Tucked
in between the North Yorkshire Moors and the North Sea coast,
the quaint town of Whitby provides a perfect base for a
Discovery holiday. We stay here
for seven nights and explore unspoiled countryside with
picturesque fishing villages, bustling market towns and the
beautiful Hambleton Hills. This is "Heartbeat" country
and anyone who is a fan of this BBC programme will recognize Heartbeat villages.
ITINERARY: The following are
just some of the highlights. Our back-roads touring will include
lovely scenery, visits to interesting villages and many historic
sites.
Saturday: Arrive mid afternoon in time for afternoon tea
(travel to Whitby not included).
Sunday: We start by exploring the lovely Esk Valley,
starting with a visit to the small moorland village of Goathland
where the Heartbeat series is filmed. You will recognize the pub
as the Aidensfield Arms. Steam trains pass through the
local station. From here we continue to Danby National
Park Centre where we see an exhibition about the people, places
and wildlife that make up the North York Moors. It will
give you a real feel for the place thanks to some stunning
audio-visuals. On our return to Whitby we head for the coast and
stop for views across Runswick Bay. We stop again to see a
little of Whitby and then return to our hotel for afternoon tea.
Monday: This morning we head over the high moors to
Castleton, via Ralph's Cross and Blakey Ridge to the pretty
village of Rosedale. There is a short walk to see the remains of
the 19th century ironstone industry and we then continue to the
pretty village of Hutton-le-Hole where sheep roam freely on the
village green. Then we are off to Pickering with its market,
castle, church with medieval wall paintings and the steam
railway. The railway is one of the earliest and most historic
lines in the North of England. The EDEN CAMP will transport you
back in time to wartime Britain as you experience the sights,
sounds, even the smells of those dangerous years. This award
winning Museum is set in a World War Two Prisoner of War Camp -
built in 1942.
Helmsley Walled Garden is a beautiful five acre walled garden
dating from 1758, and set against the spectacular backdrop of
Helmsley Castle in the grounds of Duncombe Park. Originally
built to supply the Duncombe estate with fruit, vegetables and
cutflowers, it was abandoned in the 1970's until, in 1994
extensive restoration was started to bring it back to life as a
fully working kitchen garden. The walls have now been
refurnished with fruit trees and over 150 clematis varieties,
and restoration work has been completed on the garden's centre
piece, the Orchid House.
Tuesday: Today we follow the trail of the great seafarer
and explorer Captain Cook. Our first visit is to the picturesque
fishing village of Staithes where Cook was apprenticed. At our
lunch stop at Guisborough Forest there will be an opportunity
for those who want to have a gentle walk to take in the views of
the distinctive hill, Roseberry Topping. We then head to the
village of Great Ayton. Here Cook went to school and there is a
restored schoolroom museum.
Wednesday:
This is a non-touring day but there are optional visits
including a visit to the City of York. This is a tour through history - the town
changed its name many times - from the Celtic name "Brigantes"
to the Roman "Eboracum", to Anglo-Saxon "Eorforwic",
to the Viking name "Jorvik". The castle-building
Normans came in 1069 but in the 1400's the Wars of the Roses
started the city's decline. Prosperity returned due to the wool
trade and with the Industrial Revolution came the railway.
Guests are free to explore the many historic sites on their own.
There are ghost walks, a Viking Museum and the
York Dungeons where you are taken back in time to see the
plague-ravaged streets of 14th century York, watch Guy Fawkes
gunpowder plot unfold and see 'Witch Trials' of the 16th and
17th century. See York's
Medieval Guildhall, built 1357-61, and where merchants conducted
business and feasted in the superb timbered Great Hall. .
Thursday: A morning drive to the far side of the
Cleveland Hills takes us to the unique monastic site of Mount
Grace, an atmospheric 14th-century ruined priory where on can explore
the rooms where Carthusian monks dwelt in hermit-like isolation.
The coach then takes us on to the Hambleton Hills and the Sutton
Bank National Park Centre with its breathtaking views. In the
afternoon we go to the market town of Thirsk. This is "All
Creatures Great and Small" country and at Thirsk we can visit the
fascinating and varied "World of James Herriot" Museum.
Friday: Today we visit the ruins of magnificent Rievaulx
Abbey, founded in 1132 as a mission centre for the conversion of
the north of England and Scotland. It was the first Cistercian
abbey in the north.
Saturday: Tour ends after breakfast.
Cost per person: (based on
double occupancy) 729 GBP (Great
Britain pounds)
Sole occupancy supplement: 257 GBP
A few small single rooms are sometimes available with a
supplement of 49 GBP.
Extra charges for admissions to museums approximately 50 GBP |
