know where the Bride is off to with her Hen Party? If they are still looking why not share our top tips for Hen Parties in York, Brighton, Cardiff, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Bournemouth and Liverpool. 

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