The Yorkshire Dales
of All Creatures Great & Small

York Day Trip to Yorkshire Dales

This fantastic day trip from York has a real ‘private tour’ feel as you are picked up from your hotel in York. With a maximum of 6 people per group, you’ll enjoy a uniquely personal experience.  The size of the vehicle chosen for this tour allows us to take you right into the heart of the Yorkshire Dales on the tiny rural lanes and hidden backroads. We take you where the 16-seater minibuses and bigger coaches simply can’t go. You’ll spend the day in the company of a Yorkshire guide, allowing you to ask questions along the way and to make extra photo stops on demand at truly unforgettable locations in the incredible Yorkshire Dales.

Full itinerary:

On this exclusive small-group tour from York, you explore some of Yorkshire’s most iconic scenery as you travel on the rural lanes in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. You’ll see sights that have been featured in ‘All Creatures Great & Small’, including Darrowby, and you’ll have chance to enjoy lunch (payable locally) at “The Drover’s Arms”. You’ll also spend time at the fabulous “World of James Herriot Museum” in Thirsk (entrance included).

With a maximum of six passengers per group, this tour takes you away from the main roads and busy tourist trails to discover the timeless scenery of the Yorkshire Dales. Your driver-guide, a native Yorkshireman with a real connection to the region, takes you on the rural roads and country lanes that can’t be accessed by big tour groups.

Your day begins with collection from your accommodation in York city centre*, before heading out of York and into the North Yorkshire countryside. The first stop of the itinerary is in the town of Thirsk, where you’ll visit the World of James Herriot Museum (entrance ticket included). Located in the very building where James Herriot lived and worked, the museum offers a fascinating insight into the history of veterinary science in James Herriot’s time, as well as a wonderful look at the creation of the two different adaptations of ‘All Creatures Great & Small‘.

After an hour at the museum in Thirsk, we travel towards the scenery of the amazing Yorkshire Dales National Park. Our route takes us through Nidderdale, a region designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, before we reach the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

Our journey through the National Park starts in Wharfedale, taking in some of the landscapes seen in All Creatures Great & Small. There are lots of photo opportunities before we reach the charming town of Grassington. The small market town of Grassington is famous as the filming location for “Darrowby” in the latest series of ‘All Creatures Great & Small’. Walking through the front door of the “Drover’s Arms” (the Devonshire Arms in real life), you’ll have chance to enjoy lunch (pre-ordered earlier in the day to save time). After time in Grassington to wander through the town and take photos in front of “Skeldale House”, our tour continues through the picturesque scenery of Wharfedale.

There are countless incredible photo opportunities on this drive as your guide shows off some of England’s finest countryside, rolling hills, babbling streams and valley views. We’ll stop at the beautiful 12th century Church of St Michael & All Angels in Hubberholme (where James & Helen are married) and pause for photos overlooking Yockenthwaite (“Heston Grange” – the Alderson’s farm), before climbing into the mountainous scenery between Wharfedale and Wensleydale.

We drop into Wensleydale make a brief stop at the Wensleydale Creamery, where you’ll have chance to sample some of the famous local cheese. We’ll continue through the rolling scenery of Wensleydale before we head out of the Yorkshire Dales and make our way back to York, concluding a fantastic day out in Yorkshire with drop off at your accommodation in the city.

*Hotel Pick-Up Service includes hotels in York City Centre only – (for guidance, we include all hotels within, or close to, the City Walls – if in doubt, please ask). If your hotel is outside the city centre, we can arrange to meet at York railway station or outside York Minster.