Swaledale, Yorkshire. © John Woodworth
It's not all flat caps and ferrets in God's own county, tha knows! You can't throw a stick in Yorkshire without hitting an extraordinary landscape, some thrilling history or a part of its literary heritage.
You must visit York, of course, with its Minster, whose rose window is one of the world's most beautiful, and its Viking past, brilliantly brought to life at the Jorvik Viking Centre... The Dales, immortalised in James Heriot's nostalgic Vet books (visit Thirsk if you want to discover 'Darrowby') and the wuthering heights that inspired the Brontë sisters... The prim-and-proper spa town of Harrogate (don't miss out on a cuppa and a Fat Rascal at Betty's famous tea-rooms), and industrial towns like Bradford, whose mills and factories are now being turned into desirable apartments!... Fabulous Castle Howard (star of TV's Brideshead Revisited), and Hardraw Force, Britain's tallest single-drop waterfall, under which Kevin Costner famously 'showered' in Robin Hood Prince of Thieves.
Then there's Dracula's Whitby, where you can descend the 199 steps from the ruined abbey to the town and, some say, get the nation's finest fish and chips at an unpretentious seaside café.
Suggested Tours
Contact us for booking or further information
© Graham Heywood
The North fought bitterly against Henry VIII's religious reforms. You can see poignant reminders of their losing battle for the 'old faith' in ruined abbeys like Fountains (above), Ripon and Rievaulx.