Free access to cultural sites and behind-the-scenes views as Heritage Open Days return

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England’s largest festival of history and culture returns next month, as dozens of venues and events across the district offer free entry for 10 days.

Heritage Open Days will feature a wide-ranging mix of tours, talks, walks, exhibitions, music and buildings, some not normally open to the public, mostly with experts on hand.

The National Trust, which organises the event, bills it as a “chance for all of us to see hidden places and try out new experiences – all for free”.

The festival will see some attractions, such as Nidderdale Museum, waive their usual entry fee, and others, including Harrogate Theatre, Ripon Town Hall and Pateley Bridge Playhouse, offer rare glimpses behind the scenes.

Harrogate’s Odeon cinema – a fantastic example of 1930s Art Deco architecture – is celebrating its 90th anniversary, and visitors are invited to join a behind-the-scenes tour of the projection rooms.

For a more active experience, head to Nidderdale’s How Stean Gorge, where you can explore its caves and tunnels – looking out for bats, trout and other wildlife.

The festival includes several interesting talks. Sir Thomas Ingilby will be at All Saints’ Ripley to speak about his swashbuckling relative Rear Admiral Sir Robert Barrie, who is buried at the church.

Visit Harrogate Library for talks on the story of the district’s milestones, and on the history of the mail.

New Park Heritage Centre shows how buildings and communities have evolved within the town, and Bilton Historical Society will be presenting an exhibition on the often-overlooked history and development of the Bilton Grange Estate.

There will also be also guided walks, including the Valley Gardens Walk, the Harrogate Heritage Plaques Trail, the New Park Heritage Walk, the Harlow Hill Cemetery Walk, the Pannal Heritage Walk, the Commonwealth War Graves Tour at Stonefall Cemetery, and the Ripley Village Historic Walkabout. Washburn Heritage Centre will also be hosting Fewston Can’t Bury Its Dead tours of Fewston Cemetery.

Visitors can also explore the Victorian churches in Harrogate town centre: Harrogate Baptist Church, Our Lady Immaculate and St Robert's Church, St Peter’s Church, Wesley Chapel – all different denominations, yet all opened within a period of 20 years within half a mile of each other.

Beyond Harrogate, All Saints’ Spofforth offers a view of the grave of Blind Jack of Knaresborough and the opportunity to climb the 15th-century tower and see the 200-year-old clock in the bell-ringing chamber.

St Wilfrid's Catholic Church and the Medieval Chapel of St Mary Magdalen, both in Ripon, will be open to visitors, and St Wilfrid’s Church in South Stainley will be hosting a week-long flower festival.

Heritage Open Days is supported by players of Postcode Lottery, and run locally by thousands of local organisations and volunteers, including Harrogate Civic Society.

It runs from September 11 to 20, and venues will be recognisable by their HOD pink bunting. For details and opening times, visit www.heritageopendays.org.uk.