World Class Travel & Tours

Northern England Tour of Scenic & Historic Sights

Castles, medieval cities, gardens, pubs, walks, and boating.

Lake District, Yorkshire Dales, York, and North York Moors.

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Northern England Overview

After arriving in the Manchester airport we drove east to Leeds. That would be our base of operation for a few days. My mission was to explore and photograph Northern England.

The medieval city of York

The next day I headed by train northeast to York. Going by train is one of the best ways to go to York, since the train station is within walking distance of everything that you want to see. Also, it eliminates the problem of where to park a car. York is one of the best examples of a medieval city to be found. The York Minster cathedral is very impressive. You can view the cathedral and other parts of the city by walking on top of part of the fascinating wall that was built to protect the city. You can also view the city from Clifford's tower, a 14th century castle. The narrow streets are lined with many shops and restaurants, and in addition to the many historical sites there are numerous museums. You could spend days enjoying York.

Yorkshire Dales

Jennifer Law, a tour operator, showed me around the Yorkshire Dales in the central part of Northern England. As was the case everywhere we went, the countryside was beautiful with lush shades of green. The scenes were made even more picturesque by the presence of sheep scattered here and there. The interesting sights we saw included the deep limestone shafts at Buttertubs Pass, the beautiful Aysgarth Water Falls, and the Castle Bolton where Mary Queen of Scots was held prisoner in the mid 1500s. We had lunch at a very charming old English Pub. The food was good, including cheese that was made in Northern England.

North York Moors

I headed for the North York Moors and the nearby east coast. In the Moors I visited the ruins of the Rievaulx Abbey, a monastery founded in 1131. Throughout the region you discover small market towns that entice you to stop and walk around. The town of Helmsley is especially beautiful and charming. In the North York Moors National Park I took a walk of several hours and enjoyed the scenery. On the east coast near the town of Whitby there were magnificent views of the North Sea and Robin Hood Bay.

Castle Howard

Further south and near to York I toured Castle Howard. This is a monumental 18th century castle with impressive gardens. When I arrived there I asked the guard at the gate if I could take a picture of the stately home in front of me. The guard replied that I could take all of the pictures that I wanted, but that the building in front of me was the stables! You will remember Castle Howard if you saw the British production of Brideshead Revisited, which was filmed there.

Lake District

Rebecca and I took a pleasant drive through the Yorkshire Dales on our way to the Lake District. The Lake District has incredible beauty, and there are very scenic drives. However, it is best sampled on foot. There are numerous walks through the hills and valleys around the lakes. We did an easy walk at Lake Buttermere which offers an attractive mountain view. But much more challenging was the Cat Bells Walk to the top of a mountain. The view of the lakes and countryside from the summit was stunning. We also took a nice boat ride around Derwent Water from Keswick. The Lake District is a place you want to return to often, as there is much to see and do. There are also nice accommodations. While there we stayed in a very charming 16th century bed and breakfast.

Photos by Sunny Breeding. We sell prints and slides.

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