From sweeping sandy beaches to rocky coves, rugged crags to flower-speckled valleys, crumbling medieval abbeys to marvellous feats of modern engineering, Yorkshire’s landscape is rich, varied and exhilarating. Those of us born in God’s own country know that we were blessed. Luckily for the rest of you, it’s a blessing we’re happy to share.
For those with windswept walks and sublime nature in mind, there are hectares of moors and dales well worthy of every piece of literature they’ve inspired. Hungry visitors will find home-grown comfort food and a burgeoning gastronomic scene. Everything from specialist vinyl shops, vineyards and Turkish baths to the local sport of quoits will keep you occupied amongst the pretty port towns, leafy villages and industrial-era architecture. And everyone can expect to receive the famous, warm Yorkshire welcome.
Cleveland Hills
The northernmost part of the North Yorkshire Moors is where the epic sweep of the high country of heather and bracken merges with the vast industrial landscape of Teesside.
Stay at the King’s Head in Newton-under-Roseberry. A smart gastropub with excellent beer, it sits at the foot of Roseberry Topping, a mini-Matterhorn with extraordinary 360-degree views from the summit. Visit nearby Great Ayton, where explorer Captain James Cook went to school. Here you’ll find what many people believe to be the best pork pies in Yorkshire (and therefore, clearly, the world) at Petch butchers. Alternatively, pick up a cornet at Suggitt’s, where they’ve been making their homemade ice-cream since Bertha Suggitt set up the shop in the 1920s.
You’ll find what many people believe to be the best pork pies in Yorkshire (and therefore, clearly, the world) at Petch butchers
Drive down to the market town of Stokesley and through to the village of Great Broughton – where jet, the semi-precious gemstone formed from the fossilised remains of the monkey puzzle, was once mined. Then venture up into the wild and wonderful Bilsdale to the Buck Inn in the village of Chop Gate, offering a fine range of German specialities including the best spaetzle this side of the North Sea.
Whitby
Everybody loves Whitby – an old whaling port that has updated itself without losing any of its salty charm. On the older eastern part of the port, the White Horse and Griffin is a beautifully restored 17th-century inn that was once frequented by Captain Cook.
Walk north along the beach to Sandsend for crab sandwiches at the Sandside Cafe or south along the disused railway line to the picture-postcard cove at Robin Hood’s Bay. Andrew Pern, chef and owner of the Michelin-starred Star Inn at Harome, recently opened a restaurant on the quayside, Star Inn the Harbour. You’ll also find excellent fish and chips at the Fusco family’s Quayside – a firm favourite with locals.
Walk south along the disused railway line to the picture-postcard cove at Robin Hood’s Bay
Walk up the 199 steps to the ruined abbey, beloved of Bram Stoker and now a place of pilgrimage for latter-day goths. Have a drink in the atmospheric Black Horse Inn, which also sells several dozen varieties of snuff.
Take the train from Whitby along the beautiful Esk Valley rail line, stopping off at Egton. Here you can walk across the stepping-stones for a pub lunch at the Horseshoe Hotel, a delightfully old-fashioned place where you’re likely to find people playing the popular local pub sport of quoits.
Malton
The Old Lodge is a Tudor mansion with log fires, wood-panelled public rooms and stately gardens. In 1940, my mum was evacuated from Teesside to Malton, and recalls a “grand place of Georgian houses that smelled of brewery maltings”. The impressively solid 18th-century buildings still line the market square and, although the original brewery closed years ago, there’s now great beer being made in the town by Brass Castle and Bad Seed.
The riverside ruins of Kirkham Priory offer peace and quiet
Malton bills itself as Yorkshire’s gastronomic capital and there’s plenty to back up that claim, from the excellent hearty dishes at places like the New Malton gastropub to Talbot Yard food court, which has everything from an award-winning pastry chef to a gin distillery.
The stately home of Castle Howard is a big draw around these parts, but the riverside ruins of Kirkham Priory offer peace and quiet and make a good focal point for a walk through the rolling wooded countryside of the Howardian Hills.
Settle
At the southern end of the Yorkshire dales and within striking distance of Leeds, the higgledy-piggledy market town of Settle is perfectly placed between high hills and the charming villages of the Forest of Bowland. The 17th-century coaching inn, the Lion at Settle offers cosy rooms and comfort food – try the excellent Settle pie, made with rich and tender braised beef and a suet top.
The higgledy-piggledy market town of Settle is perfectly placed between high hills and the charming villages of the Forest of Bowland
The railway line from Settle to Carlisle is justly celebrated, and it’s worth taking a trip as far as Ribblehead with its vertiginous viaduct across Batty Moss, a masterpiece of Victorian engineering. Stock up with a picnic for walks around Castleberg Crag above the town with goodies from Settle’s famous cheese shop, the Courtyard Dairy and bread from Ye Olde Naked Man.
Kirklees
Stay in a brewery at the cosy boutique B&B, the Rooms at the Nook, in the village of Holmfirth. The surrounding countryside is soft and lovely, with narrow winding lanes and the scent of dog roses and trilling song of lively skylarks in the air. Nearby Huddersfield is a place of grand Victorian architecture with pride of place going to the railway station (justifiably raved about by Sir John Betjeman) and Victoria Tower on Castle Hill.
The surrounding countryside is soft and lovely, with narrow winding lanes and the scent of dog roses and trilling song of lively skylarks in the air
The village of Hepworth is home to the Carding Shed, a quirky mix of vintage cars, retro clothing and antique offerings. There’s also the Butchers Arms with hearty French-influenced pub food. And if you’re tired of Yorkshire beer, you can take a trip to one of the county’s finest vineyards.
Other Yorkshire highlights
That’s a small taster of what Yorkshire has to offer. You can also try the golden splendour of Harrogate, with its superb Turkish baths and a great little Scandinavian-style cafe called Baltzersens. York is inundated with tourists, and for good reason, but those looking for something different can walk along Gillygate, which has lots of great little shops including the Inkwell, a haven for vinyl collectors with a knowledgeable owner whose tastes range from 1960s psych-fuzz to the Wu-Tang Clan, via African rock.
If you like live music then Leeds’ Brudenell Social Club, an old-style working men’s club with a hip makeover (think craft ale and sourdough pizza), is one of the best venues in the north, with a warm atmosphere and friendly crowd. For architectural grandeur try Halifax and its Grade I-listed Piece Hall, which recently reopened after a three-year heritage restoration project, and is now home to cultural events, independent shops and restaurants such as Elder, serving up tasty Brit-inspired sharing plates.
My old home town, Middlesbrough, in North Yorkshire, is not a typical tourist destination, but the Dorman Museum has an extraordinary collection of Christopher Dresser designed Linthorpe pottery, with nouveau flourishes and imagery that could belong to a fever dream. Just down the street, Psyche offers three floors of high-end fashion from the likes of Dries van Noten and APC.
For more of Yorkshire’s finest hotels, visit trivago.co.uk
