Elisabeth54

Hello again to all the people who already gave me such good advise on places to see in Derbyshire and Yorkshire. I have so enjoyed just reading all the information via the links you gave me and loved your pictures Morgana!

We have decided to take the ferry to Hull from mainland Europe arriving in the early morning. We have the entire day before meeting our friends in Bakewell that evening. Depending on the weather on that day we will either drive via Lincoln (only to see the cathedral) or drive to the Yorkshire sculpture park in Wakefield before driving down to meet our friends in Bakewell. We will decide a few days ahead of time.

Our next stop is York. I have been trying to find a nice hotel or B&B in town but found that many accommodations only do a minimum of two nights on weekends. We don't necessarily have to stay in York itself of course. All suggestions for are most welcome.

The next day we plan to drive north via Rievaulx Abbey across the Moors (route A169) to Whitby. Any suggestions for places to stay again bring 'm on. Of course we will have to sample the best fish and ships in the UK before leaving Whitby.

From there we will drive North to Newcastle just for the drive. There might be time left to see some of Durham but we have basically decided to leave that for the next time when we hope to see more of Northumberland. One has to make choices.

Thanks in advance for your tips and suggestions.

janisj

To solve your problem -- I'd seriously consider staying in York 2 nights. Bakewell to York is about a 2.5 hour drive so unless you leave at the crack of dawn you won't have much more than half a day in York.

bilboburgler

Hull and the ferry, no real advice, but road goes across a bridge which may be raised so don't expect you will rush through. The road on the other side (Clive Sullivan Way) can be a giant carpark as you come through just as the rush hour in starts. If you get through the bit past the commercial centre (after the bridge) you will find the motorway is crystal clear until you reach the A1 or M1.

If you decide to take the giant suspension bridge across the river, be aware the roads on the other side are relatively slow. You probably should go to Lincoln that way, but we aware it is slow.

janeog

We ran into the same problem two years ago, not being able to find a single night's accommodation in York. We ended up staying at Ravensdale Lodge in Stillington, about 10 miles out of York, very nice room, friendly owner and it worked well for us although we were not heading back to York to sightsee at that point.

We were attending a family wedding which took place at Ox Pasture Hall near Scarborough - very nice country hotel and from there we were able to drive easily to Robin Hood's Bay, Whitby and Staithes.

ESW

From Hull, the quickest way to Lincoln is across the Humber Bridge (the giant suspension bridge refered to by bilboburglar). Take the A15 (good fast road) to the M180 (never busy unless a ferry has just docked at Immingham...) and then A15 which drops you down into Lincoln. This is a straight road but if you hit a slow moving vehicle, overtaking can be difficult especially as approaching traffic may be driving fast. The A1/M1 option given by Bilboburglar just doesn't make sense.

For York, have you tried the Dean Court Hotel? This is possibly the best location in the centre of York over looking the west end of the cathedral. It has its own car park and you can drop off car and luggage when you arrive in York and then go off and explore, booking in later. You can also leave car and luggage after you have booked out until you are ready to leave. There's lots more information here;
http://www.silvertraveladvisor.com/b...urt-hotel-york
As you can see we loved this hotel. There are also plenty of places to eat out near by.

If you are wanting somewhere in the North York Moors, we can recommend High Farm B&B in Cropton. Rooms are very comfortable. Breakfast is good and you are welcomed on arrival with a pot of tea and homemade cakes.
http://www.highfarmcropton.co.uk/
The brew pub in the village does evening meals.

carolyn

We stayed at The Groves in York. They do have parking and free breakfast and are in walking distance of the city center, but I don't know about the two-night restriction on weekends.

Morgana

Sounding good.
My only comment is 'driving to Newcastle just for the drive' - have to say that it isn't the most exciting of journeys although I assume you are doing the cross country route and not my usual trek up the A1 (my son lives in Newcastle).
I'm with Janis - stay two nights in York and see more of North Yorkshire. You could have a lovely day at Castle Howard, or Fountains Abbey for instance.
I think you are sensible to let the weather decide between Lincoln Cathedral and the Sculpture Park. The latter is huge and mainly outdoors, and needs a good day to enjoy it properly.

Elisabeth54

My goodness, even after having been a Fodorite myself for over five years, you people never seize to amaze me. I always marvel at how it is possible that people voluntarily without any personal gain share so much valuable information with others such as me. Thank you, thank you again for all your advise. I shall be sure to post our experiences via this medium.
We are not the kind of people who like to be rushed and jump from sight to sight, but we also like to have a list of places to visit ready to pick from bearing in mind the fickle European weather.

Tulips

Dean Court will usually insists on a 2 night minimum. If you only want one night, consider the Park Inn. It is far from charming - but the rooms are good and modern, it's not expensive, has a great location and view, and a car park next door.

The Dean Court is nicer, with the best location; some of the rooms are a bit worn, though, and the rooms get very warm in summer.

The Grand Hotel has the nicest rooms - but is more expensive, and the location not as good as Dean Court.