Yorkshire

Yorkshire is brimming with so much spectacular scenery, award-winning culture and fascinating heritage that it’s impossible not to be captivated. The vast Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors National Parks are majestic in their beauty and the region has a wealth of historic houses, ruined castles, abbeys and fortresses that bear witness to a turbulent past. Cosmopolitan Leeds, stylish Harrogate, and rural market towns all have their charms, or head to the coast for rugged cliffs, sandy beaches, pretty harbours and Victorian resorts.

North Yorkshire

North Yorkshire boasts some of the country’s most splendid scenery and wherever you go you’ll be faced with breathtaking views and constant reminders of its colourful and exciting past. Outdoor enthusiasts can escape to the peaceful solitude of the deserted North York Moors National Park with its 500 square miles of hills, dales, forests and open moorland, neatly edged by a spectacular coastline. Walking, cycling and pony trekking are ideal ways to savour the scenery and there are plenty of greystone towns and villages dotted about that provide ideal bases from which to explore.

Between the North York Moors and the Dales, Herriot Country is named for one of its best loved inhabitants, James Herriot, whose tales of Yorkshire life never fail to enchant. Unlock 900 years of history at Helmsley Castle or discover moorland life in the Ryedale Folk Museum at Hutton-le-Hole. The Beck Isle Museum in Pickering provides a fascinating insight into the life of a country market town and just a few miles down the road you’ll find the pretty market town of Malton, once a Roman fortress and fast becoming Yorkshire’s foodie capital.

Dramatic castles like Richmond, Middleham, Ripley and Skipton command the landscape, all built to protect the area from marauding Scots. Bolton Castle in Wensleydale once imprisoned Mary, Queen of Scots and some of the largest and wealthiest monastic settlements in England were built here. Explore great ruined abbeys like Jervaulx, Whitby, Rievaulx and Fountains for a hearty dollop of atmosphere, or enjoy a day out on the Bolton Abbey Estate which covers 30,000 acres of beautiful countryside in the Yorkshire Dales.

Graceful country houses with magnificent collections of furniture and paintings, often built on coal and industrial fortunes, huddle into hilly backdrops and loom over luscious parkland in North Yorkshire. Castle Howard is an elegant 18th century house situated on a breathtaking estate that includes the Yorkshire Arboretum. Kiplin Hall near Richmond is an intriguing Jacobean house built by George Calvert, Sec. of State to James I and founder of Maryland, while Newby Hall, Hovingham and Scampston Hall & Park, which hosts the annual Malton Show, are other attractive examples.

York

Wherever you turn within the city’s medieval walls, you will find glimpses of the past. The splendours of the 600-year old Minster, the grim stronghold of Clifford’s Tower, the National Railway Museum, the medieval timbers of the Merchant Adventurers’ Hall and the fascinating Jorvik Viking Centre all offer an insight into the history of this charming city.

Throughout the city, statues and monuments remind visitors that this was where Constantine was proclaimed Holy Roman Emperor, Guy Fawkes was born and Dick Turpin met his end.

Modern York has excellent shopping, a relaxed café culture, first class restaurants and bars, museums, tours and attractions. Whether you visit for a romantic weekend or a fun-filled family holiday, there really is something for everyone.

Leeds & West Yorkshire

For centuries, cloth has been spun from the wool of the sheep grazing in the Pennine uplands and the fascinating story of this industrial heritage can be seen in the numerous craft centres and folk museums throughout West Yorkshire. To enjoy the countryside, take a trip on the steam hauled Keighley and Worth Valley Railway.

Not far from Haworth, home of the Brontë sisters and now a museum, is Bingley, where the Leeds & Liverpool canal makes its famous uphill journey. Leeds itself is a vibrant city with its Victorian shopping arcades, Royal Armories Museum and lively arts scene. York Gate is a lovely 1 acre garden tucked away behind the ancient church in Adel, on the northern outskirts of Leeds and Harewood House, one of the Treasure Houses of England, is a place filled with art, culture and heritage in a ‘Capability’ Brown designed landscape.

Yorkshire Coastline

Stretching from Saltburn-by-the-Sea in the North to Spurn Point in the South and with an array of delightfully different towns and villages, fishing harbours, traditional resorts, sandy beaches, rocky cliffs with spectacular views, history, architecture, good food and outdoor pursuits in between, the Yorkshire coastline has it all.

Whitby, once an ancient port and a highly fashionable spa resort, has quirky narrow streets and a bustling harbour overlooked by the imposing Gothic ruins of Whitby Abbey and is a popular destination for bibliophiles as the town features in Bram Stoker's Dracula.  The coastal retreats of Robin Hood’s Bay, Staithes, Sandsend, Runswick Bay and Ravenscar offer a more tranquil experience and some stunning views. Historic Scarborough Castle sits on the rocky headland that divides the award-winning North Bay and South Bay beaches of Scarborough, one of Britain’s oldest seaside resorts.

Filey, with its Edwardian architecture, interesting shops, intriguing museum and huge sweeping beach of soft, golden sand, has glorious views. Follow it south to the RSPB Bempton Cliffs and dramatic 400 ft high white chalk cliffs at Flamborough Head with their seabird colonies.

For a change of pace, Bridlington is a lively and popular destination. The striking scenery continues on through Barmston, Ulrome, Skipsea, Hornsea and Withernsea to Spurn Point, an important wildlife haven that stretches for three and a half stunning miles across the Humber Estuary.

East Yorkshire

East Yorkshire is wonderfully diverse. From Hull, a modern city rebuilt since the war and linked to Lincolnshire via the impressive 1,452 yd Humber Bridge, to the hills and valleys of the Yorkshire Wolds, it is a landscape of swirling grasslands, medieval towns, manor houses and ancient ruins that contrast starkly with the vibrant energy and industry of the Humber.

The Wolds are just a stone’s throw away from some great seaside resorts and Beverley, with its magnificent 13th century minster and huddle of medieval streets, is just one of the many historic treasures here.

South Yorkshire

South Yorkshire is an interesting mix of old and new.
Doncaster, an historic market town originally founded by the Romans, has a rich railway and horseracing heritage. Once an industrial heartland dominated by the iron and steel industries, Sheffield and its surroundings have been revitalised in recent years and today this region is now home to some excellent sporting, musical and cultural events as well as 21st century shopping.

You’ll still find plenty of museums and monuments to the past. The Industrial Museum and City Museum in Sheffield display a wide range of natural history. Sheffield Botanical Gardens have over 5,000 species of plants and a Grade II listed garden pavilion. Italianate Brodsworth Hall near Doncaster was built in the 1860’s and is one of England’s most unaltered Victorian country houses with spectacular gardens. Outdoors, there’s plenty of breathtaking scenery with the pretty moors, rolling hills, dales and leafy forests of the Peak District right on the doorstep.