Castle Howard
 

We will be within driving distance of Castle Howard. Is is worth a day trip? What other things in that area should we check out?

I definitely think it's worth a trip. If you have ever watched the television series, Brideshead Revisited, the Castle is Brideshead. When you say what else is 'in the area' I'm not sure how far you'd be prepared to travel. North-west of Castle Howard is Pickering, which in itself isn't that remarkable, but from here you can take the North York Moors Steam Railway to Goathland - where they film the 60s TV series 'Heartbeat'. The train also features in the Harry Potter movies and Goathland station is Hogsmeade Station.

Outside Pickering is Eden Camp, another great place to go if you are a fan of things to do with WWII. It was a prisoner of war camp that has been turned into a museum dealing with all things to do with the war. Could easily spend 1/2 a day there.

A further drive, through the North York Moors is Whitby, where Bram Stoker wrote 'Dracula'. It's an interesting place to visit, right on the water, with the ruined Abbey on the cliffs above.

Some lovely villages to visit are Thornton-le-Dale to the east of Pickering and Hutton-le-Hole to the north-west. Further west is Thirsk which was James Herriot's home.

If you are driving from York, to the northwest, is Beningbrough Hall, an interesting place, although far less grand than Castle Howard.

If you are interested in reading about our week in a rental cottage there, you can access this trip report. Scroll down a bit and you will see where the Yorkshire part is:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34937079

Enjoy your trip.

I am a big fan of the book and the television series and the trip to Castle Howard was certainly worth it to me!

Rob

Where exactly will you be based?

One of the things that is, in my opinion, really outstanding in this area is a visit to Eden Camp. it can be found at www.edencamp.co.uk It is a former POW camp and is of interest to anyone with a knowledge of WW 2

Even if you're not a fan of the series the Caste is interesting, as are the grounds - if the weather is good. We spend several hours there on the way to York and it was definitely worth it.

(Oh - and do watch out for the peacocks, some are NOT very friendly).

I completely agree that Castle Howard (its a house rather than a castle) is worth a detour. It's one of England's treasure houses with loads to see both in the house and exploring the extensive grounds. The Courtyard Cafe there wins lots of awards and would be a good place for lunch.
I am not sure where you are staying in North Yorkshire, but some other highlights of the area not already mentioned are -
1) Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Gardens. A World heritage site.
www.fountainsabbey.org.uk
2) Robin Hoods Bay - small, very pretty fishing village. The mian street is VERY steep, you have to leave your car at the top and walk down. Visit in the late afternoon/evening and you'll have the place practically to yourself.
www.robin-hoods-bay.co.uk
3) Staithes is another exceptionally pretty coastal village, and it has the excellent Endeavour fish restaurant.
www.staithes-town.info
www.endeavour-restaurant.co.uk
4)Rievaulx Abbey
http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/s...show=nav.17256
5)Rievaulx Terrace and Temples
http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main...errace_temples
6) The Yorkshire Dales - very different from the Moors.
www.yorkshiredales.org.uk
One of my favourite places to eat is The Star at Harome, often voted top gastropub in England. The food there is fabulous.
www.thestaratharome.co.uk
I'm a North Yorkshire local and could give you enough suggestions to keep you occupied for weeks as there's so much to see and do. Please give me a yell if you think I can help further.

I haven't been able to get back to this as quickly as I had wanted. And when I did today, I had a bunch of information to check out. Thank you so much.

We will be based in Lincoln. We are visitng friends there and wanted to do a day trip or an overnight to Castle Howard. Sounds like it is definitley worth checking out.

And a personal thanks to Morgana for the offer of futher help. As the time grows closer, I just might take you up on that. And I understand about the steep hill in Robin Hoods Bay as I have been up and down the one in Lincoln many times. But Mrs. Brown's Pie Shop (about three-quarters of the way up) makes every step worthwhile.

Lincoln (city) to Castle Howard isn't a long drive, I would guess under two hours. We had a cottage near Helmsley for a week two years ago then drove down to Lincoln for two nights--very easy drive. You wouldn't need a full day for Castle Howard so could combine with other options described above although if you decide to do the North Moors Railroad, which now goes all the way to the coast from Pickering as well as Castle Howard, I would recommend an overnight. There are some nice National Trust properties in the area, lovely villages and of course York itself.

saving for me