jerryny

My wife is attending a conference in York from 5/11 to 5/14. we plan to arrive in york a week early to vist york and and other parts of North Yorkshire (by Car). My thought is perhaps 2 or 3 days in York then visit the Yorkshire Moors and Yorkshire Dales or even perhaps the Lake District. Any suggestions?
We are from the New york Cityaqnd there will be three adults on this trip.

janisj

Well - there is more to see and do thatn you'll have time for. But in your week+ you will be able to see a lot.

Hopefull Morgana (a fodorite who lives in Yorkshire) will see your thread.

But in general. York itself is quite compact and while there is a LOT to see, everything is walking distance from each other and you can really see most in a couple of days.

Your options are pretty much limitless - but if it were me I'd think about starting out somewhere in the Dales for 2 or 3 days. If you choose a good base you could tour all through the Dales plus day trip into the Lake District. Somewhere in the general vicinity of Hawes.

Then I'd stay 2 or 3 days somewhere near Thirsk/Helmsley/Pickering. This would be a base to visit the North Yorkshire Moors, Whitby, Robinhood's Bay, Castle Howard, Rievaulx Abbey, etc.

I'd visit Fountains Abbey/Studley Royal either enroute north to the Dales, or on your way back into York from the Thirsk area.

Then I'd drop the car in York and spend the remaining 1 or 2 free days before the conference in York.

Ani

Oh you lucky duck; York and surrounds must be one of my favorite places in the world. That said, please make Fountains Abbey a priority. Also, on our second trip (just in September) we were recommended a wonderful route through Masham (if you like breweries a must) and on to Middleham (I'm a Richard III enthusiast and the ruins of the castle are gorgeous) making for a fantastic day out. Here's the link to that post, hope you can find some useful information:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2

Also, we didn't have time for Ripon but did drive through the town and it was absolutely lovely.

Ani

I'll try again:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34576011

jerryny

Well it seems now that British Air is offering 2 free days in London hotels if we book before December 1st. So now we have 5 days in York and Yorkshire before her conferance starts. if we spend 2 days in york then we'll have three to spend in the countryside. Since the Heather won't be in bloom in May, perhaps we should skip the Moors or just drive through it and go on the the dales. However, I was thinking of taking that train ride in Pickering in the moors. i did want to see Castle Howard which i believe was the castle in "Brideshead Revisited".

Morgana

Hi there
As Janis said, I live in North Yorks. May is a beautiful time of year to visit. Don't worry about no heather blooming on the Moors - you will have plenty to be happy about!! All the spring flowers will be in bloom and the countryside will look spectacular. I do think that you need to decide which area to go to. North Yorkshire is a huge county and I could give you enough to do to keep you going for a month. And travelling in the Dales and Moors can be slow - narrow, twisty roads and lanes that you might well be sharing with farm vehicles and even sheep! If you are keen to do see Castle Howard/NYM Railway/Fountains Abbey then maybe leave the Dales for another trip. If you want to do the Dales bit then it has its own castles and abbeys. For scenenic beauty the Dales does it for me every time - waterfalls, ancient pack horse bridges, beautiful villages. And it will all be soooo green in May.
Might help as well if you look at other postings I have made on this subject (I helped Ani out for instance).
I don't know the Moors in as much detail, but I know the Dales like the back of my hand so please let me know if you have further questions. I can also advise on nice pubs/restaurants for lunch/dinner.

jerryny

Hi Morgana,
Thanks to you and all the other wonderful posters for the great advice. My thought is first to try and convince my wife to start our trip a few days early to see more of Yorkshire. Failing that to perhaps spend a day driving through the Moors and then 2 days in the Dales. Perhaps you could recommend some B&Bs or inns in the Dales as a base as well as some pubs and restaurants. If you had two days in the Dales what would you recommend to see or perhaps you might suggest an itinerary to follow.

Morgana

Hi again
Happy to work out an intinerary for you, but if you tell me more about your interests I can hopefully tailor it to your needs. For instance do your interests include walking, photography, visiting castles, waterfalls, geological features, pretty villages etc etc. Just let me know!
I can be more specific about pubs/restaurants once I know where you will be going. However, my favourite place to stay is The Yorke Arms in Ramsgill (situated in beautiful Nidderdale). Don't be put off by the tariff as this place is special! Glorious location, a Michelin starred restaurant with the best food I have ever eaten, beautiful walks literally from the doorstep. I love it here! And the tariff isn't so high when you consider what you are getting for your money. Website is www.yorke-arms.co.uk
M

McD1942

Hi,
Try this web site www.sproxtonhallcottages.co.uk they have self catering cottages in Sproxton which is on the outskirts of Helmsley that was mentioned in a previous post. Not expensive, can easily drive into York/Dales/Moors.

PamR

We were in Yorkshire in May once, and I agree it was beautiful (though also chilly and damp). We stayed in Haworth, which I would recommend if you are a Bronte fan. Or at least a stopover there. The parsonage gives you a real feel for the way they lived, as did the town itself. May be more touristy today, though, as this was a number of years ago. We also enjoyed stopping in the moors on a very blustery day. I could almost see Heathcliff in the distance ;-)

jerryny

Hi Morgana,
the Yorke Arms is a little too pricey for us although the picture looks fabulous. We don't plan on too much walking. Visiting castles, waterfalls, geological features, pretty villages, especially the pretty villages, all sound great. I think we will take a day trip to the Lake district as suggested by Janisi as well as a day in either Pickering or Thirsk.

xxxx

While not exactly in the area you are thinking of, we just spent 2 nights at the Granary in Stearsby. We found it from an earlier recommendation on this site. We used it after York and for trips to Fountains Abbey and Castle Howard.

jerryny

Just got my wife to agree for an additional day in Yorkshire so now we'll have 6 days. Two in York, one in the Moors, two in the dales and one for the Lake District.

almcd

I am surprised that nobody has mentioned Eden Camp. It is an ex P.O.W. camp that has been converted into a second world war exhibition. It is fantastic and well worth a visit for about three hours. It is on the road to Pickering if memory serves me well.