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York already has a fantastic pedigree when it comes to great restaurants. According to the Guardian’s Jay Rayner, that pedigree just got even better. Mr Rayner has reviewed “Skosh” this week and concluded it is another great reason to visit the wonderful city of York. He quickly dispels with any excuses for not making the journey: Here’s what you need to know. You can get from London to York by train in 1 hour and 51 minutes. From Edinburgh, it’s 2 hours 24 minutes. From Birmingham, it’s 2 hours 9 minutes, from Liverpool 1 hour 54 minutes and from Manchester, a mere 1 hour and 14 minutes. The food writer enthuses about the food and the no-nonsense style of the restaurant – and we can’t wait to go! Read Jay Rayner’s full article for the Guardian here: Jay Rayner: Skosh…

You only have to have a casual stroll around York to notice that there are some particularly unusual street names. York is sometimes jokingly referred to as the place where “the streets are called gates, the gates are called bars, and the bars are called pubs”. On tour, I’m often asked what some of York’s…

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…

On our day trip from York (Steam Trains, Whitby & the Moors) we spend three hours at leisure in the fishing town of Whitby, one of the true gems on the British coast. Our minibus tour from York drops you in Whitby, where you are free to explore the town. You will also have the chance to explore Whitby Abbey during our tour from York to Whitby. Here’s what it’s all about: Founded in the late 11th century and closed on the orders of Henry VIII in 1539, Whitby Abbey is located on a dramatic clifftop above the fishing town of Whitby. The site occupied by the abbey has been used since at least Roman Times, where there was almost certainly a signal station. Throughout the 7th, 8th and 9th centuries an Anglian community thrived in Whitby, with a grand…

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…

Looking for day trips from York? Grand Yorkshire has the perfect selection of great value day trips from York, visiting the best locations and showcasing the finest sights and scenery across Yorkshire. These great value day trips from York include ‘Steam Trains, Whitby & the Moors’, which offers you the chance to explore some of the finest scenery in Yorkshire and to ride on the iconic North Yorkshire Moors Railway. You’ll spend time in the market town of Helmsley, see the beauty of the Moors from Bank Top near Rosedale, travel by steam through the North York Moors National Park and you’ll have three hours to explore the amazing coastal town of Whitby, a busy fishing town which inspired Bram Stoker’s Dracula, taught Captain Cook how to sail and is home to the world-famous Magpie Cafe. Another superb day trip…

Not sure where to stay on your visit to York? This post on the Daily Telegraph website should help with some inspiration, with suggestions and reviews of hotels, B&Bs and guesthouses. There is something for everyone in their list, whatever your preferred style and budget. Click here to open the article on the Telegraph website   Need more help? Get in touch with us here at Grand Yorkshire and we’ll happily give you some advice and suggestions of our own. We can help with questions about where to stay, what to do, which tours will suit you best…in fact, anything to do with your visit to Yorkshire.  

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…

Set in the amazing surrounds of Studley Royal Park, Fountains Abbey is one of Yorkshire’s leading tourist destinations, yet remains a place of tranquility, serenity and unspoilt beauty. Here are just five of the many reasons you should visit Fountains Abbey during any trip to Yorkshire: It’s huge! – Fountains Abbey is one of the largest and best-preserved Cistercian Monasteries in England. It’s so well preserved that you can walk around it, inside it, underneath it, through it and on top of it. The landscape around the abbey is so varied that you can see it and photograph it from above, alongside, within and from below it. And while you are there you can find out about life as a monk at the abbey by using the free audio guide. Studley Royal Park – Fountains Abbey is surrounded…