I noticed that whenever fodorites asked about what to in Yorkshire I got bored writing it all down so I thought I'd drop a list of the web sites I use to plan my weekends out. Hope this is useful

Yorkshire

Four counties each are very different. They are also called the Ridings.
North is the largest with the lowest density of population contains Richmond and York (with its medieval city walls).
West is the most urbanised with good public transport links and a series of small cities of which Leeds is the largest and wealthiest.
East Yorkshire mainly flat with little of interest apart from cities and towns on the coast. South Yorkshire contains some of the Pennine hill range and the old industrial cities of Sheffield and Rotherham.

Public Transport

www.sypte.co.uk South Yorkshire
www.wymetro.com West Yorkshire
www.yorkshiretravel.net Yorkshire
www.dalesbus.org The dales
www.eyms.co.uk East Yorkshire
www.traveline.org.uk UK public transport
www.lbia.co.uk Leeds Bradford Airport

Gardens, castles and ruins

www.harewood.org expensive old house, bird collection and bits of the TV series Emmerdale
www.leeds.gov.uk tropical world large heated plant and animal collection
www.perennial.org.uk one acre garden hidden away
www.boltonabbey.com another fantastic old ruin
www.gardensofyorkshire.com loads of nice gardens

Museums and art galleries

www.royalarmories.co.uk the bits that will not fit in the tower of london and in the summer jousting
www.ysp.co.uk seriously good outdoors sculpture park
www.leeds.gov.uk/artgallery good regional gallery (also a design centre underneath and next door the Henry Moore
www.henry-moore-fdn.co.uk Henry Moore Institute
www.leeds.gov.uk/templenewsam Country house
www.royalarmouries.org
www.internationaljoust.com

Theatre

www.carriageworkstheatre.co.uk
www.leedsconcertseason.com
www.lcm.ac.uk Leeds college of music
www.leedsgrandtheatre.com
www.northernballettheatre.co.uk
www.operanorth.co.uk
www.cityvarieties.co.uk traditional variety theatre
www.wyg.org.uk West Yorkshire playhouse

Miscellaneous

www.nationaltrust.org.uk
www.english-heritage.org.uk
www.bronte.info
www.uktvhistory.co.uk
www.xscape.co.uk indoor snow

Tourist Office

www.harrogate.gov.uk Harrogate
www.yorkshirevisitor.com Yorkshire
www.visityork.org York
www.visitleeds.co.uk Leeds


I've missed off Saltaire near Bradford which is yet another world heritage site with a fantastic modern art gallery in the first floor

Hi
This will be really useful for Yorkshire visitors.
May I add a few more. I live locally and am forever being asked about Fountains Abbey (World Heritage site)
Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Gardens
www.fountainsabbey.org.uk
Castle Howard
www.castlehoward.co.uk
Good for accommodation, especially rural Bed and breakfasts
www.yorkshirenet.co.uk
Steam railway through Yorkshire Moors
www.nymr.demon.co.uk/
Yorkshire dales guide
www.yorkshiredales.org

Thank you for the timely information - we are spending time in the North York Moors and north up the east coast this summer. What opinions do you have on the Pennines?

Batraveler, not sure what you mean by your Pennines question? If you are spending time in the North Yorks Moors and the coast you won't be near the Pennines?

bilboburgler and Morgana:

Thank you very much for sharing.

Sandy

We are going to York this summer for a week and want to do some day trips. I was planning on renting a car and going to Whitby Abbey and to Haworth. Anyone know how long a drive it is to Haworth? Any other day trip suggestions?

www.theaa.co.uk gives reasonably good travel times and routes

Whitby is stunning, I hope you enjoy it! I did 2 day trips from York on a recent visit: one to Whitby (took a bus there and back, no transfers; it was about a 2-hour ride one way, but I got to watch the scenery rather than the road). If you're driving and have 2 drivers, have one drive there and one back, so each can admire the countryside. The other day trip was to Durham (about an hour or less on the train, no transfers), and that was also well worth it.

I didn't rent a car, and I was able to do everything I wanted, but if I visit York again I probably would, to reach some of the areas less reachable via public transport.

<i>Four counties each are very different. They are also called the Ridings. </i>

A Riding is a third and the three were originally East, North and West Yorkshire whose boundaries were somewhat different to those of the current fourfold division (of which only North and East still have county councils, West and South now being more of an administrative concept).

bookmarking thanks

Yorkshire life:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSx3uLtGkJo

Yorkshire royalty:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMgw8dau2BA