North Yorkshire

Why we love SUTTON-ON-THE-FOREST The wide, winding main street, the absence of street lights, the delightful houses and cottages…this is a small village with huge appeal. Where: Drive out of York, heading north on the Helmsley road, and you’ll soon come across the village of Sutton-on-the-Forest. There isn’t much forest anymore, although you’ll drive through…

Why we love MUKER Peace and tranquillity, beautiful scenery, dry-stone walls and barns – and the narrow, winding mountain passes you can drive through to get in and out of the village. Where: Nestled at the bottom of the hillside above the meandering River Swale is the tiny but delightful village of Muker – one…

Why we love STAITES The tiny fishing village on the northern edge of the North York Moors has so much charm and beauty that it will simply take your breath away. Walk its back lanes to find your own unique perspective, have fish and chips a few yards from the beach, or simply admire the…

If you’re putting together the itinerary for your holiday to the UK, or just planning a short visit to Yorkshire, you’ll want to make the most of whatever time you have. Here’s a fantastic way to get the most out of two days in York, giving you chance to combine city sightseeing, museum visits and a few local luxuries, while also visiting some of the spectacular scenery and awe-inspiring destinations in the fantastic Yorkshire countryside that surrounds the city itself. Day 1: ‘York & Yorkshire in a day’: a full-day sightseeing tour with Grand Yorkshire Book yourself onto ‘York & Yorkshire in a day’, an extended full-day tour that combines both a York walking tour and a Yorkshire countryside and coastline driving tour. The morning walking tour gives you an unbeatable insight into the history of ancient York while introducing…

Yorkshire’s beautiful coastline is dotted with fantastic seaside towns and quaint former fishing villages – and the jewel in the crown of this spectacular Jurassic coastline has to be Whitby. Whether it’s the lure of Britain’s best fish and chips, the mystery and intrigue of the town’s Dracula connections or the challenge of walking the…

The North York Moors is located (as the name would suggest) north of York and is one of the most popular places to visit in Yorkshire. The Jurassic scenery of the Moors includes wide open areas of heather moorland, beautiful lush green valleys, stunning cliffs and coastline, charming towns and villages, famous hills and one of the world’s most popular steam railways. You can take a day trip from York to the North York Moors with Grand Yorkshire on two different tours covering five days every week from March to November. Here are just five of the many reasons to visit the North York Moors on a day trip from York: It’s a National Park. With an area of 554 square miles, the North York Moors is one of Britain’s 15 National Parks and contains the UK’s largest continuous heather…

There is something incredible special about steam trains; the noise, the heat, the smell, the soot, the power, the history, the nostalgia, the pure joy! Travelling by steam train is a truly wonderful way to relive the golden age of rail travel. When you join Grand Yorkshire for our ‘Steam Trains, Whitby and the Moors’ day trip from York, we’ll give you the chance to travel across the Moors on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. And we guarantee your journey will be steam hauled, or we’ll pay for your ticket. The North Yorkshire Moors Railway is a heritage railway operating a mixture of historic steam trains and heritage diesels (you can read about the steam trains running on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway by clicking here). Staffed almost entirely by enthusiastic volunteers, the North Yorkshire Moors Railway is one of the most…

The North Yorkshire Moors Railway owns or cares for over 30 locomotives at any time, with around two thirds of these undergoing or scheduled for long-term repair. The railway has an active fleet of 10 – 12 engines in operational service, with five or six in action on any given day and others undergoing short term repairs and maintenance. You can find out more about the North Yorkshire Moors Railway by visiting www.NYMR.co.uk or by joining Grand Yorkshire’s day trip from York (click here for details). As well as the fleet of steam locomotives, the North Yorkshire Moors Railway operates some diesel engines. However, if you travel on a tour with Grand Yorkshire, you’ll travel by Steam Train – guaranteed! Your guide will find out the schedule of trains for the day and adjust timings if necessary to avoid the diesels…

Not much has changed at Rievaulx Abbey for hundreds of years. The incredible Cistercian abbey ruins lie hidden away in a quiet, wooded valley only a few miles north of Helmsley. Founded in 1131, the abbey had become incredibly successful and wealthy before being ordered closed and destroyed by Henry VIII’s men after the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1536. Fast forward to 2016 and the site of Rievaulx Abbey has just been relaunched with the opening of a brand new visitors’ centre and wonderfully refurbished museum. Arriving at the site after driving through the village of Rievaulx – a village so charming and beautiful that it could be mistaken for a movie set – you’ll arrive in front of the tall, glass-fronted visitors’ centre. You’ll be welcomed on arrival by the friendly staff from English Heritage, the charity charged…

Nestling in a wide valley, just a few short miles from Whitby and the North Yorkshire coastline, lies the pretty, tranquil village of Goathland. It is surrounded by the hills, dales and heather moorland for which the North York Moors are best known. And it’s famous! Visit Goathland with Grand Yorkshire: ‘Steam Trains, Whitby & the Moors‘ The village has a small hotel, a variety of guesthouses and B&Bs and at least two tearooms. And then there are the familiar bits… the post office, the pub, the garages which is also a funeral home, all of which carry the name of ‘Aidensfield’, not Goathland. There are also lots of visitors; 900,000 of them every year. Why? Because it is famous! Famous for its starring role on the hugely popular TV drama series ‘Heartbeat’, images from the village of Goathland were…