GETTING out and about when you are elderly or infirm can be difficult.

The logistics of navigating wheelchairs, scooters or other assistance aids around tourist attractions can take some planning but there are places that can ease the potential stress and ensure you have a pleasurable day out.

And - according to the Silver Travel Advisor - the travel review and advice site for mature travellers - Yorkshire is the best place to be!

Among the attractions selected for scrutiny are Keighley and Worth Valley Railway and Oakworth Station. This wonderful vintage railway, famed for its part in the 1970s film The Railway Children, transports passengers back in time to when the branch line served the mills and villages along the Worthy Valley.

Today, the Keighley and Worth Valley railway is among the popular tourist attractions God's Own County has to offer, transporting tourists from the industrial town of Keighley into the heart of Bronte country, home to the famous siblings whose legacy lives on in the famous tomes they penned such as Wuthering Heights.

For train enthusiasts, the station has a selection of steam locos and diesel railcars along with the carriage museum at Ingrow. Car parking is provided at most stations with a drop off facility if needed (except in Keighley). Ramps are also provided to stations and on platforms and on the trains.

Most train services have a wheelchair-friendly coach with wide doors and space for a wheelchair. Visitors are recommended to enquire when booking their tickets. There is also ramped access to the museum.

Fountains Abbey, one of the great ruined abbeys of Yorkshire, and part of the stunningly beautiful Studley Royal Estate, RHS Garden at Harlow Carr in Harrogate, one of the big four gardens run by the Royal Horticultural Society, the National Railway Museum in York and Ampleforth Abbey are among the other attractions earmarked in the research for accessibility for mature and less mobile travellers which is now available online.

The gardens at Harlow Carr were selected particularly for the disabled parking and the availability of manual wheelchairs and electric mobility scooters - advance booking recommended. Well maintained paths, disabled toilets, induction loops and free entry for companions of wheelchair users and visually impaired visitors were also highlighted in the research.

Despite its natural setting, Fountains Abbey was praised for the availability of battery operated cars and wheelchairs - again advance booking is recommended. The site also provides disabled toilets and a mini bus operates between admission points, with access for wheelchairs.

Disabled visitors are advised to use the West Car Park which offers a level access to the abbey ruins and parkland. There is disabled access to the mill but not Fountains Hall. There are disabled toilets at the visitor centre and tea rooms. A mini bus runs a regular service between all three admission points and is able to take wheelchairs. There are no reductions for concessions, although there is free admission for a carer. Assistance dogs are welcome too.

Train buffs are in for a treat with the iconic Mallard and Flying Scotsman engines on display at the National Railway Museum in York - another venue featured in the Silver Travel Advisor's review.

The museum offers free entry and provides disabled parking along with wheelchairs and mobility scooters, although advance booking is recommended. Assistance dogs are also allowed in the museum. Ramps are provided to some of the platforms but there are some steps to some of the cabs. Information is also placed at eye level for wheelchair users and there are disabled toilets.

Set within the North York Moors, Ampleforth Abbey offers visitors the opportunity to join the monks at prayer and visit the abbey between services.

Disabled parking is available by the entrance to the visitor centre and there is disabled access to the visitor centre, shop and tea room. There is ramped access to the Abbey Church and access to the grounds is either from the car park or down a spiral ramp near the shop. There are paved paths to explore and disabled toilets are also available along with hearing loops. Assistance dogs are allowed in the buildings.

Silver Travel Advisor’s MD, Debbie Marshall says “We are incredibly impressed with the level of consideration and detail that Yorkshire’s tourist attractions have gone to in order to accommodate older or less able guests. Many of them offer mobility scooters, lifts and ramps, and all the sites visited have gone to great lengths to ensure the comfort and welcome of the UK’s ageing population."

Factfile Silver Travel Advisor’s review of the top tourist sites in Yorkshire for silver travellers appears on www.silvertraveladvisor.com Keighley and Worth Valley Railway, kwr.co.uk or call (01535) 645214 Harlow Carr Gardens, Crag Lane, Harrogate, HG13 1VE or call (01423) 565418 or visit rhs.org.uk/gardens/harlowcarr Fountains Abbey, Ripon, HG4 3DY, call (01765) 608888 or visit fountainsabbey.org.uk The National Railway Museum, Leeming Road, York YO26 4XJ, call 0844 815 3139 or visit nrm.org.uk or Ampleforth Abbey, YO62 4EN or call (01439) 766000.