Welcome to the ‘The Historic Houses & Heritage of North Yorkshire’ tour. You can view full details of this tour, share this tour with others, pay your final balance before departure and, once you have departed on your holiday, share your group photos and write reviews.
Itinerary
Day 1
We depart by private executive coach from our designated pick up points. En route to our hotel we visit the National Trust’s Calke Abbey in Derbyshire. With peeling paintwork and overgrown courtyards, Calke Abbey tells the story of the dramatic decline of a grand country house estate. We continue to the 4* The Yorkshire Hotel in Harrogate for a four night stay on a half board basis.
Day 2
With our Blue Badge guide we visit Castle Howard this morning. Set in a beautiful 1,000 acre park adorned with rose gardens, lakes and fountains, this magnificent 18th century house is home to the Howard family and has been richly furnished throughout. We continue to the National Trust’s Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden, which has been attracting visitors since the 18th century. Together the Cistercian abbey, Georgian water garden, medieval deer park, Elizabethan hall and Victorian church offer an unparalleled opportunity to appreciate the range of England’s heritage at this World Heritage Site.
Day 3
Our Blue Badge guide accompanies us on a visit to Whitby, a resort dominated by the cliff top ruins of a beautiful 13th century abbey and with old cobbled streets, picturesque houses and a sandy beach. This afternoon we enjoy an included one way nostalgic steam train journey from Whitby to Pickering through the picturesque North Yorkshire Moors. Preserved in 1967, the North Yorkshire Moors Railway has gone from strength to strength and has featured on television and film, including ‘Harry Potter’.
Day 4
Our Blue Badge guide meets us at our hotel this morning and accompanies us throughout the day. Our guided walking tour of York takes in sights such as the City Walls, the Shambles, and includes a visit to the Minster, the largest Gothic cathedral in northern Europe. We then enjoy a guided tour at the Merchant Adventurers’ Hall, built between 1357 and 1361 and one of the best preserved medieval guild halls in the world. We then spend some time at leisure in York, and on an individual basis you may choose to visit the National Railway Museum, or visit York Castle Museum with its recreated Victorian street, Kirkgate.
Day 5
After checking out of our hotel and en route home we visit Wentworth Woodhouse in South Yorkshire, one of the grandest stately homes in the country. During our guided tour we discover the formal staterooms including the Marble Salon, Whistlejacket and the Painted Drawing Room. The tour encompasses the rise and fall of the house from its beginnings in the 1600s to its time as a family home and teacher training college, right through to the present day and the work of the Wentworth Woodhouse Preservation Trust. Time is then at leisure to explore the gardens, home to a wildflower meadow, ancient trees, shaded woodland copses and 18th Century follies. Taking carefully selected comfort stops en route, we return back to our original pick up points.
NB: Please note we reserve the right to alter the above itinerary if required for operational reasons. Given the historic nature of the places visited, a certain degree of walking will be involved, and this holiday may not be suitable for those with mobility problems. Price based on twin share. Minimum numbers required. Normal booking conditions apply.
Featuring
4* Harrogate hotel
Half board accommodation
All excursion travel & guided tours included
Entrance fees to non-National Trust properties included
Included train excursion on Day 3
Blue Badge guide on Days 2 to 4
Executive coach throughout
Calke Abbey
Castle Howard
Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal Water Garden
Whitby
North Yorkshire Moors steam train excursion
York – guided walking tour
York Minster
Merchant Adventurers’ Hall – guided tour
Wentworth Woodhouse – guided tour
Hotel
We stay four nights at the 4* The Yorkshire Hotel at Harrogate (https://www.the-yorkshire.co.uk/) Facilities at the hotel include a restaurant and a bar. All of our allocated Standard Rooms are en suite and feature a television, hairdryer, and tea & coffee making facilities. A set 3 course dinner will be served on the first evening, and a choice 3 course dinner will be served on the remaining three nights.
Extras
Insurance (including Covid cover) £38
Single room supplement £119
Entrance fees to National Trust properties (free to NT members)
Gratuities
Lunches
Optional Excursions
All excursion travel & guided tours included
