This is Y Magazine 2013-14

This is Going to extremes Feel on top of the world as you see Yorkshire from a different perspective The land of luxury Try a glass of something fizzy with a fabulous seaside experience The inside track Go backstage at an award winning music weekend

Chain reaction

DISCOVER SOME AMAZING CYCLING AS YORKSHIRE GEARS UP TO WELCOME THE TOUR DE FRANCE

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Front cover image: Rosedale Chimney Bank climb heading west out of Rosedale, North York Moors National Park.

Photograph: Russell Burton Published by: Welcome to Yorkshire Dry Sand Foundry Foundry Square Holbeck Leeds LS11 5DL © Welcome to Yorkshire 2013 Designed and produced by: Welcome to Yorkshire Printed by: St. Ives Direct, Leeds Whilst every care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this publication, Welcome to Yorkshire can accept no responsibility for any errors or omissions. Information throughout this magazine is compiled from details supplied by organisations or establishments concerned. No recommendation by Welcome to Yorkshire is implied by the inclusion of any information and Welcome to Yorkshire accepts no responsibility in the matter. Prices, dates, hours of opening etc. were correct at the time of going to press. Readers are reminded that these details are subject to change and they are advised to check when finalising any arrangements.

Please note, the destination guides on pages 106-121 have been placed by our partners and the content approved by them. It is not intended to be a comprehensive guide to all destinations and does not necessarily represent the views of Welcome to Yorkshire.

The paper in this magazine originates from timber that is sourced from sustainable forests, managed to strict environmental, social and economic standards.

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Once you have finished with this magazine, please pass it on to someone else who may be interested or recycle it.

Need to get in touch?

Contact the Editor Andrew Denton adenton@yorkshire.com Become a member Liz Tattersley ltattersley@yorkshire.com Advertise with us Tracy Commons tcommons@yorkshire.com Marketing opportunities Vikki Harris vharris@yorkshire.com Communications Dee Marshall dmarshall@yorkshire.com

Follow us: @welcome2yorks

Welcome Welcome to This is Y, the magazine for everything wonderful about Yorkshire. With the help of some of the country’s finest travel writers we have created a magazine that celebrates the county’s quality, its quirkiness and of course, its enduring appeal to young and old alike.

This year we rightfully celebrate our county’s wonderful cycling routes as we gear up to host the Tour de France in 2014. We shine a light on Yorkshire’s amazing places to stay, take to the skies to see Yorkshire from a different point of view and find some gems among the cobblestones of our market towns.

World's Leading Marketing Campaign

It can only happen in Yorkshire.

Gary Verity, Chief Executive Welcome to Yorkshire

Like us: welcometoyorkshire

Meet the Writers MANDY WRAGG

DUNcAN cRAiG

Steve MccLAReNce

Born in Sheffield, Amanda is a food and travel writer. She's covered cafés, pubs and restaurants for the Sunday Times and Guardian and is Alastair Sawday's Northern correspondent.

Deputy Travel Editor of the Daily and Sunday Express for six years, he now writes for a diverse range of publications including The Sunday Times and The Independent.

An award winning travel writer.

He specialises in India and off-thebeaten track Britain and his work appears in The Times, the Daily Telegraph, and the Yorkshire Post.

PAUL HOWARD

ALi ScHOFieLD

NicHOLAS ROe

Born in Leeds, his passion for cycling has since seen him write three cycling books, including ”Sex, Lies and Handlebar Tape”, and the acclaimed biography of Jacques Anquetil.

A freelance lifestyle journalist based in Harrogate. Published by The Guardian and Stylist. When she’s not writing you can usually find her up one of the three peaks.

His travels have taken him from the mountains of Kyrgyzstan, to the rainforests of Madagascar but he has a particular affection for Yorkshire’s landscape and character.

SARAH FReeMAN

ALAN HiNkeS OBe

WiLL HiDe

Sarah was born and brought up in Leeds. She pursued a long-held ambition to be a journalist and is currently features editor of the Yorkshire Post.

The first Briton to climb all 14 of the world's highest mountains.

He currently works as an outdoor equipment technical consultant, writes and lectures on his exploits.

After over a decade on The Times travel desk, Will now writes for a diverse number of publications in Britain, Australia and the Middle East.

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“ I’m over the moon that the world’s biggest bike race is coming to Yorkshire. It’s going to be amazing for the region, a massive honour, and I’m sure everyone in Britain is going to embrace this now.”

Ben Swift Team Sky

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Contents Yorkshire highlights............ 6

The inside track .................... 64

The very best experiences, attractions and latest news.

A backstage pass to Tramlines, an award winning music weekend and the UK’s urban Glastonbury.

Grand Départ ........................... 14

Keighley & Worth Valley Railway ......................... 69

Yorkshire to host the start of the 2014 Tour de France.

Hit the road ................................. 18

Sculpture vultures............. 70

Paul Howard rides out with cycling legend Malcolm Elliott.

Explore four of Yorkshires finest venues for sculpture.

Brian Robinson ...................... 23

Perfect performance .... 72

Meet the man who rode Britain into the Tour de France record books.

Behind the scenes at Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, home of Alan Ayckbourn.

4 cycling routes .................... 24 Why everyone is celebrating cycling across Yorkshire.

York Minster................................ 77

Get on your bike.................. 26

Going to extremes ........... 78

Join Nicholas Roe as he tests out the tranquil yet challenging Pennine Bridleway.

Cycling heaven ...................... 30 The Stevens family dust off their bikes, and head for an East Yorkshire Wolds cycle trail.

Carr Hall Castle...................... 34

Alan Hinkes OBE, world famous mountaineer, takes to the skies above Yorkshire.

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National Trust........................... 84

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Hands on fun............................. 36 Fun for all the family at the National Media Museum.

English Heritage .................. 43

Time for something different ....... 86 Explore an encampment of wooden shacks, conically-roofed yurts, bunk barns and a lot of eco-idealism.

Skipton ............................................... 90 Pride of Yorkshire .............. 93 Work up a thirst with Dave Lee’s review of Yorkshire’s perfect pints and perfect pubs.

Brilliant Bramley .................. 44 Michelin star chef Tessa Bramley tells us how she swapped the classroom for the kitchen.

Going up market................. 96

Bags of style.............................. 46

Will Hide explores three fantastic old market towns Beverley, Skipton and Malton.

Find out why Yorkshire is a magnet for savvy shoppers.

Simply the best ..................... 50

Speed demon ......................100

Find out more about our White Rose Award winners, doing the county proud.

Andrew Denton gets under the bonnet of Ginetta sports cars with Lawrence Tomlinson.

Devonshire Arms................ 52

Getting here ........................... 104 All the information you need to plan your next trip to Yorkshire.

The land of luxury ............. 54 A whistle stop tour of some of Yorkshire’s finest accommodation, first stop Sandsend.

The fossil files .......................... 60 Join Duncan Craig on his quest to find Jurassic fossils along Yorkshire’s spectacular coastline.

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Yorkshire destinations ............................ 106

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Whatever you're looking for, we'll help you to discover the stunning Yorkshire destinations that are perfectly suited to you.

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YORKSHIRE HIGHLIGHTS

tee tiMe

GAMe OF StONeS

Yorkshire will stage two stunning displays of top amateur golf this summer when England Golf’s stars take on the finest players from Europe and the UK. The renowned courses at Fulford Golf Club in York and Ganton Golf Club, near Scarborough, will each host a major event and spectators are very welcome. Teams of the best women players from up to 20 countries will head to Fulford in July to battle for European championship medals.

England hopes home advantage will help them to victory – and Yorkshire grit will figure strongly in their preparation. Both the team captain, Emma Brown, and coach, Steve Robinson, are from the county. Emma, one of the finest amateurs of her generation, plays at Malton & Norton Golf Club, while Steve is based at Sandburn Hall, near York. In August, the action moves to Ganton when England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales contest the Men’s Home Internationals. England Golf is the governing body for amateur golf in England. www.englandgolf.org www.yorkshire.com/golf

Hottest tickets in town!

Beverley Folk Festival 21-23 June 2013 Breath-taking music, dance, comedy, film and spoken word, workshops for all ages, children and family events, craft stalls, real ale, camping and much more. www.beverleyfestival.com

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Deer Shed Festival 19-21 July 2013 The festival has the vibe of a lazy Sunday afternoon in the perfect pub beer garden, sound-tracked by a bill that resembles the 6 Music playlist. www.deershedfestival.com

Ilkley Literature Festival 4-20 Oct 2013 The North’s most prestigious Literature Festival, with over 200 events over 17 days. Enjoy authors’ events, readings, performances and much more. www.ilkleyliteraturefestival.org.uk

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© Leaderboard Photography

West Yorkshire based Marshalls, the UK’s leading hard landscaping company, has paved the way for some of the most prestigious landmarks in and around the London area. From Old Kent Road to Mayfair, ‘Marshalls Monopoly’ illustrates the materials supplied to every location named on the board. www.marshalls.co.uk

YORKSHIRE HIGHLIGHTS

NEW at Eureka!

It's All 'App'ening

‘All About Me’ is a brand new gallery, inspired by you at Halifax’s Eureka! The National Children's Museum.

Children are at the heart of Eureka! and are at the heart of the new gallery where they will be able to explore their favourite topic – ME! They’ve taken the best bits from the flagship Me & My Body gallery and created new and exciting play spaces and experiences. In the new gallery, children will discover fascinating facts about their bodies and learn more about the choices which they can make to help shape their futures. The journey starts by making friends with the friendliest new robot in town! www.eureka.org.uk

The James Herriot App is the ultimate digital guide, showcasing the best of what Herriot Country has to offer. Here are some great reasons to download. The app features accommodation and attractions listings plus places of interest listed in the palm of your hand.

Get a bird’s eye view of where each featured business is located across Herriot Country, find deals on the go, and get involved – we’re giving you the chance to recommend a place to eat, stay or an attraction that is not already featured. You can also book your train tickets or if you fancy hiring a car, then use it to find your holiday run around. The James Herriot App is free on the app store for both the iPad and iPhone.

Find out more at: www.yorkshire.com/herriotapp

MAcY'S MAGic

Offering an eclectic mix of 1920’s glamour and Alice in Wonderland chic with a range of homegrown Yorkshire dishes; newly rebranded The Grill At Macy’s is Leeds’ newest eatery and should be on every foodie’s hit list. www.thegrillatmacys.co.uk

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YORKSHIRE HIGHLIGHTS

NeW RUSHBOND HOteL

Rushbond, the Leeds-based development company, has announced plans to open a new luxury hotel at Yorkshire Sculpture Park in Wakefield. The company will refurbish an existing Grade II* listed mansion house.

A contemporary new structure will be added to house a bedroom wing, which will see the hotel offer 83 bedrooms. www.rushbond.co.uk

Blooming Good Bread With more than 100 years’ experience of baking bread in Hull, there’s no wonder Jackson’s Bakery takes such pride in its Yorkshire’s Champion Bread. Baked to perfection in Hull, the Champion bloomers, available in white, brown and seeded varieties, are made with wheat grown in Yorkshire and flour milled in Yorkshire. The bread is on sale in most major supermarkets across the county and is every bit as good as you’d expect it to be! www.jacksonschampionbread.co.uk

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BUSiNeSS NeWS It seems as though every politician is talking about ways to stimulate the economy and create jobs through advanced manufacturing. But strangely little media attention is paid to the companies that actually manage to buck the trend and get Britain manufacturing again.

South Yorkshire is home to the global headquarters of AESSEAL plc: a high-technology engineering company that manufactures mechanical seals. You may not have heard of them – their products are used primarily on industrial pumps and similar equipment – but with 90% of sales to export markets and impressive sales-growth, the company is bringing money and jobs back into the area. And the company is always looking for talented new recruits. www.aesseal.com

BUiLt WitH FANS iN MiND

Concert goers and performers alike will enjoy a more intimate atmosphere.

Bringing live entertainment to life, Leeds Arena will host around 140 events a year, such as pop and rock concerts, sport, comedy shows and family entertainment. Opening in autumn 2013, the venue will be the UK's first purpose built 'fan-shape' arena. Concert goers and performers alike will enjoy a more intimate atmosphere with reduced viewing distances relative to the capacity of the venue, making every seat a great seat. 2013 tickets are on sale for pop sensations JLS, comedian Micky Flanagan, the world renowned Cirque Du Soleil, local heroes the Kaiser Chiefs and international superstar Elton John. www.eventim.co.uk/leeds-arena

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YORKSHIRE HIGHLIGHTS

BUSiNeSS NeWS

Such an iceway to make a living R&R Ice Cream is the home of iconic brands such as Fab lollies which are over 40 years old, Rowntree's Fruit Pastille lollies, Smarties and Rolo.

The executive chairman loves his job and the place he lives; North Yorkshire.

“One of the things I really wanted to do when we got this ice cream business was to make it a success because I wanted to live here.” www.rr-icecream.eu

Seabrook Crisps Family owned Seabrook has been making crisps in Yorkshire since 1945 and proud of its roots. The brand has exciting plans for 2013 to share its great crisps with the rest of the nation. www.seabrookcrisps.com

Creating a future by protecting the past Bluebird Vehicles Ltd, based in Scarborough, are the UK's leading designer and manufacturer of coach built low floor accessible buses. All their apprentices work to restore vintage vehicles as well as working on the current fleet. A 1929 Leyland Tiger came to Bluebird having been languishing as a shed in a field for many years. It was painstakingly rebuilt by the apprentices and starred in the Lord Mayors’ Show parade in London in 2011. www.bluebirdvehicles.com

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Enter the Orb Now open and new for 2013 – the Orb! A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see at close range some of the world’s most important art. Within this elliptical treasure – house of stained glass you will discover a forgotten artist for the first time – England’s lost Vermeer or Michelangelo. Explore new interactive galleries illustrating the epic stories and craftsmanship of the magnificent Great East End, all part of the York Minster Revealed project. The Orb is included in your admission ticket which is valid for 12 months.

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YORKSHIRE HIGHLIGHTS

Driving Yorkshire Success With its long heritage and strong Yorkshire roots, JCT600 has become one of the best known and most respected names in the North of England. Now as one of the UK’s largest privately owned independent motor groups, it remains a family business, committed to its core values of providing excellent service to its customers and valuing its staff.

From Audi to Vauxhall, Mazda to Mercedes-Benz, JCT600 represents an extensive range of leading brands and stocks all of the latest models to offer a wide range of vehicles from compacts and family cars through to executive and luxury cars.

Founded in 1946, JCT600 was run

by Jack Tordoff for 44 years until he moved to the role of Chairman in 2002 – a position he still holds today. Now in the hands of the third generation of the family, Jack’s youngest son, John Tordoff, is currently Chief Executive.

A passion for motoring runs deep in the Tordoff family. JCT600 takes its name from the personalised number plate on Jack Tordoff’s Mercedes-Benz 600, and it was in a Porsche 911 bearing that very registration that Jack won the

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International Circuit of Ireland in 1973.

Competing all over the world, he was a well-known rally driver in his younger days and this is a mantle which is now being taken over by his grandson, Sam Tordoff, who competes in the Porsche Carrera Cup, finishing in third place overall at the end of the 2012 season.

Community Spirit As the company has grown, it has remained committed to its ethos of giving back to the local communities in which it operates. JCT600 has an established and varied track record of supporting local sports. From encouraging young teams such as Hull under Sevens through to supporting Olympic hopefuls including swimmer Danielle Hall-Jackson as well as much-loved grass roots organisations like Bradford Bees, Bradford Cricket League and Guiseley AFC. In addition, the company also provides sponsorship for high profile clubs such as Yorkshire County Cricket Club.

JCT600’s community spirit also reaches further afield, regularly supporting a host of popular local events including the Bradford

International Film Festival, the Harrogate Antiques Fair and the Bradford to Morecambe Historic Vehicle Run which raises funds for Cancer Support Bradford and Airedale.

The company regularly supports the fund-raising initiatives of individual employees and every year the Directors also embark on their own fundraising challenge in aid of local charities such as Help for Heroes and Macmillan Cancer Support. Having undertaken a grueling climb up Ben Nevis which raised £10,000 for the Bradford Burns Unit, in recent years the Directors have extended their charity challenge to include staff across JCT600’s head office and its dealerships.

In 2012, a 135-strong team from JCT600 joined forces on a firm-wide charity initiative to scale Yorkshire’s Three Peaks. Together covering an impressive 3,300 miles, the team succeeded in raising more than £10,000 for their chosen charities, enabling them to support the charity closest to their heart such as Bliss, Yorkshire Air Ambulance, and Brain Tumour Research and Support. www.jct600.co.uk

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ALeA iN Uk FiRSt

Alea Restaurants has been awarded a place in the prestigious 2013 Michelin Guide. The Leeds Kitchen by James Martin and The Bird by Vineet have secured mentions in the highly regarded publication. Both are based in the stunning Alea at New Dock, Leeds.

This is the first time a UK casino has had their restaurants incorporated in the guide. Go to www.leeds.aleacasinos.com

Mallard 75 In 1938, Mallard raced down Stoke Bank at 126mph to set a new steam locomotive world record that still stands and in July, the 75th anniversary of Mallard’s achievement is being celebrated with a series of commemorative events at the National Railway Museum in York. www.nrm.org.uk

Business News Can we build it? Yes we can!

Yorkshire based Arnold Laver have secured the national distribution rights for an innovative new mouldings solution - KOTA™ - the next generation in MDF mouldings. Quote WTY10OFF to receive a 10% discount. www.laveronline.co.uk

Providing great tasting food in the heart of Yorkshire Symington's has enjoyed a rich history over the last 180 years, bringing families together by providing great tasting food that is quick and easy to prepare. British family favourite, Chicken Tonight, has a new and improved range of flavours to choose from, including newly added Sicilian Chicken and Mild Mexican, as well as old favourites such as Honey and Dijon mustard – there really is something for the whole family to enjoy. www.facebook.com/chickentonightuk

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clockwise from top left: Racing through historic York. Riding in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales. Cyclists competing in the East Yorkshire Classic Premier Road Race around the East Yorkshire Wolds. Yorkshire has routes that will test the most experienced riders.

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t is official: The world’s greatest cycle race the Tour de France - will start in the world’s greatest county on 5th July 2014 bringing millions of fans to the Yorkshire roadside to cheer on the champions of the sport. It will be the first time Le Tour has visited the North of England having previously only made visits to the south coast and the capital. I can guarantee it will be a festival and a spectacle for fans and first timers alike and I am sure Yorkshire will rise to the occasion and give the riders, the teams and the race organisers a Grand Départ to remember. We are a world class county and we will deliver a world class event.

This is Yorkshire’s moment to shine. Over 3 billion people watch Le Tour on television every year, which will provide a wonderful advert for our county and hopefully prompt people who maybe haven’t visited before, or not been in a while, to book a break to see us.

This is undoubtedly Yorkshire’s opportunity to welcome the world. With the recent success of British riders, notably Bradley Wiggins becoming the first Briton to win Le Tour in 2012, shortly followed by a gold medal time trial performance in London, the popularity of cycling has never been higher. With that in mind it might be a good idea to think about booking your favourite Yorkshire hotel, bed and breakfast or campsite early to avoid disappointment!

Yorkshire is rightly proud to be able to say it will host the Tour de France. The county is a heartland of cycling and over the next few pages we celebrate Yorkshire’s Grand Départ, Yorkshire’s cycling champions, the county’s iconic cycling landscapes and hopefully inspire more people to consider going uphill and down dale on two wheels in future.

Gary Verity, Chief Executive, Welcome to Yorkshire @LeTourYorkshire

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WelcometoYorkshire

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TOUR DE FRANCE

“ This is going to be an unforgettable experience for Yorkshire - the sheer scale of the Tour de France cannot be overestimated. I'm proud to say it's sure to place Yorkshire and cycling firmly together in minds of people around the world like never before.”

Malcolm Elliott, Grand Départ Yorkshire Ambassador

Leeds Headrow at night

GRAND

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3,500 3.5B THE TOUR DE FRANCE COVERS APPROXIMATELY 3,500 KMS

THE TOUR DE FRANCE HAS A WORLDWIDE TELEVISION AUDIENCE OF 3.5 BILLION

4,700 188

THERE ARE 4,700 HOURS OF TV COVERAGE ANNUALLY

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THE TOUR DE FRANCE

IS BROADCAST IN OVER LARGEST METROPOLITAN 188 COUNTRIES DISTRICT IN ENGLAND

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THE TOUR DE FRANCE ATTRACTS 12 MILLION SPECTATORS ALONG THE ROUTE

ON AVERAGE SPECTATORS TRAVEL 130KM TO SEE A STAGE OF LE TOUR

3RD

30%

LEEDS IS ENGLAND’S 3RD LARGEST CITY

The Grand Départ of the Tour de France is one of the most widely publicised and eagerly anticipated stages in the world famous race and now we know a few of the places it will touch during its historic visit to Yorkshire.

Leeds will provide a stunning start for the riders with the presentation of the teams taking place on Thursday 3rd July, the culmination of a celebration of arts and cycling designed to welcome Le Tour to our great county in style.

From Leeds it will head north and west with a first day finish in the quintessentially English spa town of Harrogate, home of star sprinter and Yorkshire bid ambassador Mark Cavendish’s close family. He was thrilled when the news was announced that Le Tour would be visiting the county, tweeting: “Such great news to hear that le Tour de France #TDF2014 will start in my mother’s birthplace of Yorkshire!

So excited.”

The second day’s racing will start in York, the ancient capital of the north, before winding its way to a finish in the southern heartlands of the county.

The third day’s racing will finish in London on Monday 7th July when the riders will leave the UK and head back to mainland France.

Yorkshire will provide the warm welcome and London the fond farewell, in between will be three days of racing that will, as the numbers left illustrate, showcase the county and the country to the world. To find out more go to www.yorkshire.com/letouryorkshire

30% OF SPECTATORS ARE WOMEN

DÉPART yorkshire.com

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CYCLING

Pro cyclist Pete Williams training in Halton Gill, North Yorkshire.

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Hit the Road Paul Howard takes Yorkshire cycling legend Malcolm Elliott for a ride, from dale to moor to coast.

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Main image © Rick Robson photography

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enjoy my cycling, more particularly my cycling challenges, as much as the next rider. Normally, the more unlikely the trial, the more eager my anticipation. There are occasions, however, when even what previously seemed the most alluring opportunity suddenly becomes slightly daunting. When anticipation is more or less usurped by a creeping sense of anxiety.

Today is such a day. First there’s the terrain. I’m riding from my home in the Yorkshire Dales to the North York Moors. The Moors alone comfortably fulfil the criteria for providing a challenging ride. An enjoyable, beautiful, peaceful ride as well, but always challenging: the almost infinite variety of climbs to surmount (short and long, steep and very steep); the rollercoaster roads in between the major climbs that offer only occasional respite – even the downhills need to be treated with respect.

Then there’s the weather. It is undeniably a beautiful day. The sky is crystal clear, the December sunrise was a thing of wonder. But the light has a brittle edge to it that portends the deep cold that can settle on the national park in the winter months. I’m uncertain whether to be more concerned about the prospect of ice on the roads or the icy feeling that will inevitably take hold in my fingers and toes.

The coup de grâce, though, the thing that tips me from excitement to apprehension, is my cycling companion for the day.

I have somehow managed to persuade former professional cyclist and Olympian, Tour de France finisher and Tour of Spain points jersey winner, Commonwealth Games and National road-race champion, Malcolm Elliott, to accompany me on my imaginary route of Le Tour in Yorkshire.

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“The North York Moors provide an enjoyable, beautiful, peaceful ride …but always challenging.”

Fortunately, this is not a race, and Malcolm has promised me he has not had much time to be out on the bike recently. The aim instead is to explore some of the roads that I would feature in the Tour de France when it comes to Yorkshire in 2014. Actually, exploration is not quite correct as we both know the roads of Yorkshire well – it’s part of the reason we both started to ride. What we really want to do is underline just how beautiful and challenging they are, and how perfect they would be to stage cycling’s biggest spectacle.

Perhaps because of this link to the Tour de France, I still feel nervous about slowing Malcolm down. I certainly don’t want him to feel he has squandered such a glorious day for riding with excessive waiting.

For this reason as much as the need to keep warm, we pick up the pace from Helmsley, Malcolm kindly towing me along in his slipstream. The temperature has crept up just enough for fears about slippery roads to subside, and time flashes by as we wend our way north westwards through the delightful upper reaches of Ryedale. Then, having finally generated a comfortable body temperature, we swoop chillingly down to Osmotherley.

Tour de France racers and riders of Malcolm’s calibre would not normally have the chance to thaw out with a cup of coffee in one of the village’s three pubs, but I’m happy to use my amateur status as an excuse to do just that. It’s an early stop, but even Malcolm seems pleased, settling down by the fire. “You’ve got to carry a lot of warmth with you on days like this,” he explains sagely. This is advice I am more than happy to follow.

Reinvigorated, we set off again, north then north east this time, on undulating, almost traffic-free roads. We speculate about the prospect of the world’s best cyclists sweeping along these very lanes.

As a fan, I conjure images of attacking riders firing salvo after salvo as they dare to break away in their bid for glory.

Judging by the pace Malcolm is setting, and his pedigree as not just a sprinter but someone quite comfortable on rough, punchy routes such as this, he seems similarly enthused.

“Out of sight, out of mind,” he muses, accelerating out of a corner with a twinkle in his eye. The outline of the Captain Cook monument on the horizon, testament to another swashbuckling Yorkshire adventurer, seems particularly apt.

After picturesque Kildale, we enter Eskdale and begin our final leg to an imaginary finish line in Whitby. After all, it would be a waste to bring an event like the Tour, almost designed to showcase the beauty of the areas through which it passes, and not celebrate Yorkshire’s coastal heritage.

Several more steep climbs provide hypothetical launch pads for further attacks. Instead of testing Malcolm’s mettle, though, I decide to assume the mantle of domestique and guide him to the finish (in reality, I have no choice).

Through Castleton and Grosmont I try my best to stay in front, closing down imaginary breakaways. Then, we arrive in Whitby, and Malcolm is primed to jump for victory on the climb up to the Abbey.

A few minutes later we reconvene at the top and soak in the sea view and setting sun. “Did you win?” I ask. “Of course,” says Malcolm. It seems my earlier anxieties were misplaced.

To find out more go to www.yorkshire.com/letouryorkshire

clockwise from top left: The route to beautiful Whitby Abbey offers a tough climb.

Iconic Yorkshire scenery.

Elliott uses the Yorkshire Dales for hard training and recovery rides.

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TOUR DE FRANCE

BRIAN ROBINSON In 1955 Brian Robinson from Mirfield became the first Briton to complete the Tour de France and in 1958 he became the first Briton to win a stage of the Tour de France.

Andrew Denton meets the man who rode Yorkshire into the Tour de France record books.

Here’s to you, Mr Robinson.

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year old Brian Robinson leans forward in his chair with a half smile, looks me square in the eye and says “I was flying that year, I was in the first 10 of the General Classification. I’d been third just the day before.”

He has a glint in his eye. He’s recalling the moment when he demolished the leading riders in the world to win his second stage of the Tour de France in 1959. Brian is 20 again, doing what he loves – riding a bike and beating people. Even though his historic win in 1958 made worldwide news, it’s the win the following year that gets Brian animated even now.

I sense that 1958 isn’t so much a disappointment, as an anticlimax.

He was in an uphill bunch sprint – his

first in an inquest afterwards because of the unsporting actions of his opponent. Brian’s name is in the history books for the win but he never had the chance to celebrate on the line. 1959 is different. In 1959 he channelled that disappointment with a stage win that left his next nearest rider 20 minutes in his wake. As he says himself: “The year after, there was no messing.”

“I’d planned several days before, that that was the day I was going to put 110% in,” he says. “During the rest day I picked out the last day in the mountains, the race from Annecy to Chalon-sur-Saône, and said to myself: ‘That’s my day.’”

“At the start of the stage, one of my St Raphael teammates came up and asked if I could lead him out up the last mountain and I said ‘yes, as long as the minute you are over the line you let me go!’”

“ I cOuld heAR the OtheR RIdeRS ShOutINg BehINd me ANd I juSt put my heAd dOwN ANd weNt.” territory – and with 200 metres to go he attacked, his opponent responded by swerving across his line, putting Brian into the barriers. Rather brilliantly Brian braked and attacked again but didn’t quite make up the lost ground.

To the finish line spectators he crossed second, but the judges awarded him

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“Anyway, I got to the top and I was off. I could hear the other riders shouting behind me and I just put my head down and went.”

“I’d calculated that all the big boys would be having a rest if they could as it was the time trial the day after, so I prepared my time trial bike for that

day, the last day in the mountains, not for the time trial. I had all the light wheels on and the light tackle and I’m going down this mountain with very thin, fine tyres on and it’s gravel and I think to myself, ‘if I puncture now it’s all over’ but I got through. I had about a minute at the bottom of the mountain and once you get the magic minute then you get stuck in.”

The emphatic nature of his win was the perfect antidote to the anticlimactic victory in Brest the year before. It unequivocally cemented his place in Tour history. Brian competed in seven Tours de France between 1955 and 1961, with his highest place finish of 14th in 1956. He also became the first Briton to win the Critérium du Dauphiné in 1961, the next Englishman to win the Dauphiné...was Bradley Wiggins in 2011. Brian retired in 1962 and admits he never thought he would see the day the Tour de France would come to his home county.

“Riding a bike was just a way of life when we were growing up here in Yorkshire. All we did was work and ride bikes, if I had never joined the army and left home maybe none of this would have happened. In fact it probably wouldn’t have. It was a godsend to go with Hercules to ride the Tour - that was every British rider’s ambition really but I never thought 60 years ago that the Tour de France would be coming to Yorkshire.”

“I suppose I played my part, I set the ball rolling if you like...” You certainly did Brian. You certainly did.

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CYCLING

North Yorkshire

Etape du Dales The route Held each May in the Yorkshire Dales this 110 mile timed circular loop takes in testing climbs, fast descents and the highest pub in the country, though not many take a pint in passing. Based near Grassington, entry is limited to 1,000 riders but those lucky few get to tick off a list of iconic climbs in one day: Fleet Moss, Buttertubs, Reeth Moor, Tan Hill, Galloway Gate (aka The Coal Road) which takes you past the highest railway station in the country at Dent before an easy section through Ribblehead and Yorkshire’s Three Peaks. A final climb over Fountains Fell leaves riders with a speedy return down Littondale and the finish.

Although not a race, if you are looking for a benchmark Yorkshire bid ambassador Malcolm Elliott rode the Etape in 5hrs 43mins 24 seconds and he was riding steady. www.etapedudales.co.uk

South Yorkshire

Strines Moor The route Forming the link between Yorkshire and the Peak District the road crossing over Strines Moor is a testing ride but one well worth the effort.

After a warming brew in the Bank View CafĂŠ the 11 mile crossing rolls past reservoirs and hamlets before the first of the four valleys. Riding the route this way you get the worst over with first as the 25% descent over Ewden Beck tests both bike and bottle with slippery surfaces, a sharp camber and a hairpin over the bridge.

A 1.5 mile climb comes next before the drop into Agden Bridge and a sharp 200ft climb once more, quickly passing Thornseats. Riders get some respite before the final hairpin roller coaster over Strines Dike takes you past the 18th century Strines Inn, which is an inviting place to refuel before thinking about home. www.yorkshire.com/cycling

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cycling routes to get the pulse racing yorkshire.com

CYCLING

West Yorkshire

Holme Moss The route One of the most iconic climbs in the country which has featured on most major cycle races since the 1950s.

From West Yorkshire riders pass between the village church and cricket field at Holmebridge for probably the steepest part of the climb (1:8).

The road eases through the village of Holme before the climb starts on the bridge over the stream, up one and a half miles of twisting road to the summit at 1,719ft. The climb from Yorkshire has the added advantage of being measured providing countdown markers on the road as you continue to climb.

Strangely, times for cycling up Holme Moss have not changed much in the last 60 years with Yorkshire cycling legend Brian Robinson posting 6m 30seconds in 1952 and Mike Cuming of Team Raleigh recording 6m 27seconds in a recent attempt. www.yorkshire.com/cycling

East Yorkshire

Garrowby Hill The route Take the A166 from York to Driffield and soon after the historic town of Stamford Bridge you may find yourself asking, “why am I doing this?” The infamous East Yorkshire climb, captured in oils

by David Hockney, has sections exceeding 20% on the three mile ascent. Listed as the highest point in East Yorkshire and topping out at 804ft the climb, though on a main road, has good visibility for other road users. However, as with all must do climbs, it should be treated with respect or you may find yourself having to stop midway to allow the heart and lungs to calm down. The views from the top are stunning stretching out across the Yorkshire Wolds with route choices towards the coast, into the North York Moors or back towards the west via the pretty market town of Pocklington where there are plenty of cafés in which to pitstop. www.yorkshire.com/cycling

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T

he rides opposite offer the equivalent of a cycling badge of honour. They are rides to tell your friends about, ones that entice but ultimately come at a price – usually in the form of sweat and aching muscles.

As with all sporting challenges the memories always outlast the need for hot baths and you will forever be able to say you conquered some of Yorkshire’s giants (before of course, you seek to slay some more on your two wheeled chariot). However, if you are not a regular lycra wearer and simply want to rediscover the childhood feeling of freedom that biking brings then don’t worry, Yorkshire is a pedal powered paradise. You don’t need to be a club rider or one of our cycling superstars to enjoy Yorkshire to the full. Sticking to the tracks, country lanes and cycle paths doesn't mean missing out on our county's great biking opportunities. Road cyclists, tourers and those who just want to take it easy and take in the view are well catered for too. Through a network of quiet country roads, byways and cycle paths, there's a lot to see and do. Yorkshire is also a great place to learn how to cycle and offers quieter routes for children so they can cycle in safety whilst being surrounded by birds and trees. If you have simply been inspired by the recent performances of men like Yorkshire bid ambassador Mark Cavendish and his British team-mates and are thinking about saddling up again for the first time in a long time then use the next few pages to stoke your imagination further. It is by no means a comprehensive guide but it will give you a flavour of what you can ride and hopefully introduce you to some new places at the same time. We have included some of the county’s best routes, the most scenic sections and those perfect places to give your feet a break, freewheel and enjoy the views for a bit. Remember, whatever your ability and whatever your level of fitness, Yorkshire is ready and waiting to welcome you. To find out more go to www.yorkshire.com/cycling

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CYCLING

G� Bi ke � your

n n e i n P e e B h t r i e d c leway! n e i � p Ex

Nicholas Roe explored a new section of the Pennine Bridleway and discovered his inner cyclist just waiting to be set free.

I

t’s a brilliant morning to be on a bicycle. The sun is shining, there’s enough breeze to wipe away the sweat - and the scenery is so sweepingly majestic it eases the struggle of the opening hill as we climb up from the stone-built town of Settle, towards the kind of journey cycling dreams are made of.

Here in the lovely Yorkshire Dales National Park we are launched on perhaps the most beautiful section of a stunning new long-distance trail that has been designed specifically for mountain-bikes and horses and we’re very happy, my friend Mike and I, hauling to the top of our first hill where the views are of rock, and dale and heath and track, apparently forever. Back at 3Peaks Cycles, where we’d picked our machines, they told us that “cycling is

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going bananas round here” as visitors increasingly catch on to the glories of local trails; and we can understand this now, pausing to gasp at the climb we’ve conquered, the narrowing trail to come. Off the quiet lane. Onto the deserted track. On we go.

The new Pennine Bridleway that we’re testing runs for 205 deeply rural miles from Matlock in Derbyshire to Ravenstonedale in Cumbria, and is the only National Trail in the country to cater for wheeled riders and those astride horses (and walkers, too, of course). Mostly off-road and therefore car-free the trail is almost universally tranquil and scenic, but probably the finest section of all lies towards the most northerly reaches through the Yorkshire Dales; and this is what we are discovering with each pedal-stroke.

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It isn’t particularly easy. The opening couple of hours as we hack our way out of the valley onto the glorious tops provide the sort of uphill test that “real” mountain-bikers relish. What we discover, however, as the sun continues to shine, is that every hill is rewarded at the top by some of the most outstanding views in the country – if not the world. And then, as if this isn’t enough - come the downhill bits. But more about that in a moment.

The scenery of the Yorkshire Dales really is exquisite, particularly when viewed from the saddle. Somehow, when you’re pedalling, you become a part of that rolling collection of far valleys, high tops, isolated barns and endless moors. And whenever we raise our heads, bumping along the stony, grassy, waymarked trail, Mike and I realise that we can see twenty or so miles at a stretch. No motors, no noise. The pleasures grow as we swoop through sweet, small villages such as Stainforth, and then the end-ofday joy of Austwick where we check into The Traddock, a beautiful country house hotel, and wallow in the pleasure

top to bottom: Discover stunning views over The Pennines. Pick up some speed on gravel tracks.

Varied landscapes contribute to interesting rides.

Life is like riding a Bicycle.

To keep your balance you must keep moving. of calm rooms and an enormous dinner. There is something extraordinarily comforting about good food after a day on the trail; the tight, controlled focus of the table providing a lulling contrast to Yorkshire’s wild energy.

Next day, we pedal northwards again by way of more climbs and yet more sumptuous downhill swoops. This time, we’re joined by Peter Lambert, a trail officer for the National Park who has been painstakingly developing this 50-mile dales section of the bridleway for over four years and who insists, as we ease along that “there’s something here for every riding standard”. He’s right. The main trail is providing a central core around which other loops and shorter side trails are emerging and many of these will be suitable for families – particularly around Austwick.

Meanwhile it’s another bright day as the trail takes us through more eye-scorching scenery that’s not simply witnessed, it’s earned. An hour out of Clapham we stop at “Thieves Moss”, a fabulous natural limestone pavement stretching across a valley towards the craggy top of Peny-Ghent in the far distance. Then a peaceful lunch stop at Ling Gill Bridge where we eat pork pies while lounging on warm grass, watching Cam Beck flow by. We pass stunning viaducts on the beautiful Settle to Carlisle railway line; and sometimes we get off and push, but often enough the trail is grassy, undulating and easy and always lovely to look at.

Then, as the afternoon starts to fade and we approach the market town of Hawes where we are due to stay the night, something quite special happens – the finest moment in the journey, and it relates back to the pleasures of those downhill rides I mentioned earlier. We’ve had many by this time, of course, and have learned to relish the uphill climbs for the inevitable pleasures of the swoop back down that are certain to follow each upward lurch of the trail. This one’s special though; precisely the opposite of that opening grind out of Settle.

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clockwise from top left: Challenging yet beautiful weather. Wide open spaces make for must-do rides. Fast descents, tough climbs and rough terrain, enough to please any off-road cyclist.

What happens is that Peter Lambert pauses near a high spot called Cold Keld Gate – nowhere, really, just another lonely point on a magnificent ridge, from which a snaking trail plunges downhill like a river, twisting and turning over rocks and gravel towards the valley floor more than two miles below. Peter says this should be fun, and sets off in a spray of stones, and we follow with knuckles tight on the bucking, rearing handlebars.

Ride More. D Enjoy Life!

Hard to describe the joy of it, really. As the speed mounts the wind tears at my eyes, sheep vaguely noted left and right scatter wildly as the valley roars up to meet us at numbing pace and twice my bike takes off so that for a few moments I’m actually flying through the warm Yorkshire air…landing…turning…skidding. At the end, I feel incredibly alive, panting and wild-eyed at the bottom of the hill, pushing at a gate, leading our machines onto the road towards the Stone House Hotel, another beer, another dinner.

Next day, more of the same until we’ve completed most of the Yorkshire Dales section of this exceptionally beautiful trail. And I love, maybe not every mile, but certainly every day. To find out more about cycling in Yorkshire go to www.yorkshire.com/cycling

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SPORT

YORkSHiRe'S WHeeLY GOOD ROUteS Discover Yorkshire from your saddle

Moor to Sea Cycle Route North Yorkshire

The Moor to Sea cycle route is a waymarked network of quiet lanes and cross-country tracks that extends into every corner of the North York Moors National Park. The new section unveiled in 2012 is the most challenging and exhilarating of the whole route.

Way of the Roses Cycle Route Yorkshire

Try Britain's newest 'coast-to-coast' cycle touring route, which runs for 170 well signed miles between Morecambe on Lancashire's Irish Sea coast and Bridlington on Yorkshire's North Sea coast.

The steepest and longest climbs lie between Settle and Brimham Rocks.

Yorkshire Wolds Cycle Route East Yorkshire

A route around the enchanted rolling hills and coastal cliffs of the Yorkshire Wolds. There are various start and finish options, including Bridlington and Malton along this 146 miles circular route. Discover hidden valleys, wildlife, beaches and big skies.

Trans Pennine Trail West Yorkshire

The 350 mile route runs from Southport to Hornsea, with links from Leeds to Chesterfield, plus a further route to York. Weaving in and out of our county's major urban centres and post-industrial waterways, giving you a unique perspective of Yorkshire.

Dalby Forest North Yorkshire

Spectacular views from the Nutcracker Mountain Bike Races in Fremington Edge, Swaledale.

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England's largest trail centre. There's an array of trails for beginners through to advanced mountain bikers. Explore over 50 miles of trails, from peaceful routes to challenging climbs and sweeping singletrack, all with stunning views across the North York Moors.

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CYCLING

The Stevens family dusted off their bicycles, headed for the East Yorkshire Wolds and picked a cycle trail. They weren’t disappointed.

Cycling Heaven H

aving daughters aged 9 and 11 can make even the shortest break seem exhausting. So we thought a cycling day would keep them amused.

After checking out the various trails in the free Big Skies Bike Rides guide from the local Tourist Information Centre, we plumped for ‘Millington Dale and Warter’, a circular 28km route from Pocklington up through Millington Dale to the pretty estate village of Warter.

It wasn’t long before we’d skirted the famous Millington Woods, crossed a Roman road and headed for Huggate, the highest village in the Wolds.

Perched on top of the world, it’s hardly surprising this place boasts one of the deepest wells in England. With its village pond, clusters of cottages and charming St Mary’s Parish Church, this farming village was straight out of a Trollope novel. By now we were in need of refreshment, so we parked the bikes and piled into the beer garden of the 16th Century Wolds Inn for some hearty pub grub (and a pint of real ale for dad!)

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Batteries recharged, we hit the road as it meandered along leafy lanes across the gentle landscape of Warter Wold. By now the light cloud had burned away, leaving glorious blue skies. How wonderful to feel the clean, fresh air on our faces and hear the skylarks singing above our heads – bliss! After 20 minutes or so we arrived at Warter, a delightful estate hamlet which looks today much as it would have done a century ago.

And we visited the striking church whilst we were there, spending a fascinating half-hour looking around the Yorkshire Wolds Heritage Centre housed within it.

Then it was back on the bikes, following wooded lanes through the villages of Nunburnholme and Burnby back to Pocklington and the Burnby Hall Gardens where the kids simply adored feeding the giant carp in the lakes. It was a fitting end to a wonderful day. As we headed home, the girls seemed very quiet in the back of the car. I turned to find them both fast asleep. Now that’s what I call a great day out!”

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One moment you're running through a broad dry valley or exploring a secret vale, the next you're heading through thick woodland.

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Family cycling days out and peaceful views across beautiful rolling East Yorkshire landscapes.

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The rich wildlife means there's always a rare butterfly or bird of prey hovering above a meadow to admire.

ACTIVE ADVENTURES The East Yorkshire Wolds could have been made for cycling, walking and picnics. Peaceful roads and countless paths meander through gentle unspoilt countryside a world away from the pressures of daily life. Yet, with welcoming villages and traditional inns dotting the landscape, there are plenty of opportunities to pass the time and enjoy a spot of refreshment.

CYCLE THE WOLDS Cycling has always proved immensely popular in the Wolds. and it's not hard to see why. The gentle undulating topography means steep climbs are few and far between and with stopand-stare views from the hill tops, few places in the country offer such a wealth of rewards.

Cyclists also rave about the sheer variety of the rides. One moment you're riding through thick woodland and the next winding along a flower-fringed lane. And the rich wildlife means there's always a rare butterfly or bird of prey hovering above a meadow to admire.

MARKET TOWNS Wherever you cycle, one thing that you can be sure of is that you'll never have to go too far without happening upon a traditional market town. As well as a chance to catch your breath and fill your water bottle, you'll find plenty of charming inns and fine old churches to admire.

Be sure to park up the bike, stroll around the villages and select one of the fine cafĂŠs or pubs for a spot of lunch.

To find out more about cycling trails in Yorkshire go to www.yorkshire.com/cycling

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clockwise from top left: Skidby Windmill and hay bales on the edge of the Yorkshire Wolds. Great cycling routes. Getting ready to set off on a great adventure. Autumn mist on The Wolds.

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LUXURY iN A SPectAcULAR SettiNG Winner of the TV series ‘I Own Britain’s Best Home’, Carr Hall Castle is a stunning luxury castle with a contemporary interior, the perfect place to relax and unwind whether celebrating a special occasion with family and friends or spending a romantic weekend in secluded luxury.

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ADVERTORIAL

tHe LOcAtiON AND HiStORY Carr Hall Castle nestles amidst a private deer park in the Yorkshire countryside, perfectly situated between Halifax and Huddersfield at the heart of West Yorkshire. It’s half mile long driveway sweeps you towards this enchanting hidden gem which is truly spectacular.

Take in the history surrounding this beautiful castle which was commissioned in 1860 by local textile mill owners the Shaw family who wanted to re-create their own castle, similar to those they had visited on their grand tours of Europe in the 19th century.

Just over 2 hours from London by train, this gorgeous property is ideally located only 10 minutes from the M62 motorway, with a wealth of Yorkshire attractions close by if you should ever feel the need to wander further than the 12 acres of beautiful grounds surrounding the Castle.

The owners of this fabulous home, Entrepreneurs Terry George and Michael Rothwell have spent over £1 million transforming their unique Castle since falling in love with it 10 years ago. They have cleverly exposed original stone and brickwork, brought many original features back to life and blended them with a wonderful contemporary interior of dark woods, deep colours and highly textured fabrics. The attached stable block was converted into a fantastic indoor swimming pool and gym and linked to the main building by an internal bridge.

StAY AWHiLe… Boasting 5 sumptuous double bedrooms, with a very grand but homely feel, Carr Hall Castle can be booked for the exclusive use of up to

10 guests. If you’re planning a weekend or a week away with family, a group of friends or even an intimate and romantic break, it really is something else.

Whether you fancy a cosy winter hideaway in front of the log fire, followed by a late night glass of champagne in the outdoor hot tub, or a summer break to enjoy al fresco barbeques on the terrace overlooking the beautiful lake, this really is a year round retreat.

The luxury boutique style interior includes a fully equipped country kitchen with a pillar box red aga, a gorgeous panelled dining room to enjoy dinner parties and a large lounge with panoramic window overlooking the heated indoor swimming pool. The relaxing conservatory overlooking the gardens is the perfect place to enjoy the Sunday papers or watch squirrels and rabbits scurrying across the lawn.

Across the courtyard, you will find the Watermill Suite, incorporating the working water wheel which has been transformed into a grand suite, perfect for larger dinners and intimate ceremonies.

FiNe DiNiNG OR HOMe cOOkiNG The Castle is hired on a self-catering basis - you can have your online groceries and any necessities delivered in time for your arrival, or you can book the fabulous chef who will create a personalised menu for dinner. If you aren’t in the mood for cooking, a full menu can be designed for your entire stay. Restaurant quality gourmet foods can also be delivered to the Castle for you.

Staff can be provided including Housekeeper, Butler, Nanny, Swimming Instructor and Academic Tutor.

FANcY A SPOt OF ARcHeRY? To make the most of your stay at the Castle, you can choose from a range of onsite activities. For the ultimate relaxing stay, pre-book the beauty therapist to pamper you and your guests, or bring out the connoisseur in you with a wine tasting evening.

To really embrace the Castle experience you can try your hand at archery with full instruction from ages 6 to 96! Horseriding, golf and tennis can also be enjoyed nearby.

If you can’t let go of technology completely, there is free Wifi throughout, a Playstation 3 and a choice of 6 plasma televisions with full satellite services. An iPad is also yours to use throughout your stay.

eXPLORe YORkSHiRe For those fortunate enough to stay for longer than a weekend, a tailor made itinerary can be designed for you to enjoy the best that Yorkshire has to offer by road, rail or air. You may prefer to self drive or take a private tour around this beautiful county.

Many of the Castle’s guests get their first taste of Yorkshire by staying there. Whether you are escaping from London to the countryside or crossing the Atlantic you can ensure the level of service and standard of accommodation you will experience is exceptional.

Carr Hall Castle has been graded as Five Star self catering accommodation and awarded a Gold Award by inspectors from Quality in Tourism in 2012.

Experience the luxury You definitely won’t want to leave.

Go to www.carrhallcastle.com to check prices and availability.

Email nicola@carrhallcastle.com Call 07540 707686 to find out more.

Main picture: The beautiful 19th century castle. this page from left: Relax in the wonderful swimming pool. Private deer park.

Luxury boutique bedrooms.

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FAMILY FUN

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FAMILY FUN

Hands On Fun What do Doctor Who baddies, hover boards and Stooky Bill have in common? The answer is the National Media Museum in Bradford, as Jane Swan discovered on a fun filled day out with her family.

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Left: The National Media Museum in Bradford is home to over 3.5 million items of historical significance.

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hen you’ve been chased by dinosaurs, read the One O’Clock news, accompanied Mr Ben on a time-travelling adventure and battled vintage Space Invaders, chances are you’ve had a pretty good day out.

There was all this and more at the National Media Museum in Bradford where I spent a fun afternoon with my nephews, Tom (9) and Luke (7) and my dad (76-andthree-quarters).

The multi-storey venue has free admission and is filled with family-friendly interactive attractions where you can try everything from editing Emmerdale to creating a cartoon. It even celebrates one of our greatest recent inventions – the internet. Life Online is the world’s first gallery exploring the impact of the world wide web, charting its journey from the very first computer virus Creeper Worm - to Kindle and smartphones.

Walking into the gallery is like stepping into – and onto - the internet. It’s filled with gadgets and visual trickery from the very first email to a bank of monitors displaying YouTube footage and a colourful wall of Twitter avatars, while the glass floor is filled with desktop computers and iPads marking the different ways we have experienced the internet over recent years.

We moved swiftly from the world of Instagram to the pioneers of prints in the Kodak Gallery which traces the history of photography. Here you can see the world’s earliest surviving negative and even early 3D images. I loved the Cottingley Fairies display, featuring original cameras that schoolgirls Frances Griffiths and Elsie Wright used to fool the world, while posters of the Fifties Kodak Girl in her striped dress, brought back memories for Dad.

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Upstairs, the rolls switch to reels as the moving image is celebrated in the Experience TV gallery, tracing the evolution of television. The boys had fun creating moving images on a spinning disc, piecing together scenes from Wallace and Gromit’s railway chase and were intrigued by the contraptions pioneered by John Logie Baird in the 1920s.

“That’s TV?” gasped Luke, peering, wide-eyed, at the grainy footage of ‘Stooky Bill’, the dummy used to demonstrate Baird’s early television set. To two little boys whose viewing comes courtesy of 3D HD, anything older than a flat-screen looks antique.

The big highlight though was the blue carpet - a virtual studio creating action-packed video footage enabling children to run from stampeding dinosaurs and soar through the sky on hover boards or, if they prefer, they can become mini-newsreaders in a mock-up broadcast introduced by the BBC’s Huw Edwards which is waiting just around the corner.

The gallery also extends to a zone exploring the enduring power of television where vintage adverts - remember the ‘Papa and Nicole’ Renault ads - and iconic TV moments such as England’s 1966 World Cup win and a Morecambe and Wise Christmas special – are replayed to smiling faces. I also took a reflective moment in the viewing room where some of the world’s most dramatic events are remembered – the moon landing, Princess Diana’s funeral and the 9/11

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Twin Towers attacks - all a reminder of how television brings moments of history into our living-rooms.

Around the corner TV Heaven is home to small-screen characters such as Rainbow’s Zippy and George, Gordon the Gopher and a menacing full-size replica of a Dalek. The boys loved the Thunderbirds puppets and I was thrilled to see the Play School toys, evoking my earliest TV memory. Classic comedies, children’s shows, documentaries and dramas are among the 1,000 or so programmes screened in TV Heaven’s TV booths. With everything from vintage Corrie to 1980’s sketch show Not The Nine O’Clock News choosing your viewing takes time. In the end we went for the classic cartoon Mr Ben. Which led us nicely to the Animation Gallery where Luke was thrilled to discover a model of Wallace hanging upside-down in a scene from The Wrong Trousers.

Heading to the café to refuel and recharge our heads were buzzing with images and questions from each floor.

“Did Sir Arthur Conan Doyle really believe in the Cottingley Fairies?” I heard myself say.

“How come TVs were tiny in oldfashioned times?” asked Tom. And for Luke: “How did they get those dinosaurs on that blue carpet?”

As we devoured our delicious cakes we made a vow to return to get to the bottom of those all important questions – and guarantee ourselves another day of fun at the same time.

FUN FACTS

5,200 DISCOVER 5,200 MILLION, MILLION TONNES OF AIR AT MAGNA'S AIR PAVILION

3,500 THE AMOUNT OF FISH INCLUDING SPECTACULAR SHARKS AT THE DEEP

17,520 NUMBER OF BATHS ARCHIMEDES TAKES A YEAR AT EUREKA! IN HALIFAX

140 GO 140 METRES DOWN AT THE NATIONAL COAL MINING MUSEUM

2.5m MILEAGE OF THE FLYING SCOTSMAN, BEING RESTORED AT THE NATIONAL RAILWAY MUSEUM

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THE BEST mUSEUm IN THE WORLD FOR INSPIRING PEOPLE TO LEARN ABOUT, ENGAGE WITH AND CREATE mEDIA. clockwise from top left: Large scale fun. Challenge your friends and family at the Games Lounge. Find out how TV is made and put your skills into action.

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clockwise from top left: Huge exhibits at The National Railway Museum. Explore the world's oceans at The Deep in Hull. Experiment in the Magic Factory at the National Media Museum. Fun and games at Eureka! in Halifax. Create magic at Magna's Air Pavilion.

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clockwise from top left: Explore your natural curiosity at Eureka!

Wonderful textures, colours and fascinating features at Sci-Tek at Magna. Become a soldier for the day at the Royal Armouries.

Touchy Feely County If you thought collections were just something you found in art galleries, think again. Yorkshire’s family fun attractions are full of must see exhibits too.

Dive into the murky depths of the world’s only submarium and meet the weird and wonderful collection of marine creatures that call Hull their home. Aptly named ‘The Deep’, the vast tanks buried into the banks of the Humber let you view the 3,500 species in a variety of habitats, from Amazon piranhas to ocean trench anglers, as well as familiar favourites such as sharks and rays. Dare you take the underwater elevator to the world’s deepest sunken viewing tunnel to see what lurks there?

Back on the surface; the UK’s oldest collection is displayed in a thoroughly modern setting, in an awe-inspiring display of weapons and armour throughout the ages. Kids will be able to appreciate the exquisite craftsmanship on display at Leeds’ Royal Armouries, but it doesn’t end there, with year round live displays the kids will be closer to the action than ever before.

The hands on theme continues at Magna Science Adventure Centre in Rotherham. Specially themed areas of Fire, Air, Water, Earth and Power are full of hands on activities that inform about the elements. Don’t miss the Big Melt, the pyrotechnic display that harks back to the origins of this massive former steel mill.

That’s if you can keep the kids away from the National Children’s Museum: Eureka!, quite possibly a

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SOmETImES PEOPLE FORGET THAT PLAY IS LEARNING AND LEARNING IS PLAY. children’s paradise on Earth. Hundreds of interactive exhibits will see them working in a mine, in a post office or on the news. They’ll see their own skeletons, build a house and visit the beach; all in the same day.

From sharks to trains, it’s all in a day’s play in Yorkshire. The National Railway Museum will give kids their fill of awe-inspiring locomotives, and it’ll also teach them the heritage of Britain’s railways from the engineers who built them to the drivers that rode the rails. To find out more go to www.yorkshire.com/family

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ADVERTORIAL

YORkSHiRe cOASt Head for the coast to the iconic ruins of Whitby Abbey and see why generations have been drawn to this dramatic headline with its fabulous views. Discover the Abbey’s fascinating history in our visitor centre and audio guide. Alternatively, why build sandcastles on the beach when you can climb the battlements of a real one at Scarborough Castle.

YORkSHiRe MOORS Explore Rievaulx Abbey, one of the most tranquil sites in Yorkshire, and discover why it was described as ‘everywhere peace, everywhere serenity’. From Rievaulx follow in the footsteps of medieval pilgrims along the Cleveland Way Trail to Helmsley Castle (3 miles) and discover how castle life evolved with our audio guide.

YORk Enjoy some of the best views of York combined with almost 950 years of history with a visit to Clifford's Tower.

Open all year round and situated in the historical Eye of York, no trip to the city would be complete without a visit.

The magnificent ruins of Whitby Abbey.

iNSPiRAtiON & eXPLORAtiON In Yorkshire, there’s always something to see or do with English Heritage. We have 18 different historic properties in some of the most stunning locations for you to enjoy including coastal castles, moorland abbeys and grand countryside estates, each uniquely different. So here are some suggestions for days out that are sure to go down in history.

Clifford's Tower.

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Brodsworth Hall.

SOUtH YORkSHiRe Brodsworth Hall is unique.

No glossily restored showpiece the house is ‘conserved as found’. In contrast the gardens are beautifully restored – a “collection of grand gardens in miniature”, complete with children’s play area.

Discover more With English Heritage annual membership you can explore over 400 historic sites in England, plus free or discounted entry to hundreds of events all year round.

For more information on events, admission and open times, visit www.english-heritage.org/yorkshire

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DELICIOUS

Brilliant Bramley Tessa Bramley is one of only a handful of chefs to have held a coveted Michelin star for over a decade, Mandy Wragg dines with the county’s undisputed Queen of the Kitchen.

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knock on the mighty oak door of The Old Vicarage, Yorkshire’s original Michelin star restaurant, situated in a leafy suburb in Sheffield. It creaks open and a warm golden glow dispels the grey outside as a courteous young man welcomes me into the comfortable lounge, offering coffee and a solicitous inquiry about how horrible the M1 must be in the fog?

Tessa Bramley bustles into the room, all smiles and a halo of blond hair. Her handshake is firm and her piercing eyes meet mine. “Well” she announces. “I thought I might join you for lunch. Are you okay with that?”

Am I okay with that? Tessa has held a Michelin Star at the Old Vicarage since 1998 and has been a Good Food Guide grandee for the last 25 years, maintaining a position in the top 40 restaurants in the country since 1988. Her authoritative, ground-breaking dishes are inspired by the countryside around her, with seasonality and extraordinary taste and texture pairings paramount.

Her co-chef Nathan Smith is in the kitchen today. He knocked on the door for a job 19 years ago and never left.

“We breathe as one” explains Tessa, leading us through to the elegant dining room with its long views over the hills.

Originally from nearby Gleadless, Tessa came relatively late to cooking. She’d trained as a home economics teacher “but you don’t learn how to cook, you learn how to teach.”

In 1980 her husband Peter suggested they run a restaurant, and initially Tessa was resistant but he talked her round and they opened Toffs, a café just off the Moor in the centre of Sheffield.

“I made everything we sold, which was unusual at the time. The Good Food Guide recognized us right from the start. But what I got wrong was how much food we’d need - that’s how green I was! We ran out all the time, so I perfected 101 things to do with pancakes! Our customers loved them. In the end there were queues round the block.”

After six years of making lunches they decided to open one night a week “so I could cook some proper food and see if people liked it.”

Her young son Andrew had taken an early interest in wine so it all seemed to fit. They were full the first night – and every Saturday night after that. “We were right underneath Annabelle’s night club so people had to come before the dancing started and the pendulum lights started swinging!”

Before long Tessa wanted a more permanent place to explore her growing passion for cooking ‘proper food’. They bought the Old Vicarage at auction and renovations began. ”I had this thing that I wanted to cook interesting, exciting food using the seasons and what was around me.

And of course here in Yorkshire we have the best larder in

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the country! Those weren’t buzzwords then. I became ‘that woman who cooks funny food!”

She throws back her head and laughs uproariously. She may be one of the most revered chefs in the country, but Tessa’s no-nonsense pragmatic approach is refreshing.

They opened in May 1987 and that year the Good Food Guide awarded them Best Newcomer, followed by Northern Restaurant of the Year in ’88 and County Restaurant of the Year in 1989. Not bad for funny food.

Then Tessa’s voice softens as she talks about her paternal grandmother, Sarah Greaves, who was clearly much loved. “She was a miner’s wife and didn’t have any money. My grandfather died young at the coal face so she went into service because she had a small child to fend for.

She worked as a parlour maid in a big local house where she got a taste for good food.”

“Out of necessity she learned how to cook with wild fruit and things from the hedgerows. As kids when we walked down to her house, the smells coming out of her kitchen were amazing. We’d go down for afternoon tea served in the front room and she’d made everything including cheese from sour milk - I was sent out into the garden to cut chives and they were added. She’d have baked bread and that’s what we had for tea. Cost? Nil.” “One of the first dishes I put on the menu here was fish with rhubarb and star anise, and when the Michelin people first came they told me I was too avant garde. Fortunately I didn’t take any notice! It’s still one of our most popular dishes today.” I suggest that rhubarb with fish was years ahead of its time. How did it come about?

“A goods train carrying fish from the east coast to Billingsgate would stop at Wakefield and pick up rhubarb to go to Covent Garden. The people who worked there would barter fish for rhubarb. Then the train would stop by the open cast coal mines so the miners would bring home fish and rhubarb having given away coal. So that’s what we ate because that’s what we’d got.”

So what keeps Tessa’s drive and enthusiasm fresh after all these years? Another throaty laugh and her eyes glimmer.

“Greed! I love eating. I just love food; every meal you cook is different. You finish it, taste it, put it on the plate, the waiting staff takes it out to the customer and I think ‘yesss!”

She punches the air with her fist “I still get a kick out of that.”

Despite our exquisite, star-dusted lunch, she bats away any notions of being an artisan “I was a thrifty Sheffield housewife who learned to cook at her grandmother’s knee – and that’s who I still am, really.”

Yorkshire boasts the largest number of Michelin Starred restaurants than any other county in the UK. To find out more go to www.yorkshire.com/michelin

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DELICIOUS

“ I had this thing that I wanted to cook interesting, exciting food using the seasons and what was around me. And of course here in Yorkshire we have the best larder in the country!�

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BAGS OF ST YLE

CITY LIFE

Shopping is a national sport in Yorkshire so we asked Jo Francisco to partake in one of the county’s most popular past-times.

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Left to right: High fashion in the Leeds' Victoria Quarter. Traditional Yorkshire craftsmanship. Colourful cloths at Bradford's Bombay Stores.

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hen a shopaholic friend thrust a clothes voucher into my hand and declared: “This is more of a challenge than a birthday present,” my heart sort of sank.

I don’t do shopping. However, never one to turn down a challenge, I allowed myself to be led into the heart of a bustling Leeds on a Saturday afternoon.

First stop was the elegant Victoria Quarter where the fabulous Harvey Nichols was brimming with shoppers on the hunt for high fashion and ultimate glamour. The clink of wine glasses and clatter of plates echoed from the café outside, refuelling those in need of a pit stop between hitting the high-end shops lining the arcade.

Edging further into the heart of the city, big name fashion stores played the soundtrack to the weekend while beckoning in shoppers on the hunt for a Saturday night outfit.

The city’s alive, it’s vibrant and - ahem – it’s actually really good fun. For some grassroots shopping, there’s the bustling Leeds Kirkgate Market - Europe’s largest indoor market - with over 600 stalls.

Steeped in history, Kirkgate Market was also the birthplace of Marks and Spencer after Michael Marks first opened his Penny Bazaar there in 1884. And after snaffling a bargain or two, I realised I was pretty sold on the sport of shopping.

Over in Batley, Redbrick Mill is a haven for any design lover. Located in a Victorian textile mill, it houses four inspiring floors of the most well-respected names in furniture and design and is often regarded as the North’s leading destination for interiors.

In Yorkshire there’s a thing or two for all ages and all tastes, whether you’re an annual shopper (me) or a weekly clothes hawk (friend).

Travel north to Harrogate and it’s not all fashion (dahling) as the string of art galleries and antique shops largely centred in the Montpellier Quarter are a must for the culture vulture.

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top: Boutique shopping.

Bottom: Window shopping in the Shambles, York.

Boutique shops, cosmopolitan streets and designer hotspots. Yorkshire is a refreshingly different experience.

It’s also the birthplace of the famous Farrah’s Toffee and Betty’s Tea Rooms which provide a tasty treat during any trip to Harrogate.

For traditional turned trendy, Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire brims with over 100 shops – nearly all of which are independent. It is also home to the Heart Gallery which hosts an assortment of ever-changing work by UK-based designers.

Cat lovers will find a perfect garden ornament at The Cat Pottery in West Burton while Holmfirth Art Week showcases work from local artists. It is also home to famous landscape artist Ashley Jackson whose gallery is the only one in the world where his original collection can be permanently viewed.

Down in Sheffield, see some of the finest silver and steelware around at The Famous Sheffield Shop based on Ecclesall Road. “Eccy Road” which leads into the suburbs also makes for a funky shopping experience while the Devonshire Quarter in the city centre is also popular with its wealth of upmarket independent stores.

Meanwhile the professional shopper should head to Meadowhall Shopping Centre which houses hundreds of outlets under one roof and is the largest shopping centre in Yorkshire.

There’s been many a national award winner in Yorkshire, with medieval The Shambles in York voted Britain’s Most Picturesque Street (Google Street View Awards) and Skipton winning Britain’s Best Street of the Year - beating the likes of Portobello Road and Kensington High Street.

The traditional and historic market town of Skipton boasts a fabulous market which has been a focal point for over 1,000 years (open Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday).

Twenty miles away, over the border into West Yorkshire, is the UK’s largest Asian department store Bombay Stores in Bradford which is packed to the gunnels with Asian jewellery, shimmering saris and lavish fabrics.

Over on the coast there’s the waterfront development of St Stephen’s Retail and Leisure Centre in Hull, with its stylish undercover high street or discover the hidden gems of the Market Vaults in Scarborough.

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Brand new to Yorkshire are Trinity Leeds which is set to open in 2013 and Trinity Walk in Wakefield which opened in 2011 and saw nearly 200,000 shoppers flock through its doors on its first weekend of opening alone.

Vintage fashion is now the future and there’s a few hotspots in Yorkshire that can help wannabes get the look. There’s the award-winning shop Upstaged and The Vintage Underground, both in Leeds. A stone’s throw away in Ilkley, there’s the Cake Walk Handmade and Vintage for a collection of vintage treasures and handmade delights.

The stunning old spa town of Ilkley is definitely worth a trip as are the old Yorkshire market towns of Helmsley, Malton and Beverley which are all treasure troves of fashionable goodies. Mooch around the independent shops

in The Piece Hall in Halifax and explore a wide range of gifts and beautifully selected clothing at Cubecure in Marsden.

For an authentic Yorkshire experience, a farm shop, market or deli visit is a must. Try out the mature grass-fed beef, Dales lamb, delicious cheeses, rhubarb or ales.

There’s award-winning homemade food at Blacker Hall Farm, in Wakefield while the Wensleydale & Ginger Cheesecake is a firm favourite over at the Wensleydale Creamery in Hawes.

Don’t forget the myriad of fabulous food and drink festivals springing up across the county throughout the year.

I’ll admit, the lifelong fear of shopping has definitely been banished – especially if there’s the promise of refreshment pit stop during the trip! To find out more go to www.yorkshire.com/shopping

clockwise from top left: Independent and High Street brands. Award winning vintage fashion at Bird's Yard in Leeds.

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AWARDS ARTISTIC

clockwise from left: Buck at the Gatehouse at Swinton Park.

The Yorkshire Museum and Allied Air Forces Memorial. Drewton's near Brough. Enjoy the magic at Jollydays luxury camping.

The Wold Cottage.

Bucket & Spade Brigade Simply S best the The White Rose Awards celebrate the very best tourism businesses in Yorkshire.

Jo Francisco sampled a selection of winners who do the county proud.

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here’s a distinct aroma of home cooking swirling around the hills of East Yorkshire. Toiling away in a former redundant farm building, are a mixture of bakers, butchers, foodies and crafts folk all pulling together to showcase the very best of Yorkshire fare.

Lift the lid on Drewton’s, near Brough, and you’ll find Kath cooking up homemade recipes in the bakery where her award-winning steak pies are the talk of the town...and the country, after scooping silver in England's Best Steak Pie Competition 2011.

John the butcher proudly sources all of his meat from Yorkshire while making his own sausages and burgers from scratch and one million bees are buzzing around hives on the 1,200 acre Drewton’s Estate, all busy creating honey on sale in the farm shop and on the menu in the dining room.

A local photographer exhibits his work in the café, a local craftsman carves out walking sticks on sale in the shop and seamstresses and breweries are just some of the scores of local producers all selling their fare on shelves in-store. In the two year’s since Drewton’s opened, the word has spread, customers are flocking and the awards are flooding in.

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Not least the prestigious Taste of Yorkshire award in Welcome to Yorkshire’s annual White Rose Awards.

Owner Katie Taylor said: “People are travelling from a long way to see us! They come here to shop – we had ladies who came here from Newcastle last week as they had heard about us. We have business meetings and the event side is really taking off as well with birthdays and a christening next week.”

There’s also evening dining, wine tasting courses, fundraising and networking events and not to mention the 5 star holiday cottages which are perfect to relax in once you’ve sampled everything Drewton’s has to offer.

If you fancy combining a tasty trip to Drewton's with a few local attractions then just half an hour down the road are the award-winning neighbours York Maze and The Yorkshire Air Museum & Allied Air Forces Memorial.

York Maze scooped the Outstanding Customer Service award after quick-thinking employees used their knowledge of the maze’s layout to rescue a group of disabled visitors from a freak storm which broke above the swaying corn.

Hailstones the size of golf balls battered the site - and the employees - as they moved swiftly to get everyone to the safety of nearby shelters.

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The Maze’s relationship with its customers has been strengthened as a result, with those rescued writing cards, letters and online expressions of gratitude to staff for going that extra mile. And when the weather isn’t causing chaos, the Maze, which is the biggest in Britain, is open all summer and gets especially spooky at Halloween.

For those who don’t need any help with navigation a trip to the Maze’s near neighbour makes a fascinating day out, just be prepared to leave full of facts to wow your friends.

The Yorkshire Air Museum and Allied Air Forces Memorial near York is the largest independent air museum in Britain. The 20-acre parkland site on the former World War II RAF Bomber Command Station was voted winner of the best Tourism Event for its incredible French in York week. Designed to honour the French airmen based in Elvington during the Second World War, it involved more than 2,000 guests, diplomatic representatives, military detachments and 17 French and UK aircraft. Visitors to York Maze also benefitted from the frequent fly-bys too.

One area I found fascinating was the museum’s celebration of Yorkshire’s aviation achievements. Who knew we had so many pioneers? From Sir George Cayley,

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The museum's celebration of Yorkshire's aviation achievements was fascinating. the internationally acknowledged Father of Aeronautics who lived near Scarborough, Amy Johnson, a typist from Hull who was the first female to fly solo to Australia and west Yorkshire’s place in aviation history as the world’s first aeroplane production line in Armley.

As you can see the White Rose Award winners are diverse, but deserving. You might find that, like me, you need longer than a weekend to explore them. I’d set aside a few, just to make sure you do them all justice. It’s well worth it. For all White Rose Award winners go to www.whiteroseawards.com

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tHe DUcHeSS OF DevONSHiRe'S cORNeR OF YORkSHiRe The area around upper Wharfedale in the magnificent Yorkshire Dales encompasses some of the most beautiful scenery in the UK. From the upper reaches where the River Wharfe rises in Langstrothdale, it flows 69 miles south east until it joins the Ouse near York, creating a major attraction as it cascades down the valley.

The amazing priory ruins at Bolton Abbey

FOR OVER SEVEN MILES THE RIVER flows through Bolton Abbey and the 30,000 acre estate, owned by successive Dukes of Devonshire.

Over the centuries the estate has been carefully managed for the enjoyment of all with access to 80 miles of footpaths across moorland, through wooded valleys and alongside the riverbank.

The Duchess of Devonshire offers a rare glimpse of what is special to her in this corner of the Dales.

“For many years Yorkshire was

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our home and we return as often as possible, visiting the estate’s working farms and speaking with the foresters and gamekeepers, which enables us to catch up with the local news. At the entrance to the estate is The Devonshire Arms and we were delighted when it was named Yorkshire’s Small Hotel of the Year for which credit must go to the marvellous staff who look after our guests so well.

Whilst formerly a coaching inn, the hotel has seen many alterations over the years and I have taken great

delight in being closely involved with the interiors. My favourite room is, without doubt, the Dog Lounge with its interesting collection of dog paintings against a background of ‘Best in Show’ wallpaper, which I couldn’t resist.

One of the changes we made some years ago was when we converted the historic barn opposite to offer the best beauty therapy treatments alongside a pool and gym. The Devonshire Health Barn has a calm and friendly environment in which to enjoy healthy

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ADVERTORIAL

exercise and relaxing therapeutic treatments, and the newly decorated interior includes a quiet space in which to relax.

The hotel’s two restaurants, with a combined total of 5 AA rosettes and a Michelin star, provide a choice of dining from the colourful and casual Devonshire Brasserie and Bar to the elegant Burlington where diners enjoy culinary masterpieces. Whichever you prefer, you will come across long standing cellar master Nigel Fairclough, who loves nothing better than to help find you something a little different to enjoy with your meal.

Further up the river and at the northern edge of the estate is The Devonshire Fell in the picturesque village of Burnsall. We bought this property in 1999 and completely re-designed it to offer a modern restaurant with rooms. Local ingredients are prepared with flair and imagination, wines are from the Devonshire Cellar and local cask ales are served.

The views are simply breathtaking and every time I visit I never fail to be inspired by the beauty of the surrounding scenery. Guests staying

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clockwise from top left: Luxury accommodation at The Devonshire Arms. Relax and unwind at the spa.

Michelin starred food. The Duchess of Devonshire.

here can easily explore the estate and use the Health Barn at The Devonshire Arms but it’s also within easy reach of Grassington and Malham Cove, two places that are very popular with visiting friends.

Whatever time of year you visit Bolton Abbey – for a walk and to look round the Priory – the Cavendish Pavilion is a must. Last winter we completely restyled this old building, which had been built in the 1890s to resemble a railway station to cater for the many visitors who arrived by steam train, covering the last mile to the riverbank on foot. The Duke and

I enjoy walking with our grandchildren in search of a treat or an ice cream and we can certainly recommend the scones which are a firm favourite.

Bolton Abbey, we believe, is a special place and, whether you are staying overnight or just visiting for the day, it offers something for all to enjoy.”

Next Step Further information on Bolton Abbey or on Devonshire Hotels and Restaurants can be found by visiting the websites www.boltonabbey.com and www.devonshirehotels.co.uk

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INDULGENCE

THE LAND --- OF ---

LUXURY M

ost of the photographs of my childhood holidays have one thing in common – cagoules.

Mine was bright orange, the toggle rubbed on my chin and it was so tight it felt like a second skin. Not that it mattered. On the days the sun didn't shine, wearing our waterproofs, my brother and I were invincible. On Scarborough beach we built sandcastles in the rain, at Filey we ate egg sandwiches sheltered by a wind-breaker and at Flamborough we went rock pooling as dark skies gathered overhead.

Afterwards we would go back to our holiday home armed with 50p pieces to keep the electricity metre going and a realisation that getting a signal on the black and white TV would take more technical know-how than any of us possessed.

Back then, when sugar cubes were considered the height of sophistication, holidaymakers were an undemanding lot. Thirty years on, as I head back to the East Coast some things haven't changed. The amusement arcades still ring to the sound of the 2p machines and the air is still heavy with the unmistakable smell of cockles and vinegar. What has changed is me. Over the years I have been introduced to the joys of Egyptian cotton sheets, to room service and learnt that Champagne isn't just for Christmas. I also no longer own a bright orange cagoule.

All of which explains why I am heading off on a whistle-stop tour of some of the hotels billed as some of Yorkshire's finest. First stop Sandsend.

Little sister to neighbouring Whitby, the tiny fishing village looks much as it did 100 years

-- A FLUFFY BATHROBE -HISTORIC GRANDEUR

RELAXATION

---- AND LUXURY ----

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Main image © georginaharrisonphotography.com

If you fancy a treat of a retreat Yorkshire is a luxury lover’s perfect getaway as Sarah Freeman discovered during a weekend to remember.

INDULGENCE

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ago and its timeless appeal is why visitors come back again and again.

However, a short walk away from the streets of picture postcard cottages there has recently been a new addition to the area.

Raithwaite Hall opened just over a year ago with the aim of attracting a different kind of visitor to the area – one who likes fine dining and a glass of something fizzy with their seaside experience. Sitting on the edge of the North York Moors National Park it markets itself as a perfect base for mountain biking, horse riding treks and some of the county's best shoots.

I'm sure it is, but for a one-night stay all I wanted was relaxation, and with two restaurants and its own spa complex, Raithwaite knows how to make its guests unwind. With rooms starting at £130 this is affordable luxury and from the reception staff to the fine dining menu it's been achieved without any hint of stuffiness – its self catering cottages next to the main hotel don’t just accept, but positively welcome dogs.

Less than half an hour after arriving, the fluffy bathrobe was

on and couple of hours drifted by between the steam room, sauna and swimming pool. Had it not been for the lure of Brace Restaurant I reckon I might have still been there the next morning.

Given Raithwaite's coastal location, the menu unsurprisingly boasts a whole gamut of seafood dishes with a promise all fish has been caught fresh that morning, but it's the speciality 45-day aged beef from Waterford House Farm near Ripon which is its signature dish. At £60 the cote de bœuf, which could serve a small family, is reasonably priced and when it is cooked this perfectly it’s carnivore heaven.

The restaurant was busy, not just with hotel residents, but also locals, as was the hotel's Poachers Bar. Here the menu is centred around staples like fish and chips and steak sandwiches, but the bar has been raised far above usual pub grub fare. Raithwaite has found a gap in the market and is well on its way to creating a clientèle of regulars.

There was sadly no time to linger.

It was time to head on to York and the

Cedar Court Grand. When it opened some wondered whether a city already packed with accommodation could sustain another hotel where rooms range between £170 and £400.

However, two and a half years is a long time in the hospitality business and having recently become Yorkshire's only five star hotel, the doubters appear to have been silenced.

Originally the headquarters for North Eastern Railways, when the building was completed at the turn of the 20th century it was described as a “huge palace for business”. Thankfully much of those original features remain and while the Cedar Court Grand offers everything you'd expect from a 21st century hotel, it retains its historic grandeur.

While more formal than Raithwaite Hall, you don't get five stars without being able to deliver a personal touch and a few minutes after having opened the door to my room, the phone rings.

“Would I like some refreshment while I unpack?” “Yes, I definitely would.”

The hotel is just a few minutes’ walk from York Minster yet located on a quiet road it feels a world away from

Previous page: Be swept away by the luxurious surroundings at Raithwaite Hall near Whitby. clockwise from top: Afternoon tea at Hotel du Vin in Harrogate.

Impressive Raithwaite Hall. It's the simple luxuries that make the difference. Artistic finds in the grounds of Raithwaite Hall.

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INDULGENCE

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the nearby tourist throng and having acquired a taste for relaxation, it seemed rude not to explore the spa.

It was a good decision. The facial may have lasted less than an hour, but this is not a place which believes in rushing its guests and housed on the building's vaults it is easy to forget the time of day.

If the spa is one of Cedar Court Grand's biggest selling points, another is the Grill Room. It has the quiet hush you often get in high end restaurants – but when the food is this good, there's no point wasting time on chit chat. From starters of shellfish bisque and seared breast of wood pigeon to mains of fillet steak Rossini and breast of guinea fowl this is accomplished cooking, which deserves awards of its own. We didn't need dessert, but we had one anyway.

After a brief night cap in the aptly named Whisky Bar, bed and a contented night's sleep awaited.

In the last few years, £100m has been invested into Yorkshire's top end hotels and the Cedar Court Grand shows just what can be done with some hefty financial backing. However, with it and Raithwaite Hall still relatively new on the block it was time to see how a hotel, which has become a Yorkshire institution, does luxury.

Since the Devonshire Arms at Bolton Abbey reopened in 1982 after a major refit, many of its guests have become regulars. It's easy to see why.

Greeted by a member of staff dressed in tweed, this is a hotel which not only has history on its side, but one which is unashamedly old school. However, while the surroundings may reek of money and the landed gentry, the ‘Dev’ as it's known to locals doesn't go in for airs and graces.

It also has some natural advantages in the luxury hotel stakes. Surrounded by acres of beautiful countryside - the abbey ruins are just a short stroll away - this place is the very definition of a retreat. Most guests opt for a package, which include either spa treatments at the health barn across the road and/or dinner in the Burlington Restaurant, which recently retained its Michelin star. The latter is a must for foodies.

Head chef Steve Smith is the man responsible for the Devonshire's culinary reputation and his taster menu is a masterclass in high end cooking. It's impossible to know quite where to start, I was putty in his hands right from the grapefruit jelly amuse-bouche. By the time we arrived at the Yorkshire Tea brack, via the Whitby crab and wild herb crusted Nidderdale lamb I had already vowed to return some day.

While some taster menus are all style and very little substance, at the Burlington it's all about flavour. There are fancy touches too, but at its heart this is about great produce perfectly cooked. Given the Dev's rural location there isn't much in the way of night life, which was just as well since we were too full to move.

Our weekend of luxury was nearing an end, but by now I had acquired a taste for the high life. Charlie Chaplin once said the saddest thing he could ever imagine was “getting used to luxury.” He'd clearly never been to Yorkshire.

Or spent most of his childhood in a bright orange cagoule.

To find out more go to www.yorkshire.com/indulgence

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WHEN THE FOOD IS THIS

GOOD

—— THERE'S —— NO POINT WASTING TIME ON

CHIT CHAT

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Essential experiences Try some of the other top end breaks Yorkshire has to offer and relax in ultimate luxury in some beautiful surroundings.

clockwise from top left: Even the dogs are treated well at The Devonshire Arms. Stylish accommodation at Yorebridge House Hotel. The Cedar Court Grand in York. Laid back British designs at The Talbot Malton.

Fabulous dining experiences.

Yorebridge House Hotel in Bainbridge Offers cool, country-pile atmosphere amid beautiful rural surroundings. A former schoolhouse, it's now a laid-back and unstuffy retreat with a generous sprinkling of style. Winner of the 2012 Trip Advisor Certificate of Excellence, Yorebridge offers award winning breakfasts, three course dinners, and an optional hot tub room. Bedrooms are the work of owner and interior designer Charlotte Reilly who has created a series of expertly themed bedrooms, each evoking a different destination. The restaurant offers an exceptional range of modern British cuisine and fine wines. A truly cherishing country haven that’s packed with atmosphere, style and good cheer. www.yorebridgehouse.co.uk The Talbot Hotel Has recently been fully restored, with an emphasis on classic British design in a traditional country hotel setting, combining a standard of comfort and service guaranteed to leave the fondest of memories. The hotel offers 26 elegant bedrooms and landscaped gardens, and with Malton-born chef James Martin now in charge of the kitchen, the hotel tops the list of must-visit places for local and visiting gastronomes. www.talbotmalton.co.uk Broughton Hall near Skipton Broughton Hall can be hired exclusively as your own home, whether it be for a day, a week or a month and is the perfect place to get away from it all. www.broughtonhall.co.uk Mount Pleasant Hotel, Doncaster Opulently furnished and set in 100 acres of beautiful woodland with individual accommodation featuring four poster beds, mud beds and sledge beds. www.mountpleasant.co.uk The Pipe and Glass Inn near Beverley Perfect for a romantic break or a luxurious retreat after a sumptuous dinner. Each suite at The Pipe and Glass Inn has been individually designed to suit every taste and ambience. www.pipeandglass.co.uk Rudding Park, Harrogate Award-winning Rudding Park is one of the most beautiful hotels in Harrogate, North Yorkshire.

A privately owned AA 4 Red Star hotel and spa with a gym, private cinema, Clocktower restaurant and 18 hole parkland golf course. Set amongst picture book landscaped gardens and woodland, Rudding Park is one of the most relaxing hotels in Harrogate. www.ruddingpark.co.uk

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ARTISTIC

The fossiL fiLes

Fancy following in the footsteps of dinosaurs? Well you don’t need a theme park to get that thrill as Duncan Craig found out fossil hunting on Yorkshire’s Dinosaur Coast.

Amazing discoveries on Yorkshire beaches.

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COAST

i Explore the Dinosaur Coast on the 40-mile stretch from Sandsend near Whitby to Filey.

t's the middle of winter and I’m lying on a beach in Scarborough. Not so much blind optimism as a beginner’s error that afflicts many first-time fossil hunters: I’ve overloaded and lost my footing so full are my pockets of what I assume to be interesting rocks. My guide, John Hudson, is having no such trouble staying on his feet. Striding the windswept foreshore with large, deliberate steps, torso near parallel to the ground he scrutinizes the surroundings. He bears more than a passing resemblance to one of the prehistoric creatures whose trail we’re on. A velociraptor perhaps, albeit a bespectacled one clad in Gore-Tex. The hardy 64-year-old is doing his human metal detector bit, stopping every few paces with an excited “aaah”.

Explanations go unfinished, digressions piling up like geological strata, but

before’,” he tells me as we set off across the beck to the coast path. The only way to get it to the Rotunda was to tow it on a raft into Scarborough Harbour.

“Experts had to rewrite some papers after that find,” he adds proudly.

I follow John up the weathered wooden steps of Scalby Ness Rocks, we briefly join the Cleveland Way before cutting on to a makeshift path winding steeply down to the beach, where the fun begins and the fossils do indeed, prove plentiful. Nestling within a cluster of vivid purple ironstone is a fossilised oyster roughly 200 million years old. It’s an extinct precursor to modern-day oysters and looks anything but aphrodisiacal.

Ammonites, the spiralling poster boys of the fossil world, are in short supply. For these marine invertebrates, you’re advised to visit Robin Hood’s Bay, a short drive north. I’d spent the

The stretch from Sandsend to Filey has seen thousands of prehistoric prints discovered, earning it the moniker The Dinosaur Coast.

Learn more at the Rotunda Museum in Scarborough.

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John’s enthusiasm is irresistible.

One of North Yorkshire’s genuine rock stars, this amiable paleontologist has spent 40 years exploring this coastline, always finding something new. The world of fossils, we are to discover, is surprisingly dynamic.

The 40-mile stretch from Sandsend near Whitby to Filey, around six miles south of where we now sit, has seen thousands of prehistoric prints discovered over recent decades, earning it the moniker The Dinosaur Coast. Our proposed route will take us around the headland to a far corner of Jackson’s Bay known, irresistibly, as “Footprint Corner”.

John works in tandem with Scarborough Museums Trust, custodians of the town’s excellent Rotunda Museum, guiding everyone from geological societies to schoolchildren.

He prefers the latter. “They ask the best questions.” His proudest moment?

Discovering a rare print made by a “tertiary” dinosaur such as the Megalosaurus, a meat-eating predator that grew up to 40ft long.

“I remember spotting it and thinking, ‘I’ve never seen anything of that size

previous night admiring this glinting scythe of North Yorkshire strand from high on the forbidding Ravenscar cliffs.

From our stylish lodge in the grounds of the Raven Hall Hotel we could pick out the eponymous fishing village’s trickle of tiny streets on the far shore.

The historic hotel, dating from the late 18th century, has assembled a small fossil collection of its own which even includes a primitive “crocodilian”.

From time to time it hosts “Rock and Fossil Roadshows”. Nothing to do with Status Quo, disappointingly.

As we continue, hoods pulled up against the rain, my attention is drawn to a black streak in the cliff to our left. It’s the size of a large log.

Good guess. A fossilised branch of one of the conifers that flourished here, it transpires. The area around Scarborough, John explains, was a verdant sub-tropical river delta 165 million years ago. Herbivore dinosaurs came for the bountiful food, carnivores for the bountiful herbivores. The profusion of prints and dearth of actual bones points to this being a gathering – rather than nesting – point.

A dinosaur drive-through, if you will.

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Nearing Footprint Corner, we come to what was once a point bar – the outer bank of a meandering river. Elevated, and in cross section, the bar’s sandstone and mudstone are discretely layered, with the upper surface drooping in places like a Surrealist’s painting.

These depressions are in fact erosion-enlarged footprints caused by gargantuan Sauropods such as the 80-ton Brachiosaurus. I clamber up and stand at the edge of one, partially filled with seawater from high tide. I half expect to see ripples breaking the surface at ominous intervals. Note to self: stop watching Jurassic Park.

That these footprints are here at all is a minor miracle. At the end of the Jurassic period this entire area was flooded as the continents broke up.

Incrementally, over millions of years, the prints would have been buried under more than a mile of marine sediment, before being exhumed by tectonic activity over an equally unfathomable period.

Erosion did the rest, finally exposing the prints for, in geological terms, the briefest of instants. “One year to the next these prints can be gone,” explains John. Interminably interred, fleetingly revealed. We can’t help but feel privileged.

As if to ram home the point, Footprint Corner is not as John left it.

A recent rockfall has concealed some prized prints but also disgorged a “new” rock roughly the size of a kitchen table. Across it, spaced around 2ft apart, are three clear footprints. With the rock inverted, these protrude from the surface like upturned jelly moulds.

By good fortune, three prints are the minimum for a find to be classified a trackway. From this, smarter men

Searching for fossils on the incredible and dramatic Yorkshire coastline.

Nearing Footprint Corner, there are erosion-enlarged footprints caused by gargantuan Sauropods such as the 80-ton Brachiosaurus. than I can deduce gait and speed of movement of the dinosaur and therefore hope to pin down what it was. Yet however educated, it remains guesswork, unless you find the dinosaur dead at the end of the track of course.

For all his fossil-hunting acumen,

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keeping track of time is not his forte.

Away to the west a livid red dusk is silhouetting the stark ridge of the Harkness Hills and bleeding across the melancholic expanse of the North York Moors. We scramble up the cliffs, a warming pint uppermost in our minds.

John has the final word. “Someone once asked me what, in my 40 years of coming here, has changed the most,” he says. “Forty years ago, I told him, I’d have been running up these cliffs.”

Don't miss out Raven Hall Country House Hotel Dramatically situated 600 feet above sea level Raven Hall is in an inspirational and historical setting. www.ravenhall.co.uk Scarborough Museums Trust The Trust manages the Rotunda Museum, the William Smith Museum of Geology and are responsible for the fossil hunts along the Dinosaur Coast. www.dinocoast.org.uk

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The East Yorkshire Nature Triangle Yorkshire’s nature tourism is predicted to be worth £100m by 2020 so we sent Matt Snowden to investigate a new initiative to raise the profile of county’s call of the wild.

Yorkshire’s Nature Triangle was created in 2012 by the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust in order to promote a variety of East Yorkshire’s diverse habitats. Stretching from Scarborough to Spurn Point via Selby, the lopsided triangle contains more than 30 wildlife sites of special interest, including two of the RSPB’s flagship bird sanctuaries at Bempton and Blacktoft Sands.

I started my wildlife journey well inland, skirting the border with North Yorkshire. Firmly located within the Vale of York, I headed to Allerthorpe Common. It is a rather unlikely location for a heath; parking alongside a meandering country lane within dense woodland it’s hard to imagine seeing the sky again, never mind anything other than a thick net of trees in all directions. However, that’s what makes its common such a great conservation site. Attracted by the warm bodies of the rare breed cattle that have made the de-forested ground their home, the wetland that takes up a fair portion of the site is the centre of frenetic insect activity during the summer months.

In turn, the predators that feed on these insects are the star of the show; dragonflies, damselflies and darters, not to mention the lizards that emerge from the heather and the wading curlew in from the nearby canals.

From the woods I continued my journey across the triangle to the coast and the cliffs at Bempton. In summer

it is estimated that 250,000 seabirds live out the breeding season clinging to the sheer white face, with booming gannets dropping tens of feet into the waves pursued by opportunistic seagulls matching their dives in the hope of stealing a morsel of catch.

Deafening in its intensity, it would be easy to miss the other species over the constant rabble of the gannet colony, but the cliffs are also home to puffin, fulmar, kittiwake and shag that vie for space and food amongst the throng.

By the time I left the cliffs I was beginning to lose the light. The thousands of birds continued to go about their business, oblivious, as they faded into the dark. I had been from one end of the triangle to the other that day, high and low, and still only experienced a fraction of the locations on offer. For more information go to www.yorkshirenaturetriangle.com

Factfile Yorkshire's seaside resorts are amongst the most popular holiday destinations in the UK. In 2010 the East Riding of Yorkshire, Environment Agency, North Yorkshire County Council, Scarborough Council, Welcome to Yorkshire and Yorkshire Water formed the Yorkshire Bathing Water Partnership to "create excellent beaches in Yorkshire" and make it one of the best coastlines in Europe. www.yorkshirewater.com/coast

An Ammonite fossil and discovering fossils large and small in Robin Hood's Bay.

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EVENTS

Sheffield is home to Tramlines, the UK’s urban Glastonbury.

Festival Director Sarah Nulty gives us a backstage pass to the award winning music weekend.

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Action at Tramlines 2012 including Beth Jeans Houghton & The Hooves of Destiny on the Main Stage and The Destroyers on the World Stage.

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ARTISTIC

A taste of Tramlines 1

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The Forum CafĂŠ Bar Sheffield's largest and longest running independent cafĂŠ, restaurant and late bar, in the heart of the Devonshire Quarter. While away the hours with tasty food, delicious drinks and divine desserts.

The Great Gatsby A daytime diner serving the most authentic burgers in Sheffield, a night time snug with a truly vast liquor range and a weekend party bar with the best music and a 3am license. It's even got its own private neo-gothic parlour in the shape of Skeleton Key. The Bowery A lively city centre bar on Devonshire Street. Inside you will find a friendly and vibrant atmosphere. Relaxed during the day when you can chill out on the comfy sofas, and alive at night with a great selection of live bands.

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Main picture: Mike Hughes at The Folk Forest.

Right from top: Acts perform in Weston Park. Kid Acne's South Yorks at Sidney Street Warehouse. The Hip Hop Stage. The Restrospectives at Beg, Borrow and Steal.

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t’s hard to believe that in a matter of years Tramlines has grown from an idea amongst a group of friends into a huge music festival, attracting over 150,000 music fans to the Steel City over three days in July.

At the heart of Tramlines is a core group of passionate music lovers who have an adoration for the city they call home. It’s amazing how good will, hard work and determination can take an idea and make it grow into what is fast becoming THE urban music festival of the summer.

It all began back in 2009. Some local promoters and independent venues had a vision of bringing together Sheffield’s music community to put on a whole host of entertainment over one weekend. The result

was Sheffield's first major music festival with over 35,000 party goers turning up for the inaugural event, across over thirty venues, two outdoor stages and the city buzzing for three days of non-stop partying.

Four years on and the festival now spreads across four outdoor stages and over 70 venues where a staggering 600 plus artists perform.

It is a festival unlike any other, delivering a line-up that would normally cost a packet.

Everyone always asks me when we start planning Tramlines and to be honest we never stop. Every year we have a few weeks post festival where we take stock, look at what went right, what went wrong and most importantly how we can make the next year’s festival bigger and better.

Every year we’ve come back with more venues, more fringe areas, more bands, more performances and overall, a better experience for our festival goers. I think when you keep giving, people expect more and more and we’ve always tried to deliver. We’ve managed to stay free for four years which is an unbelievable achievement. We want to keep it going and we want to keep it free but it is getting hard. Our sponsors have been amazing in helping us reach this point but with increasing financial pressures, I think we’re all accepting that in 2013 some elements of the festival will be paid for.

It’s mad to think that within four years we have nearly five times the number of people who came to the first festival, quadrupled the number of stages and doubled the number of venues taking part. I think we’ve got it right now though. We are all festival goers at heart so we try and create a festival that we’d love to go to.

I see our festival as being different to a lot of others because it incorporates all of Sheffield’s different communities. It is about a lot more than big headline acts. It extends across the entire city to showcase every aspect of Sheffield's music community with a vast and hugely diverse line-up. There’s the Blues & Ale Trail, a folk forest, street theatre, local artist exhibitions and much more.

That’s the beauty of Tramlines, you’ve got the whole of Sheffield’s music community coming together for one common goal. Sheffield’s young blood working with the old school to create a weekend filled with every musical genre, providing something for everyone – no matter if you’re 8 or 80. We give festival-goers a chance to see established artists alongside up and coming acts which is great because people end up crossing over and finding new music that they’ve never heard before or trying out new genres they might not have discovered themselves.

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Feature images © Brett Carr, Gerard Morgan, Patrick Handley, Simon Butler, Vincent Voizard and Tarquin Clark.

I see our festival as being different because it incorporates all of Sheffield’s different communities. It extends across the entire city to showcase every aspect of Sheffield's music community.

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clockwise from top left: Music at the Millennium Gallery. Sheffield Cathedral was transformed into a music venue. Fans at the World Stage. Roots Manuva.

For me personally there are always a couple of up and coming artists that I really looking forward to. We have a knack for booking bands and artists that are just starting to be on everyone's radar. They're the kind of bookings that you get where you catch an act quite early, and that's what I particularly look forward to.

Sometimes it can feel like you’re doing the grown-up stuff so other people can have fun but just being part of it is great. Everyone thinks the team spend our time hob-knobbing with bands all weekend, but it’s far from the truth.

We all try and make a plan to see at least two of our favourite bands – more often than not those plans go to pot because we are caught up running the festival, but I don’t think any of us would grumble.

As a team we devote ourselves to Tramlines and making it work, most of the team actually work for little or no money and I think that is just amazing. We all believe in the festival, what is stands for and what it does for Sheffield. Sometimes I look at how huge it is and how it’s become something that people mark out in their diary and I think ‘but all we wanted to do was put on some bands’. To find out more about festivals in Yorkshire go to yorkshire.com/festivals

We have a knack for booking bands that are just starting to be on everyone's radar.

Need to know Tramlines 2013 takes place from Friday 19 to Sunday 21 July inclusive. For more information go to www.tramlines.org.uk

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ADVERTORIAL

ePic SteAM ADveNtUReS Journey through history aboard a vintage train. Step back in time on the Railway Children’s Railway in the heart of Brontë Country. Experience the magic and wonder of our fantastic collection of stunning engines, wagons and carriages. Enjoy a snapshot of the Railway’s glory days. A reminder of an age when train travel was a glamorous adventure.

Running like a ribbon through Brontë Country, a trip on Keighley & Worth Valley Railway guarantees some of the most breath taking scenery and famous landscapes in the world. Relive the famous story of The Railway Children as you watch the vintage trains puff their way in and out of the valley, or jump aboard and travel to the Edwardian Oakworth station the location for the famous 1970s film.

A fantastic family day out, there’s hands on fun and learning to be had along the line. At Ingrow West station you will find two award-winning transport museums. Hop off the train and visit the Ingrow Museum of Rail Travel, where sound and video presentations help to bring the past to life, whilst The Ingrow Loco Museum boasts locomotives as well as exhibits and archive film.

With family fun all year round, as well as a host of regular events adding to the magic, a trip to Keighley & Worth Valley Railway is not to be missed!

Next step For more information on events and for timetables go to www.kwvr.co.uk

clockwise from above: Authentic ticket masters. Family fun on The Railway Children's Railway.

Magnificent Steam Engines.

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SCULPTURE VULTURES

ARTISTIC

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Yorkshire Sculpture Park, The Hepworth Wakefield, the Henry Moore Institute and Leeds Art Gallery are only a 30-minute drive, bus or train ride from each other. Which means you can enjoy an afternoon, a day or a weekend at all four great venues during our autumn of world-class exhibitions.

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‘The Yorkshire Sculpture Triangle’ as it is being called, is a major new project involving the Henry Moore Institute, The Hepworth Wakefield, the Yorkshire Sculpture Park and Leeds Art Gallery.

With support from the Arts Council and Welcome to Yorkshire the four galleries will work together to create a unique offering for visitors.

The Yorkshire Sculpture Triangle will encourage people from all over Yorkshire, the UK and world-wide to explore the county’s sculptural

“ We have a unique offering. This exciting project will see Yorkshire positioned as the sculpture capital of Europe.” heritage, the world leading galleries and the landscape that inspired some of Britain’s greatest artists of the 20th century.

Cluny McPherson from the Arts Council said: “With these four galleries so close to one another and in the birthplaces of some of the world’s leading sculptors, we have a unique offering. This exciting project will see Yorkshire positioned as the sculpture capital of Europe.”

When the award winning The Hepworth Wakefield opened in 2011, the world started talking about Yorkshire as a centre for modern and contemporary art.

The county is blessed to have direct lineage to some of Britain’s finest artists and sculptors. Henry Moore was born in Castleford, Barbara Hepworth was born in Wakefield and Damien Hirst studied at Leeds College of Art and Design. With those celebrated ties, the county is the undisputed home of modern British sculpture.

Complementing the golden triangle is Harewood House, which has exhibited Antony Gormley and Jacob Epstein’s ‘Adam’ and has previously shown the likes of Bill Viola, Mark Wallinger, Anya Gallaccio, Andy Goldsworthy and Laura Ford.

With an ever changing programme of events and exhibitors involving some of the most exciting and established artists working today, Yorkshire is fast becoming Europe’s ultimate cultural city break. To find out more go to www.yorkshire.com/artistic

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CELEBRATE 200 OF THE WORLD’S GREATEST ARTISTS AT 4 LEADING ARTS VENUES

The Hepworth Wakefield

Henry Moore Institute, Leeds

Yorkshire’s inspiring gallery The Hepworth Wakefield, was shortlisted for the Stirling Prize. The dramatic building and superb spaces make this one of the largest and most visited galleries outside London. Stroll around unique collections of sculptures by Barbara Hepworth, as well as changing exhibitions by international contemporary artists. Explore art, architecture and your imagination.

Discover sculpture in the heart of Leeds.

Three beautiful gallery spaces host an ever-changing programme of exhibitions accompanied by tours, talks and events which explore sculpture from ancient to modern. A world-recognised centre for the study of sculpture, the Henry Moore Institute hosts a year-round programme of exhibitions, conferences and lectures.

Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Wakefield

Leeds Art Gallery, Leeds

A centre of international importance for creation, exhibition and appreciation of modern and contemporary sculpture and the UK’s leading outdoor art gallery. In the fresh air, within 500 acres of beautiful, historic parkland, you’ll discover over 60 sculptures by major artists. Inside, five spacious galleries present an exciting programme of changing exhibitions.

Described by The Times as having, ‘probably the best collection of 20th century British art outside London’. Alongside the extensive 20th century British painting and sculpture collection, the Gallery presents a dynamic temporary exhibition programme, as well as continuing to acquire artworks for the permanent collection. Stroll around the Gallery’s collections of paintings and sculptures and enjoy refreshments in the Tiled Hall Café.

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ARTISTIC

Perfect Performance Yorkshire is a hub for critically acclaimed performing arts, Ali Schofield gets her high heels stuck into the inner workings of Scarborough’s world famous Stephen Joseph Theatre.

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couple walk their dogs along the beach as the jangle of slot machines and bingo calls sound distantly from across the Foreshore Road. The scent of fish and chips wafts out of Scarborough’s famous takeaways on a wonderfully clement day and, as the sun sets behind the old town, the local theatre comes to life, shining a spotlight on the seaside town’s reputation as a world leading destination for drama.

The Stephen Joseph Theatre (SJT), established in 1955, is the staging choice for the world’s most performed living playwright, Alan Ayckbourn (artistic director at the SJT from 1972 to 2009). Ayckbourn prefers to hold world premieres of his plays in Scarborough before taking them to Broadway. You see, you don’t need an Oyster card to see nationally acclaimed performing arts in the UK. The famous 360 degree theatre in the round has for the last 25 years occupied the old Odeon building, easily identifiable on my visit, by its illuminated art deco obelisk.

It has been innovating and pushing the boundaries of drama for over 50 years and with all this inspiring history I’m starting to feel slightly daunted about taking to the stage myself, albeit as part of a strictly behind the scenes tour as the countdown to curtain-up begins.

Of course, there are no curtains to hide behind here, as production manager Denzil Hebditch explains when we stand on stage surrounded by seats rising up imposingly on all sides.

“There’s no ‘behind the

scenes’, as it were, there’s the run-round. In a traditional theatre you can be in the wings and more hands on for scene changes but here you’re completely exposed and everything is in view of the audience,” he says.

The run-round, as I find out, is a fairly tight corridor around the perimeter wall of the auditorium with just three entrances, or vomitories in theatre speak, for the actors to reach the stage. I imagine the fizz of nervous excitement which must fill this tiny area as the actors wait for their cues, demonstrated by small green lights controlled by the production team.

There’s very little room for storing large props, which, with two plays showing alongside each other most of the time, could become a problem were it not for a technicality fairly unique to the SJT. Denzil explains, “The stage itself is a lift, so the entire stage can drop right down into the workshop and you can change your set down there and bring the stage right back up again.”

It’s only when you have such a unique opportunity to wander around the parts audiences never see, that the magnitude of work which goes into a new play at the SJT becomes clear.

Denzil seems impressively relaxed just an hour before the evening’s show, as he recounts the year-long journey from idea to completion; all the time-consuming prop-making, costume

I imagine the fizz of nervous excitement which must fill this tiny area as the actors wait for their cues.

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The varied performances at Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough.

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ActiNG UP NORtH

Other performing arts hot spots in Yorkshire

York Theatre Royal Has been producing great drama in the beautiful City of York for over 250 years and is one of the country’s leading producing theatres. Each year they welcome over 200,000 people.

West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds Since opening in 1990, West Yorkshire Playhouse has established a national and international reputation, providing both a thriving focal point for the communities of West Yorkshire and theatre of the highest standard.

The Crucible Theatre, Sheffield Has become as famous for hosting the World Snooker Championships as it has for producing and staging some of the finest northern theatre works of the past four decades.

Hull Truck Theatre, Hull Makes real theatre for real people.

Presents high quality drama productions and touring on a regular basis. One of Britain's most iconic and innovative theatre companies.

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fittings and technical design. Meanwhile I stare in awe at scribbled-on scripts and quiz the production team readying themselves for the imminent performance as to whether they worry that anything might go wrong (they don’t, because it doesn’t). They may not be actors themselves, but they’ve rehearsed their roles strenuously to avoid any mistakes.

The theatre in the round’s second unusual innovation, a permanent steel mesh trampoline above the stage and seating, means that these confident technicians can easily move and change the lighting rig without ladders (and unwitting journalists on backstage tours can regret their choice of heels that morning).

The sound and light combinations are programmed into two computers and a sound desk in a control room which overlooks the stage. Later I will sit in front of the control room’s glass window during that evening’s performance of Surprises and remember deputy technical manager Mark Johnson’s nonchalant aside that he’ll be cueing up some 137 different sound and lighting combinations during the show. I realise I’m nervous on his behalf as the expectant hum of audience chatter dies down and the lights go up, though I’m soon more absorbed by the play unfolding on the stage below.

In fact, while it is the actors who we applaud, theirs is a relatively short role in the process of staging an Ayckbourn premiere at the SJT. Post auditions, the chosen cast only have about a month in a rehearsal room, followed by a production week which includes technical and dress rehearsals on the actual stage, before the play opens to the public.

By the time I am shown into the green room the actors have been playing their parts on stage longer than they rehearsed them. Words like “legend” and “fantastic opportunity” keep cropping up in relation to working with Ayckbourn. The fact that he, with SJT’s current artistic director Chris Monks’ backing, continues to premiere his shows in Scarborough is testament to the town’s impressive theatre.

It just goes to show there’s a lot more to Scarborough than bingo, beaches and fish and chips.

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Left to right: West Yorkshire Playhouse production of Annie.

Opera North in Leeds. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde at Hull Truck Theatre.

Arts on Fire For lovers of classic ballet, opera and contemporary dance, Yorkshire is becoming the most exciting county in England.

Northern Ballet Theatre, which shares its base with the Phoenix Dance Theatre, has relocated to Leeds’s fastdeveloping Quarry Hill cultural quarter - which is already home to Yorkshire Dance, the West Yorkshire Playhouse and Leeds College of Music - the new six-storey centre of excellence is now the largest dance space outside of London. It is the only dance centre in the UK to accommodate a contemporary dance company alongside a classical ballet company and an associated classical dance school.

It’s not the first major new development on the Yorkshire performing arts scene – and nor is it likely to be the last. Leeds Grand Theatre has been restored to its full glory creating a new, permanent base in a state-of-the-art opera centre for Opera North, one of the country’s leading opera companies.

Hull Truck Theatre, in Hull – for many years regarded as one of Yorkshire’s most exciting and adventurous companies – recently moved into a dazzling new venue on Ferensway in the city centre. With a 440-seat auditorium and a 136-seat studio theatre, Hull Truck’s new home provides a platform for inspiring new writing, experimental theatre and dance.

Yorkshire seems to be in the midst of a real dance renaissance. On your next visit, prepare to be inspired by new venues, new performers and an array of newly created work inspired by the county’s history and culture. To find out more go to www.yorkshire.com/artistic

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ADVERTORIAL

YORk MiNSteR YORkSHiRe'S MeDievAL JeWeL No visit to York, or indeed, North Yorkshire is complete without a trip to York Minster – the jewel in the county’s crown.

York Minster is the largest medieval gothic cathedral in Northern Europe, with its intricate masonry and worldfamous grotesques overlooking York’s skyline. However, the beauty of this magnificent church can only be truly appreciated when you step inside.

The vast expanses of stained glass in York Minster contribute to making it a true treasure house, featuring some of the world’s most elaborate glass masterpieces. The Great East Window is the largest expanse of medieval stained glass in the world and 'England's Sistine Chapel'. It was designed by John Thornton, an unsung hero of Art and one of the world's greatest-ever designers. As the window is currently undergoing major conservation work, visitors now have the unique opportunity to see some of its panels up close in The Orb, a contemporary dome opened in October 2012 which houses five magnificent glass panels. Flanked by interactive exhibitions explaining the work of the glaziers and stonemasons, the displays entertain, educate and inspire young and old alike.

In late Spring 2013, The Orb will be joined by a whole new subterranean visitor experience built within the foundations of York Minster.

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Underground chambers featuring interactive displays and treasured artefacts from York Minster’s rich 2000 year history – from the Romans through to the modern day – will take visitors on an immersive journey through time to meet some of the people whose lives were influenced

by York Minster. The work is all part of the £20 million York Minster Revealed project, which includes one of the UK’s largest conservation and restoration projects and is generously supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

There is much more to see, from The Chapter House to the Central Tower with the best panoramic views of York’s skyscape.

All year round, there is also a magnificent programme of special events, including performances by the world-renowned Minster Choir, summer lunchtime promenade concerts, and family hands-on fun with Monty the Monkey.

clockwise from top left: Family hands-on fun.

Inside the Chapter House. York Minster's West View. See up close the detail in the conserved stained glass panels in The Orb - panel shown Saint John Sailing to Patmos.

Essential experience York Minster is open daily, although times vary according to services taking place. For more information, please visit www.yorkminster.org or call 0844 939 0011.

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OUTDOORS

GOING TO EXTREMES 78

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World famous mountaineer Alan Hinkes OBE is used to being on top of the world, but not from the cockpit of a glider. Here he describes seeing his beloved Yorkshire from a different perspective.

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Left to right: Alan Hinkes OBE looking pensive before take off.

Paragliding at Buckstone Edge, Marsden Moor.

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ingling with glee and delight, my senses were on full alert! I was enjoying every second of the expansive, fabulous views over the glorious Yorkshire countryside from the comfort of a glider cockpit, as it cruised high over familiar landmarks on the ground below. The transparent perspex canopy protected me from the clear, chilly air rushing past outside as we flew over the North York Moors escarpment near Sutton Bank. The westerly wind hitting the steep scarp slope of the hills was being forced up and, put simply, my glider was riding a big invisible wave.

I am used to being high up on the top of Mount Everest, K2, the fourteen 8000m peaks or some other giant Himalayan mountain. Back home in Yorkshire I am usually walking the hilltops, clinging to a rock face or even scrabbling about underneath Yorkshire in a cave or pothole.

Now soaring and wheeling above my home county in a glider was a new, different and exciting experience, the sheer joy was making me smile, and I couldn’t help it!

I was sitting down in a warm cockpit, enjoying the view.

The 360 degree panorama stretched east over the North York Moors National Park; south to York, the Minster towers poking up above the horizon and beyond into South Yorkshire; north along the hillside to Black Hambleton and Teeside, and west over the Vale of York and Mowbray to my hometown of Northallerton with the Pennines rising up beyond.

Below me I scrutinised the orangey-white, gleaming vertical and overhanging Jurassic rock of Whitestone Cliff. Many times I have been rock climbing on this 40m

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limestone crag and had gliders humming and whining overhead, pilots sometimes waving. Now I was up in a glider skimming the rock face, looking down on one of my old climbing haunts and there were no climbers to wave at today.

Wandering around the clubhouse and airfield on Sutton Bank I met plenty of enthusiastic, friendly Yorkshire Gliding Club members. My flying experience began with a short safety film and briefing. Gliding has a superb safety record and people of all ages from children to octogenarians, regularly take to the Yorkshire sky. With very little fuss I was introduced to George who would pilot me in the glider and Andy who would fly the small single engine plane which would tow us up into the sky.

I strapped myself into the cockpit seat, the towline from the tug plane was attached and then we were roaring along the grass runway and airborne almost immediately.

It was an exhilarating ride and we were soon up to over 1,000 feet where, with a sharp jolt, the towrope was suddenly released. Now we were flying free. I could feel the surges of uplift as the responsive glider used air currents to gain height or accelerate. The tug plane waggled its wings at us before circling back to land on the airfield perfectly perched on top of Sutton Bank which was growing smaller by the second.

We now had the freedom to explore the sky and North Yorkshire spread out below. I felt akin to a huge eagle or vulture scudding across the sky, as we hunted for lift and enjoyed the thrill of speed as we whooshed through the sky.

The White Horse of Kilburn, a giant sculpture etched into

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THERE ARE SO MANY WAYS TO GET THE ADRENALINE PUMPING IN YORKSHIRE, IT'S AN ADVENTURE PLAYGROUND FOR OUTDOOR PURSUITS.

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Above: The thrilling extreme experiences of rock climbing and sky diving in Yorkshire's great outdoors.

the hillside, was now far below. Cars were moving around on the Sutton Bank road like toys, trees had shrunk to the size of bushes and the dark waters of Lake Gormire looked like a garden pond. I wanted this special experience to go on for hours; a flight across to the Pennines would be great I thought. I am used to being up high, but this was different.

I felt free. I was not attached to an icy, snowy, Himalayan mountainside or clinging to a rock face.

But just as I have to watch the weather when climbing so do glider pilots and I noticed a dark grey curtain marching irrepressibly across the sky from the west. If we didn’t turn back and land this weather front would engulf us in cloud and rain. George took over the controls and swooped us back over the airfield to position the glider for landing. I have to admit that my pulse quickened slightly as we approached the grassy landing site. It is a dramatic experience to be in the front seat as you come into land for the first time. Touching down abruptly, we bumped along the grass for a few seconds, before coming to a stop and the cockpit canopy was raised.

I reluctantly clambered out. All I wanted to do was get back in a glider and launch once more into the Yorkshire sky.

To find out more go to www.yorkshire.com/outdoors

Great days out Alan Hinkes is the first Briton to climb the world's highest mountains, the fourteen 8000m peaks. When he completed that challenge he became part of an exclusive club of only 12 living people who had achieved the feat, which is the same number of people who have stood on the moon.

You can follow Alan’s adventures on Twitter @alanhinkes The Yorkshire Gliding Club Aims to be the best soaring club in the North of England.

Based at Sutton Bank near Thirsk. www.ygc.co.uk

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YORKSHIRE IS ON THE EDGE! TRY ROCK CLIMBING, CAVING AND POTHOLING, CANOEING AND SKYDIVING. More extreme adventures For thrill seekers in search of challenging off-road terrain, the excitement of fast flowing rivers and vertically challenging feats, it’s all here in Yorkshire…

Visit Camp Hill near Bedale for an experience to remember.

Try your hand at Quad Biking or off-road Segways, among other exciting activities within 300 acres of pure fun.

Experience the full thrill of driving an adventure buggy and get down and dirty racing along muddy tracks at Yorkshire Outdoors near Thirsk.

Feel the buzz and excitement at Pole Position Indoor Karting, Yorkshire's biggest indoor karting arena and explore the tunnels, bridges, elevated pit areas and an underpass - making it a totally unique driving experience.

For the ultimate rush, try a tandem skydive with Skydive Hibaldstow and experience the sheer buzz from freefalling at 15,000ft (the UK’s highest skydive) for one whole adrenaline-fuelled minute.

Experienced canoeists flock to Sowerby Bridge Slalom Course, near Halifax. The 300m white water course uses the weirs on the River Calder previously used to power the area's mills. Not missing out on the game zones at Bawtry Paintball Field in South Yorkshire, Europe's Largest Paintball and outdoor Laser Combat Centre, including The Predator, Air Supremacy, Black Hawk Down, Ewok Invasion and more.

And with the Pennines, Dales, Peak District and our dramatic coastline, there are climbs, caves and challenges for everyone from beginners to experts. You can scale the heights of the country's most spectacular rocks, go deep underground to explore intricate caves or try skimming through the treetops.

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love the Yorkshire

countryside

“ One of the best sights on the Yorkshire coast is a glimpse of a harbour porpoise. If you sit on a cliff top on a calm day with a pair of binoculars you can often spot them swimming in shallow waters.”

Zoe Frank, Ranger, Yorkshire Coast

The National Trust is a registered charity no.205846 Photography this page: Robin Hood’s Bay, Yorkshire Coast ©National Trust Images/Joe Cornish; Photography opposite: Hardcastle Crags ©Sarah Mason Photography; ‘Crab in your hand’ ©National Trust Images/John Millar; Roseberry Bluebells ©National Trust Images/Stephen Morley; Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal ©National Trust Images/John Millar.

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ADVERTORIAL Woodland bluebells near Roseberry Topping

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Some of the most special countryside in Yorkshire is looked after by National Trust Rangers. Like the wild (and often windy) Marsden Moor, the unforgettable Dales landscapes at Malham Tarn and Upper Wharfedale and many miles of the Yorkshire coastline.

Exploring rock pools at Boggle Hole Middlesbrough

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Standing deep in the valley of Hardcastle Crags, far from the noise of the motorway, often all you can hear is the sound of nature and your own breathing. Waterfalls cascade down the hillside, insects buzz and birdsong echoes through the valley. It’s moments like this that feed our love of the Yorkshire countryside.

If you crave a little more adventure and a different point of view, you might find it soaring through the sky whilst paragliding or hang-gliding from Buckstones at Marsden Moor, or after reaching the summit in one of the 470 climbs at Brimham Rocks. Or grab a handheld GPS device and set off on a high-tech treasure hunt, searching 300 acres of land to find one of Nostell Priory & Parkland’s hidden geocaches.

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Walking through the woodland at Hardcastle Crags

Getting close to nature is also a favourite of ours. Have you ever held a crab in your hand? In rock pools at Boggle Hole you can find lots of sea life. Or try pond dipping, especially in the nature reserve at Beningbrough Hall & Gardens. Who knows what you’ll discover - frogs, newts and creepy crawlies of all kinds.

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We love the Yorkshire countryside and think you will too.

Join us for an adventure this year www.nationaltrust.org.uk/yorkshire Stay in our holiday cottages www.nationaltrustcottages.co.uk Like us at www.facebook.com/NTYorkshire Relaxing at Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal

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ACCOMMODATION

Time for Something Different Ever fancied waking up somewhere completely different or a night wrapped in nothing but stars?

We asked Steve McClarence to put his home comforts aside and enter a brave new world... without Radio 4.

E

milie McDermott points halfway down the hill, between the hedge and the road. “If you look down there,” she says, “you can just see the top of a yurt.” Not a line heard all that often in rural North Yorkshire.

We're five miles or so from Masham, the sturdy Wensleydale market town best known for its breweries (Black Sheep and Theakstons).

Down a few winding lanes and up a few more is Bivouac, an encampment of wooden shacks, conically-roofed yurts, 12-bed Bunk Barn, café, shop, and a lot of eco-idealism.

So the news that our woodland shack, for all its en-suite toilet and shower, won't have electricity presents a considerable challenge.

We pack hot water bottles, a couple of storm lamps, three torches, a transistor radio and our second-best candelabra and drive up from our Sheffield home.

Beyond Masham, the roads thread through woodland. We take a wrong turning into a lane a little wider than the car and find our way blocked by a flooded ford. Clare executes a nifty 64-point turn and we're soon driving uphill to Bivouac, past the eight yurts, dotted around

The view is stunning. A great, broad panorama stretches round from rough moorland, past high rolling hills to church spires.

It opened last year (2012) and offers an environmental take on “glamping”, the “glamorous camping” which has lured so many of the middle classes into their designer sleeping bags in recent years.

My wife Clare and I have come to sample what's been neatly described as a “glampsite”.

But we set off with a few misgivings. We've camped just once before, in Australia 20 years ago. I got heatstroke and we left, convinced that if God had wanted us to camp, He wouldn't have invented hotels. Our idea of “roughing it” is a ten-minute delay in room service.

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a field like tents at Agincourt, and up a bit more to the six woodland shacks. They have suitably bucolic names - Tree Snug, Bracken Den, Swallow's Rest, Cuckoo Hollow, Heather Glen and Teasel Burrow.

Up here at 800ft, the view from their attractively rough-hewn verandahs is stunning.

A great, broad panorama stretches round from rough moorland, past high rolling hills and woods, to fields, farms and church spires. Emilie, the receptionist, points out the brooding backdrop of the North York Moors. On a good day, you can see the coast near Redcar, 35 miles away.

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HERITAGE

Glamourous camping at Bivouac in North Yorkshire.

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clockwise from below: Kind comments. Uncluttered accommodation. Get back to nature. Stunning settings.

Bigger and plusher than you might expect. A home from home.

“People can connect more powerfully with themselves, with family, nature, adventure, new experiences” Before we unpack the candelabra and explore the shack, a bit of background. Bivoauc is the brainchild of Sam and Beth Hardwick, an enterprising young couple with a vision shrewdly marrying the two ecos: ecology and economics.

“Terms like 'glamping' are sometimes bandied about by people who set up a few tents in a field, put some IKEA furniture in them and call it posh camping,” says Sam, who grew up in Masham. “But we wanted the shacks to be the ultimate product – something that's comfortable, in a woodland setting, with everything bespoke and environmentally sympathetic.”

Three years ago, he and Beth were both doing “very full-on jobs” in the South. She was a mental health therapist; he was working for a “serial entrepreneur”, who built up and sold off companies. “I was tired and I'd lost a lot of weight doing that job and we didn't see a lot of each other,” he says.

“So we quit our jobs and hit the road for six months – the US, Cook Islands, Australia, New Zealand.”

It was a lodge in New Zealand that inspired Bivouac. “We wanted to work together in something that

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expressed our own values, where people can connect more powerfully with themselves, with family, nature, adventure, new experiences. A transformational space where people feel inspired by being there.”

Back home, they approached around 50 landowners, and, after meetings and discussions up and down the country, settled on a site in Sam's own former backyard: a 30acre smallholding on the 20,000 acre Swinton Estate, around Swinton Park, the grandly-towered luxury hotel a couple of miles down the road.

They secured private investment, and Government grants, converted the smallholding's farmhouse into a shop and an excellent and colourful café for guests and walkers (a public footpath cuts through the site), an outdoor wood-fired hot tub was built near the shacks and Bivouac opened last April (2012).

Many of the first year’s staying guests are families with children, keen to take part in the camp's activities and courses, from orienteering and foraging, to climbing and a children's Forest School.

“We wanted to create an environment that's simpler and

back to nature. Though people can recharge their mobile phones here, so we're not immune to the ideas of the 21st century,” adds Sam. OK, then, back to nature we go. Time to emulate Thoreau, the American author who retreated to a spartan lakeside hut in search of the simple, uncluttered life. Except that the accommodation on offer are in most respects far from spartan.

The yurts are bigger and plusher than you might expect, sleeping five, with a range of beds, carpets, even wing armchairs and chandeliers of tealights. The shacks have well-equipped kitchen corners (two gas-fuelled hobs and a grill) and are furnished in an appealingly “rustic chic” style. They can sleep seven, in three tiers of beds (two doubles, three singles): a cosy family arrangement.

I try to find my inner Boy Scout and get to grips with the woodburning stove, which makes the shack very snug, though heating up enough water for showers is best planned a couple of hours ahead (there are more showers in the Bunk Barn). I fret about the stove going out and check it every five minutes. Kindle takes on a whole new dimension.

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And I don't want to seem obsessive, but there's no electricity.

As the day fades, we cook dinner by lantern-light and eat it by candlelight.

It has a certain period charm - “the 1970s power cuts?” suggests Clare.

Outside, distant trails of street lights thread across the horizon, like constellations of yellow stars. A full moon rises and filters through the latticework of birch and pine beyond the verandah. The silence is complete, apart from some late-night rain and a buffeting wind. We're in bed by 9.30.

Next morning, we walk the quarter-mile to the Druid's Temple, a 19th century folly in a forest. It's a stone stockade masquerading as a stone circle, built on a stack-'em-high principle but atmospherically primeval all the same. Beyond it, through pinewoods, is a glorious view over russet autumn moors and brackenbrown hillsides to Leighton Reservoir.

We drive to nearby Jervaulx Abbey, an enchanting place, its ruins like a

sculpture garden of medieval monastic life, with ivy-clad archways and hidden corners. It's privately owned, so its restful charm hasn't been destroyed by institutionalised tidying-up.

We drive on, through countryside that looks almost landscaped, to Middleham and its forbidding castle, a favourite of Richard III, and on still further to Wensley, whose Holy Trinity Church is now cared for by the admirable Churches Conservation Trust. Medieval wall paintings show corpses being eaten by worms, there's a set of Jacobean pews as big as many a chapel, and a nationally important brass of a 14th century cleric with prissily pursed lips. And in Masham, with its vast market place, we hear tales of the annual Sheep Fair – sheep racing, dancing sheep, oh what can't these sheep do?

Back at Bivouac, the family in the next shack are packing up to leave after a weekend here. What do they think of the place? “Awesome,” says Richard Blakey, from Leeds. “Really impressed.

They've done a really good job.” He and his partner Eva Costoya came with their two young children Esme and Leyo in search of “some kind of outdoor experience halfway between camping and non-camping”. They've had “a lovely time” says Eva, and have enjoyed “amazing breakfasts” at the café. “It's quite nice not to have electricity and be forced into a simpler sort of life. We've played games, rather than just relying on a laptop.”

This chimes in with what Beth Hardwick says as we leave. “When people arrive they can be really tensed up. You find people get more and more relaxed over a weekend, and we've had some who haven't wanted to leave, because they've felt more relaxed than they have for years.”

She may have a point. That morning has been the first for years

when I haven't automatically switched on Radio Four's oftenargumentative Today programme as soon as I've woken up. I've shaved to the chirping of birds. It's a Thoreauly good start. To find out more go to www.thebivouac.co.uk

Don't miss out Dine in the Pullman carriage on the NYMR Celebrate in style aboard the magnificent Pullman dining service and enjoy a magical setting within period carriages. www.nymr.co.uk Stay in a wigwam at Humblebee Farm Humble Bee Farm now has eight wigwams! You can stay in Runswick Bay, Boggle Hole, Danes Dyke, Sandsend, Bempton Cliffs, Filey Brigg, Scarborough Castle and Whitby Abbey, all named after local landmarks. www.humblebeefarm.co.uk Lessons in Taste: wine tasting at Hotel du Vin Whether you are a complete novice or wine aficionado allow Hotel du Vin’s Sommeliers to take you on a pilgrimage around some of the world's finest vineyards without ever leaving the room. www.hotelduvin.com/hotels/york

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ADVERTORIAL

clockwise from top left: The magical Skipton Woods. Skipton Castle is one of Britain’s best preserved medieval castles.

Skipton's popular and picturesque canal.

YOU'LL LOve SkiPtON! Skipton is everything you could wish for from a lively Yorkshire town; a grand medieval castle, award winning high street, bustling market, welcoming pubs and restaurants, intriguing museums, traditional festivals, boutique shopping, country walks, high quality accommodation and friendly folk.

RIGHTLY KNOWN AS ‘THE GATEWAY TO THE DALES’, Skipton could just as easily become your introduction to the best of Yorkshire life.

Washington DC, Stratford-uponAvon, London and now Skipton.

Shakespeare’s First Folio, was confirmed as one of only 49 surviving first folios in Britain, and it’s on public display at Craven Museum. With exhibitions, events and workshops all year round, it’s a perfect place to rediscover part of Skipton’s history.

A great location makes the town a key destination for any visitor planning their next break in Yorkshire, and an ideal base for magnificent walking, riding and cycling holidays.

Take a walk in the magical Skipton Castle Woods, a woodland haven by

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one of Britain’s best preserved medieval castles, Skipton Castle. Over 900 years old, you're free to explore every historic nook and cranny; peek into the Banqueting Hall, and roam around the Kitchen and Bedchamber. Take a walk down the alleyways leading off the High Street and you will find Skipton’s colourful canal basin, where visitors can take a ride with Pennine Boat Trips or Pennine Cruisers on the Leeds & Liverpool canal. Boats are available to hire for the day or you can enjoy a simple hour’s trip!

In the past, Skipton has beaten the likes of Portobello Road and Kensington High Street to win Britain's Best Street of the Year - so a big thumbs up for shopping lovers! On cobblestones from a bygone age,

market stalls run the full length of the high street every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. The shops are an enviable mix of unique independents and famous brand names. The beautiful Victorian indoor arcade Craven Court, Victoria Square and the historic High Corn Mill with its home-style shopping, restored waterwheel and traditional Mill Shop, are just some examples waiting to be explored.

The town offers a wide selection of dining options from acclaimed restaurants to award winning fish and chips, such as Bizzie Lizzie’s. Whether you prefer an intimate bistro or a busy pub with real ale and home-cooked food, there is plenty to choose from every night of the week and for afternoon tea with a difference, try the town’s Russian Tea Rooms.

Finish off the evening at The Mart Theatre, the world's only theatre residing in a working cattle auction!

Selling cows and sheep through the week, it’s transformed at the weekend into a venue providing professional theatre shows, including stand-up comedy, music and drama.

The gateway to the Dales has it all.

Discover more A largely undiscovered gem, Skipton has all the ingredients for a memorable visit. Go to www.yorkshire.com/skipton or call 01756 792809 for a free guide.

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DELICIOUS

Pride of Yorkshire Perfect pints and perfect pubs are a birthright in Yorkshire as Dave Lee finds out in the quest to quench his thirst in Yorkshire’s Favourite Pub.

The White Horse Farm Inn

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orkshire may cover more than three million square acres, but the strange thing is that, however remote your location, you’re never more than a short walk away from a great pub.

They are the keystone of the county’s character, we do them better than anywhere else and, if you haven’t already noticed, we take great pride in telling people so.

Our best pubs reflect the architecture and character of the community they serve. If, for instance, you take a drive through the industrial landscape of West Yorkshire you’ll see big, traditional, sandstone buildings which display their name in proud gold lettering alongside colourful baskets of flowers, dripping with water as they hang dutifully around the entrance.

In the county’s towns you find narrower, taller pubs that originally developed according to

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YOUR tOP 3 YORkSHiRe PUBS The White Horse Farm Inn, Rosedale Bank Set on a hillside with panoramic views over the village of Rosedale Abbey, surrounded by the North York Moors.

Town Hall Tavern, Leeds An eclectic gastropub in Leeds city centre serving fresh, locally sourced British food and traditional cask ales.

Durham Ox, Crayke An award winning pub using the best of local produce in their menu and an extensive range of wines and cask ales.

the requirements of their individual constituencies - market pubs near the town square, solicitor’s pubs by the courthouse, fisherman’s pubs along the waterfront and so on. Though time may have seen off many of the trades for which these pubs were founded they somehow retain a sense of their history, a feeling that the past is only a couple of pints away.

And out in the villages and hamlets you find the wonderful farmhouse pub – solid, wide, with a rattly wooden door, a low ceiling and an uneven floor. The kind of place it pains you to drive past without popping your head around the door.

Every year Welcome to Yorkshire runs a competition to find the county’s favourite pub. It’s a treasured title in a county that has a brewing heritage to rival its celebrated history. The first round of voting saw the public put forward more than 600 different

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pubs, casting over 3,500 votes in the process. The top 30 most popular were then narrowed down by a judging panel to a final 15 then, after another 4,000 plus votes, a winner was found.

Coming third in the competition was the Durham Ox in the small North Yorkshire village of Crayke. The lazy would label it simply a gastro-pub but this traditional oak-beamed, flag stone, open fire boozer is so much more. Yes, the food here is

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sensational – all locally-sourced and hearty yet, at the same time, delicate – but fundamentally, despite being a destination pub for the county’s foodies, the Durham Ox plays a vital part in village life.

Crayke is without a post office or even a village shop so the church, the school and, particularly, the Durham Ox are where everyone in the village goes to gather and celebrate. On any given day you can sit and eat your rump of Dales lamb while watching

the people of the village holding a christening party at the other end of the bar, or visit the annual ‘Ox’toberfest beer festival and find yourself sampling the finest Yorkshire ales alongside the village vicar or the bloke who fixes the dry stone walls.

Voted Yorkshire’s second favourite pub, is the Town Hall Tavern. A city slickers’ pub situated (you won’t be surprised to hear) near Leeds Town Hall, it serves adventurous modern cuisine alongside the full range of Timothy Taylor ales and the champion imported beers.

By night, it’s buzzing with the on-trend city drinkers, but during the day it’s full of city professionals, filling the bar with small talk while tucking into plates of Yorkshire pork or freshly baked bread with a Bloody Mary dipping sauce. The braver gourmand will tuck into crispy pig’s ears or black pudding salad. Average pub grub is simply off the menu.

This year though, the pub selected by the people of the county as their very favourite, was the White Horse Farm Inn, which is to be found at the foot of Rosedale Bank, deep in the heart of the North York Moors National Park. Here is a place that was built as a farmhouse in the 16th century, became a pub in the 18th and, for the past two years, has been owned and

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GARDENS

clockwise from top left: The White Horse Farm Inn, Rosedale Bank.

Sumptious food at Town Hall Tavern.

The cosy atmposphere and pretty surroundings of The Durham Ox in Crayke. Yorkshire has a celebrated brewing heritage.

operated by a small consortium of Rosedale villagers – a true ‘public house’, indeed.

The pub stands facing quintessential Yorkshire scenery, a patchwork of fields dotted with sheep rising steeply to the peak of the opposite dale side. But looking back toward it you realise that the White Horse is quintessential Yorkshire scenery. Five centuries of rain, snow, sun and wind have moulded this handsome stone edifice into the

It's exactly the kind of place you want to find at the end of a long summer's walk

be snowed into come winter.

Sitting at the bar in the White Horse Farm Inn you realise that, as with all great Yorkshire pubs, you’re never more than an arm’s length away from a pint of best, a filling plate and a local punter with a point of view he’s keen to offer. If you know of a more welcoming place in the UK, you might as well keep it to yourself.

You won’t find anyone around here who believes you. To find out more go to www.yorkshire.com/delicious

Rosedale hillside so that it is now as much a part of the landscape as the trees and fields and moorland in which it sits.

Stepping inside, the first thing that hits you is the smell; it’s that comforting, warming aroma of wood smoke from the fireplace and beef roasting somewhere nearby. The White Horse is made up of a string of small rooms, typical of farm house pubs, all of which have been converted into dining spaces and as you wander through them the horse brasses, oak beams and archways (made from carved wood salvaged from a nearby church) create an atmosphere of cosiness and safety. It’s exactly the sort of place you want to find at the end of a long summer’s walk or to

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DELICIOUS

GOING UP MARKET Yorkshire’s historic market towns are enjoying a revival in fortunes. Will Hide discovers hidden gems among the cobblestones of Beverley and Skipton.

top to bottom: The colourful Beverley Market. A canalway full of life in the vibrant market town of Skipton.

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don’t like choosing. Whatever it may be in life, why have one of something when two is double the fun?

Would I like to go and explore the charming market town of Beverley or the equally delightful Skipton, often known as gateway to the Dales? What about seeing both of them, I pondered.

I checked my diary, picked a long weekend and set off to the exotic orient – East Yorkshire to be precise.

Beverley might be one of the nicest market towns you’ve never heard of until now. There are probably some people in this part of East Yorkshire, just south of the lovely, rambling wolds, who would like to keep it that way. The secret’s out though and it’s a perfect place to while away a weekend, especially when there’s a race meeting on at the pretty local course.

Beverley’s name derives from the beavers that used to live in local streams - surely a fact for all pub quiz lovers to stash away - and streets such as North Bar Within, Toll Gavel, Butcher Row and Saturday Market attest to its long and interesting history. Wander down them and you’ll eventually arrive at the Minster, the gorgeously Gothic parish church of St John and St Martin, building work for which began in 1220.

If possible, try and take one of the roof tours which lasts about an hour as it is truly fascinating. Close by is the Beverley Friary youth hostel and believe me, if you’ve never considered staying in one, this will change your mind. It’s a 600-year-old Dominican friary which underwent a £300,000 refurbishment in 2012 with many

FIVE OF THE BEST

Yorkshire's leading markets with a diverse range of fantastic local produce

Barnsley Market South Yorkshire Over 700 years old with over 300 stalls. Only the best and highest quality fresh produce is available sought from local suppliers.

Kirkgate Market, Leeds West Yorkshire Over 600 traders are housed in the impressive Edwardian buildings.

Europe's largest covered market.

Doncaster Market South Yorkshire One of the biggest and best traditional markets in the North with some 400 shops, stalls and stands.

Art Market, Holmfirth West Yorkshire A wide variety of arts, contemporary crafts and designers, showcasing the best of British talent. historical features and its own walled garden. There are lots of good dining and independent shopping options too and pubs in which to whet your whistle, the infamous ‘Nelly’s’ is a must when in Beverley, while Whites patisserie and Cerutti 2 are firm favourites with the locals.

Walking off any overnight indulgences is easy with a short stroll to the Westwood, an ancient common land of stray cows and loose golf balls fired from the testing, windmill set golf club with views of the Minster spires.

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If you have a car you can use Beverley as a base from which to drive to the wolds for more easy, clear-thecobwebs walks or head to Hull’s The Deep aquarium, great for the kids, Elizabethan Burton Agnes Hall or 18th century Sledmere House, or up to the coast for some fish and chips at Bridlington or Hornsea.

I travelled by train, a thoroughly leisurely way to cover the distance and an opportunity to look out of the window at the changing landscapes and collect my thoughts en route to solid old Skipton. It’s a market town with a sense of grandeur, countering Beverley’s timber framed attractiveness with streets of solid stonework leading to round bellied ramparts.

The Leeds-Liverpool canal, built in the 18th century, brought prosperity and today you can either hire a boat yourself in Skipton, or go on a short guided cruise round the imposing castle and back which only costs £3.

Farming and trading are still crucial in this part of Yorkshire, and there’s an impressive market here on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays on the cobbled “setts” in front of the main pavements, which date back to 1204. Shops themselves are a mix of

Driffield Market East Yorkshire A lively market town known as the capital of the Wolds with many individual shops and a bustling street market on a Thursday.

Find out more about our markets www.yorkshire.com/markets

brand names and quirky individuals - in 2009 Skipton’s was voted the best high street in Britain - so you definitely don’t feel as though you’re in an identikit could-be-anywhere town. There’s a lovely covered arcade for those, erm, rare days when it rains. And if the weather’s not playing ball, you can also visit the town’s enchanting museum.

Don’t miss the Russian Tea Rooms with their shelves of matryoshka dolls, the painted wooden ones that stack inside each other.

Or just around the corner, Sweet Treats, an old-fashioned sweet shop where you can indulge your childhood memories.

A long weekend visiting Beverley and Skipton gives you the chance to experience two lovely Yorkshire towns, with plenty of scenery to soak up in between. Just make sure you save time for a decent pint or two at both ends.

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DELICIOUS

top to bottom: James Martin celebrates local produce.

Market day in Malton.

STARS IN YOUR PIES Maltonian Will Hide goes back to his routes.

Malton is a great place to come home to and unwind - a mix of shops, traditional pubs, cafés and, increasingly, a foodie scene that is getting national attention.

If you’re on the Malton to York train one day and, just outside the village of Huttons Ambo, see a lady waving a large white pillow case from the upstairs bedroom window of a farm house, don’t panic – it’s just my mum. It’s her customary farewell to her kiddywinks en route back to London. Never mind that her little cherubs are now 44 and 46, it’s a tradition.

Now, I wouldn’t like to suggest that my mother is a tad eccentric or that this applies to all the people of Malton, but there’s definitely a certain hometown quirkiness that I miss whenever I’m down south in the capital.

Malton is a great place to come home to and unwind a mix of small shops and well-known high street stores, traditional pubs, cafés and, increasingly, a foodie scene that is getting national attention, not least with the arrival of the town’s (second) favourite son James Martin at the recently revamped and re-opened Grade II-listed Talbot Hotel.

The hotel, which originally opened in 1684 as a hunting lodge, has had £4m pumped into a total renovation and now boasts 26 sumptuous bedrooms, a lovely drawing room where you can lounge with the papers and a proper Yorkshire cup of tea, a large bar serving ales from the Cropton brewery near Pickering next to a light-flooded atrium, and a restaurant overseen by James himself.

On the menu here you’ll find lots of local Yorkshire produce, from Whitby crab to Sand Hutton asparagus, even Castle Howard lavender, all of which embraces a real farm-to-fork philosophy.

“I’ve spent a lot of time travelling around various areas of Yorkshire visiting suppliers,” says James, whose family farmed pigs four miles away when he was growing up. “It’s important we use the best of what Malton has to offer. I’m testing black puddings today and we have a great butcher in Norton (Malton’s neighbour across the river Derwent) who’s going to be making those for us for breakfast.

“Dare I say it, a lot of hotels elsewhere in the country will try and source locally but they don’t have the abundance of the produce on their doorstep but we do here, we’re very lucky.”

Malton’s culinary heritage is backed up by the monthly indoor market featuring local goods from Moors honey to live chickens.

The Food Lovers Festival in May attracts the likes of Antonio Carluccio, Rosemary Shrager and Tom Parker-Bowles to the market place for cookery demonstrations in the masterclass marquee.

At other times you can pop into the Pott 'In' Shed Café on Chancery Lane which produces fresh healthy home cooked food in cosy surroundings, or for something heartier, try St Michael’s Tavern, where owners Gunter and Dagmar cook traditional German food with wonderful Wienerschnitzels and hearty Bratwurst sausages.

The town is more than a destination in its own right though, it’s also a great base from which to explore north and East Yorkshire. If you take the train, you might also see Mrs Hide waving her pillow case at you.

Need to know East Coast trains Provide direct links from London to many of Yorkshire’s destinations including Malton. www.eastcoast.co.uk

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PATRONS LAWRENCE TOMLINSON

SPEED “It doesn't get much better than racing your own car with Nigel Mansell, he's still blindingly quick.”

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DEmon Ginetta sports cars have a rich racing history, Andrew Denton gets under the bonnet of the world beating Yorkshire export.

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Ginetta is the third largest manufacturer of race cars in the world.

L

awrence Tomlinson is sitting on the bonnet of a dark grey Ginetta G60 in the car park of his LNT Group headquarters in Garforth. He is sportingly looking into the middle distance for our photographer and trying not to smile. All is going well until he breaks off and returns to a question I asked him earlier in our interview.

“You asked if there has ever been a moment when I have pinched myself and I said not really. Well I did pinch myself a bit at breakfast this morning when Richard Branson text to congratulate me on being named the IOD’s director of the year.” Honesty honoured, Tomlinson swivels back to concentrate on an invisible spot in the late summer sky happy to continue being puppet-mastered by our photographer.

The mere mention of Britain’s favourite entrepreneur makes me think a Tomlinson autobiography would be a fascinating read, yet somehow I doubt he would agree to such an in-depth replaying of his past achievements. Not yet anyway. He is too consumed by what tomorrow might bring, his energies too focussed on the future, and right now, it’s all about Ginetta.

Tomlinson has just launched a clothing range to compliment the car’s racing heritage. Each item comes with its own numbered identification plate placing a premium on exclusivity whilst reinforcing brand loyalty. This is not

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an exercise in Superdry saturation. This is an extension of the Ginetta story, a sports car manufacturer with a loyal fan base brought back from the brink by Tomlinson and rewarded with a range of high-end threads and carbon fibres to replace the oily overalls. Extravagant, possibly, but with Ginetta, like all his businesses, you somehow feel it’s personal too.

In 2004 Tomlinson came close to buying rival manufacturer TVR, only to be foiled by the arrival of a 23 year old Russian millionaire with briefcases full of cash who swept the British marque from his fingertips. The man from Moscow forced Tomlinson into a pitstop. His favoured mode of transport taken from him, a year later Tomlinson turned to Ginetta, a lesser known UK firm which had been producing bespoke road, sports and racing cars since the 1950s. The era offered a direct lineage to the heyday of British motorsport and the freedom to engineer its future. A deal was done and in a twist which typifies Tomlinson’s hands on approach to business success he became not only the owner, but test driver, designer and ultimately track champion too. Tomlinson had previously won the GT2 class at Le Mans in 2006 driving a Panoz, and used that experience to design his first Ginetta, the G50, which went on to win the British GT4 title in 2008, 2009 and 2010 as well as the European and Brazilian GT4 championships. Tomlinson is a multi-millionaire who really knows what life is like in the fast lane.

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“Ginetta has produced cars continuously since 1958, when we bought it it was making a small profit employing just two people. We now employ 60 people and Ginetta is the third largest manufacturer of race cars in the world behind Porsche and Radical,” he says.

His drive for perfection on behalf of his customers still takes him to race tracks around the world to watch his cars and academy drivers compete in Ginetta’s own race

“ What is unique about Ginetta is it is a British owned, British based sports car business.” series and in a funny way he is investing in an offshoot company, a personnel production line of torque talent who may or may not go on to Formula One fame. Time will tell on that one but under the fluorescent strip lighting of the Ginetta factory floor the future certainly looks bright.

Ginetta produces between 100 and 150 race cars a year and around 160 road cars of which the G60 is one. His operation at Gar’ford’, as Tomlinson calls it, has produced five new Ginetta models since the firm became part of LNT Group.

“I’d say that when we started selling the G50s in 2007/8 80-90% of our market was in the UK, I would now say 80% of our market is overseas,” he says.

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The irony of being a successful British manufacturer and exporter in a county which was once a workshop of the world is not lost on Tomlinson.

“What is unique about Ginetta is it is a British owned, British based sports car business. There is probably just myself and Charles Morgan who own their businesses in the UK, and still manufacture cars in any volume in the UK.” He is proud that his cars have a Yorkshire core and a British heart and in a move that some businessmen would baulk at, he even pays more to have parts manufactured in this country rather than bulk buy more cheaply abroad.

This is not a display of patriotic philanthropy designed to make his accountants wince, it’s a conscious commitment to British quality.

“All the LNT businesses are the same really, what we look at is offering our customers quality, value and innovation and with Ginetta a bit of exclusivity too.”

With his fast cars and clothing Tomlinson is, unwittingly, creating a mini Italy on a quiet unassuming industrial estate in West Yorkshire. And far be it for me to tell one of Britain’s most successful entrepreneurs when he is missing a marketing opportunity but I’d suggest that if people really want to know what success feels like, it might be worth buying Ginetta in future, not Prada.

Perhaps I’ll text Richard Branson that idea. Now if only I knew someone with his number.

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REDCAR SALTBURN

WHITBY

A171 YARM

BARNARD CASTLE

YORKSHIRE DALES

RICHMOND

REETH

SEDBERGH

A1

LEYBURN

DANBY

NORTH YORK MOORS

NORTHALLERTON

HAWES

THIRSK

MASHAM

INGLETON SETTLE

RIPON

GRASSINGTON

A170

PICKERING

A629

YORK

HARROGATE

A65

WETHERBY

A658

KEIGHLEY

A64

LEEDS

BRADFORD

A166 A614 HORNSEA

BEVERLEY

A19 SELBY

A164

A63

HEBDEN BRIDGE

HULL

A63

WITHERNSEA

HUMBER BRIDGE

HALIFAX TODMORDEN

MALTON

A1079

OTLEY

SALTAIRE

FILEY

BRIDLINGTON

KNARESBOROUGH

ILKLEY

HAWORTH

A64

A19

PATELEY BRIDGE

A59

SEAMER

A165

MALHAM

SKIPTON

A169 SCARBOROUGH

KIRKBY LONSDALE HORTON-IN-RIBBLESDALE

N

ROBIN HOOD’S BAY

HELMSLEY

SUTTON BANK

A684

DENT

GUISBOROUGH

MIRFIELD HUDDERSFIELD HOLMFIRTH

PONTEFRACT

WAKEFIELD

SCUNTHORPE

A1

BARNSLEY

A15

A180 GRIMSBY CLEETHORPES

DONCASTER

BRIGG

A18

PEAK ROTHERHAM DISTRICT A57

SHEFFIELD

GETTING HERE Wherever you’re coming from, getting to Yorkshire by rail, road, sea or air couldn’t be easier – and the journey takes you through some of our most stunning scenery on the way.

KEY Motorways A Roads Rail Routes Airports Heritage Coasts Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty National Parks Ferryport

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YORkSHiRe BY RAiL You can get to Yorkshire by high-speed train from London or Edinburgh in less than two hours. The Midlands is even nearer to Yorkshire’s cities, and Trans-Pennine services offer direct links from the North West and North East.

For timetables and reservations contact: East Coast (www.eastcoast.co.uk) Grand Central (www.grandcentralrail.co.uk) National Rail Enquiries (tel 08457 484950 www.nationalrail.co.uk) East Midlands Trains (www.eastmidlandstrains.co.uk) Hull Trains (www.hulltrains.co.uk) Northern Rail (www.northernrail.org) Supertram Sheffield (www.supertram.com) Transpennine Express (www.tpexpress.co.uk) And you can explore Yorkshire’s hills, moors and valleys on some of Britain’s best loved and most spectacular leisure trains, with lovingly preserved vintage rolling stock and historic steam locomotives. These include the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, Embsay & Bolton Abbey Steam Railway, Keighley & Worth Valley Railway, Middleton Railway, Wensleydale Railway, Fellsman (for the SettleCarlisle Railway) and Kirklees Light Railway.

Discover more about these super train trips at www.yorkshire.com/railways

YORkSHiRe BY ROAD Britain’s biggest and fastest highways cross Yorkshire from north to south and east to west, making getting here with your own car or by coach very simple indeed.

The A1 and M1 connect from the north and south, while the M6 and M62 link Yorkshire with the Midlands and the North West and

the M18/M180 gives easy access to the coast and countryside of northern Lincolnshire.

For details of the quickest (or the most scenic) driving routes see the AA or RAC websites www.theaa.com and www.rac.co.uk Coach companies with services to (and within) Yorkshire include: Arriva (www.arrivabus.co.uk/yorkshire) Dalesbus (www.dalesbus.org) East Yorkshire Motor Services (www.eyms.co.uk) First (www.firstgroup.com) Moorsbus (www.northyorkmoors.org.uk/moorsbus) Transdev Blazefield (www.transdevplc.co.uk)

YORkSHiRe BY AiR AND SeA The Yorkshire county is served by a number of airports, providing daily flights to and from many destinations. With excellent transport links, Yorkshire is also easily accessible from many other airports throughout the UK, through high speed train links and an extensive motorway network.

Leeds Bradford International Airport (tel 0871 2882288 www.leedsbradfordairport.co.uk) Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield (tel 0871 2202210 www.robinhoodairport.com) Humberside Airport (tel 0844 8877747 www.humbersideairport.com) Manchester Airport (tel 08712 710711 www.manchesterairport.co.uk)

Find further information on regional and local bus and train services from Traveline Yorkshire (www.yorkshiretravel.net).

You can also hire a vehicle from Arrow Self Drive at amazing rates. With branches in Harrogate, Huddersfield, Leeds, Barnsley, Wakefield and Hull, it has never been easier to find the perfect hire vehicle to explore Yorkshire. (www.arrowselfdrive.com)

Don’t forget P&O Ferries operate direct overnight links into Yorkshire from Rotterdam, Holland and Zeebrugge, Belgium. For more information visit www.poferries.com

YORkSHiRe BY Bike AND ON FOOt There are walks, hikes and cycle trails all over Yorkshire. For walkers, enjoy easy strolls in towns and cities, nature walks in superb wildlife reserves, long rambles along cross-country canal towpaths, and energetic treks across the open moors and along the magnificent coast. For cyclists, the choice is equally wide, from challenging trail rides to easy-going, traffic-free routes along canals, cliffs and riversides.

Find a wide choice of guide books and maps with lots of dedicated walking and cycling

routes at Tourist Information Centres across the county, or more ideas from Welcome to Yorkshire at www.yorkshire.com/outdoors.

iNFORMAtiON ceNtReS Tourist Information Centres in cities, towns, villages and other locations throughout Yorkshire can offer plenty of great ideas to inspire you and help you make the most of your visit. They can also help with practical information on accommodation, great places to eat and drink, local events and transport, escorted walks and tours, and where to hire bicycles, boats and lots more.

For all the Tourist Information Centres in Yorkshire; www.yorkshire.com/tic

With thanks to our corporate partners:

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WELCOME TO YORKSHIRE

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SHEFFIELD The greenest city in the UK and stunning scenery in every direction.

The Crucible Theatre

Restaurants and bars at Leopold Square

Cocoa Wonderland

If there's one place that has it all, it's Sheffield. On one hand it's a thriving hub with music, sports and shopping scenes that draw in visitors from miles around. And on the other, it's a city just minutes away from the exciting wilderness of the Peak District.

Sheffield's iconic steel globes

Rising from industrial roots is a city with an ever-growing passion for music and sport. Art lovers will discover an array of striking galleries, dotted around a city which has become a cultural hotspot.

National City of Sport Sheffield has an enviable choice of world-class facilities including the English Institute of Sport Sheffield, Europe's largest ice-skating complex and an Olympic-standard swimming pool. Sheffield even has the world's first football club, Sheffield FC. Delighting every palate and pocket There is a great selection of independent restaurants using local produce, national chains you'll easily recognise or quick-stop coffee bars for a cheeky slice of fresh-bake cake.

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WHERE TO GO

Essential experiences

Botanical Gardens

1 2 3 Boutique shopping

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For a special evening why not try Sheffield’s Michelin Starred restaurant The Old Vicarage. Otherwise, Genting Club Sheffield offers two fantastic restaurants, the very best in gaming in the casino and three great bars.

When it comes to great shops, Sheffield's got bags of them. Oneoff trendy boutiques are waiting to be discovered down Ecclesall Road – including the delicious chocolate boutique Cocoa Wonderland. Explore the city's über cool Devonshire Quarter and visit Meadowhall, one of Europe's largest indoor shopping centres.

Elegant accommodation From a stylish hotel in the buzzing city centre, to a quaint country inn in the midst of rolling countryside...Sheffield has a hotel for every budget. From the

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sophisticated offering at The Leopold Hotel to the fully modernised Victorian Rutland Hotel and top quality guest rooms at Throapham House bed and breakfast. Not to mention the New Hampton by Hilton hotel, opening in late 2013.

A rocking music scene The city plays centre stage to events that include The Last Laugh Comedy Festival, one of the largest urban music festivals in the UK – Tramlines and Sheffield Food Festival cooking up some tasty events. Alternatively, check out the ever changing exhibition programme in the city’s galleries, classical symphonies at Sheffield City Hall, international artists at Motorpoint Arena or for theatre productions, it has to be the Lyceum Theatre or the Crucible Theatre.

Tropical Butterfly House Enter a creepy, crawly world that's a child's dream full of unforgettable animal encounters.

Fire and Police Museum Explore over 30,000 exhibits in one of Yorkshire's first combined Fire and Police Stations.

Winter Garden Get up close and personal with nature. Large enough to house 5,000 domestic greenhouses!

Meadowhall One of the UK's leading shopping and leisure destinations, with over 270 retail outlets.

Heeley City Farm Meet the friendly animals, learn about how to save energy and live more sustainably.

The greenest city in Europe Trees, trees, glorious trees. You'll never be able to count the city's 2 million trees or 5,500 plant species, but a day getting up close and personal with nature in the Winter Garden, Sheffield Botanical Gardens and Peace Gardens gives you a great excuse to try. The Winter Garden alone has over 2,500 plants from around the world.

History that's brimming with life 2013 is the 100th anniversary of the first stainless steel being produced in Sheffield. Experience how steelmaking forged the city at Kelham Island Museum and follow its growth through the Industrial Revolution. The story continues at Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet, where you'll see the only intact crucible steel furnace!

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WELCOME TO YORKSHIRE

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HULL & EAST YORKSHIRE

A land of big skies that has inspired master artist David Hockney.

Rockpooling in Flamborough South Landing

Hull Marina

The Yorkshire Wolds

From the cosmopolitan city of Hull to the undulating hills and valleys of the Yorkshire Wolds, and the beautiful sandy beaches of Bridlington East Yorkshire is wonderfully eclectic. At its heart lies a serene landscape of swirling grasslands, medieval towns, manor houses and Bronze Age ruins that remain refreshingly unchanged.

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The Deep in Hull

The unspoilt, ever changing nature of this area was used by Hockney as the inspiration for a bold collection of paintings, sketches, iPad and film work at his Royal Academy of Arts and Ludwig Museum exhibition’s David Hockney RA: A Bigger Picture.

East Yorkshire has some of the prettiest market towns in the country.

Beverley is a favourite, with its cobbled streets and a majestic minster.

Travelling around the coast, grab a bargain at Hornsea Freeport shopping village or walk along miles of sandy beach at Withernsea.

Bridlington’s Heritage Coast is a wild day out. Yorkshire's Nature Triangle is well known among local naturalists for its rich fauna and flora, but it’s a hidden secret for a wider audience who want to see British

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WHERE TO GO

Essential experiences 1 2 Beverley Minster

3 4 5

Family fun at Flamborough Lighthouse

wildlife. RSPB Bempton is the best place in England to see seabirds.

The Perfect City Break Hull is the perfect destination for great shopping and museums, a vibrant arts scene, delicious dining and a bustling marina. St Stephen’s in Hull is home to high street stars, or if you’re feeling ‘independent’, head to The Avenues!

Over in Bridlington, its Old Town is a very special place, with galleries and antique shops sitting shoulderto-shoulder with greengrocers and bakers and shops selling everything from grandfather clocks to Granny’s favourite tea-loaf.

East Yorkshire has a rapidly growing culinary reputation, led by Michelinstarred Pub of the Year, the Pipe and Glass Inn. Our artisan food producers

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are at the vanguard of the real food revolution. Princes Dock Street is a hub for diners, with a fantastic selection of al fresco options and for cappuccinos, cosmopolitans or locally brewed real ales and ciders, Hull’s old town offers a slice of history and a pint of the past.

The surrounding villages also have a wealth of great places to eat and drink.

Great attractions for all the family Award winning The Deep, in Hull, is one of the world’s most spectacular aquariums and home to over 3,500 fish including spectacular sharks.

Alternatively, look out for the unique ‘pavement of fish’ or discover what life was like in medieval Beverley on the Town Trail. Alternatively see modern Beverley at the Flemingate Shopping Centre opening in 2014. Gaze at the

Rugby League World Cup Hull is hosting 3 games of the tournament at the end of 2013, more than any other city.

Beverley Racecourse From sipping champagne, to enjoying a picnic, you're right at the heart of the action.

RSPB Bempton Cliffs Learn the difference between puffins, gannets, guillemots, razorbills, kittiwakes and fulmars.

Hull Old Town Walk along the cobbled high streets and explore the medieval hub of the city.

Beverley Market Traders line the historic market square with a huge selection of local produce and tempting treats.

wedding-cake plasterwork of the drawing room at Sledmere House, find treasures collected over four centuries at Burton Agnes Hall and explore gothic architecture at Beverley Minster.

Get Active Grab a Walk the Wolds pack from a local Tourist Information Centre and choose from an easy stroll to a full day’s hike!

Alternatively, the Trans Pennine Trail is an exciting route for walkers, cyclists and horse riders, or at Raisthorpe Flyers on the picturesque Raisthorpe Manor Estate, enjoy simulated game shooting at its best, whatever the weather!

Not forgetting an extensive range of watersports at Allerthorpe Lakeland Park near York. With every type of accommodation, you’ll find you’re never far from a unique sensorial delight.

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WELCOME TO YORKSHIRE

yorkshire.com/york

CITY OF YORK

One of Europe’s most inspiring cities with something to captivate everyone.

York Walls at night

York Minster

Clifford's Tower

York is celebrated the world over for its colourful history, charming architecture, cosmopolitan café culture and Roman, Viking, and Medieval heritage. The city is an exciting mixture of old and new, with world-class museums, impressive medieval ramparts, and great family attractions.

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National Rail Museum

Discover York’s well hidden secrets Tucked away in historic cobbled streets are York's best kept secrets.

Explore Merchant Adventurers’ Hall, the finest preserved guild hall in Europe, experience life in a medieval household in Barley Hall or walk around the Treasurer's House, one of the most haunted buildings in one of the most haunted cities in the world.

If you’re feeling brave, no visit to York is complete without embarking on one of the seven evening ghost walks.

If short of time, there are a handful of places that must be seen. Try the one and only JORVIK Vking Centre, where you can explore the excavations which first unearthed the Viking-age city, or the National Railway Museum, where visitors can view the only Japanese Bullet train outside of Japan!

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WHERE TO GO

Essential experiences 1 2 Castle Howard

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York's CHOCOLATE Story

Take a mouth-watering journey Visit York’s CHOCOLATE Story and discover how York became the UK's home of chocolate. Learn to taste chocolate like a professional and uncover the stories of the families who brought chocolate to York and the people who made the sweets.

Magnificent Minster York Minster is one of the world’s most magnificent cathedrals. It is exciting times at the Minster, where visitors can now enter the Orb, an opportunity to see, at close range, some of the world’s most important art - in glass and explore new audiovisual and interactive galleries, all part of the York Minster Revealed project.

York itself is a living museum.

Take the Shambles, believed to be

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the oldest shopping street in Europe, even getting a mention in the Domesday Book of 1086 or the Longest Medieval city walls in England, with stonework dating back to the 11th Century. Other highlights include York Castle Museum, one of Britain’s leading museums of everyday life and Clifford’s Tower, which has served both as a prison and a royal mint.

Explore the surrounding countryside and discover breathtaking scenery awash with country houses and picturesque gardens.

Of particular note are Castle Howard, Newburgh Priory, Nunnington Hall and Ampleforth Abbey.

Contemporary events York has a busy programme of famous annual festivals and events taking place.

York Minster Orb Revealed – The Orb, the unveiling of an amazing elliptical stained-glass masterpiece.

York Pass Enabling you to easily access over 30 of York’s top attractions and take advantage of many offers.

JORVIK Explore the reconstruction of Viking-Age streets as they would have looked 1000 years ago.

York Designer Outlet Enjoy over 120 leading stores in one location and enjoy some of the culinary delights on offer.

National Railway Museum With over 100 locomotives the NRM tells the railway story from the early 19th century.

Food takes centre stage in September, when the York Food and Drink Festival, Britain’s largest celebration of food and drink, showcases the finest produce in Yorkshire. The Jorvik Viking Festival is an awesome recreation of Norse life and the York Early Music Festival is widely regarded as Britain's premier festival of historically informed performance. Don't miss the excitement of 17 days of World class horseracing at York Racecourse.

Looking for a place to stay?

Accommodation in York is as varied and eclectic as every other aspect of the city, so there’s bound to be a room that suits you, from the luxury and opulence of the Cedar Court Grand Hotel & Spa, to one of the superb city centre self-catering apartments.

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WELCOME TO YORKSHIRE

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SOUTHERN YORKSHIRE

An engaging mix of old and new, a must for every generation.

Roche Abbey

Derwent Moors

Cusworth Hall

Transformed into a 21st Century playground with a passion for music, sport and culture. Alongside some of the UK's best shopping, family attractions and nightlife, you'll find some of UK's finest Gothic architecture, museums and Victorian monuments.

Rock Climbing in the Peak District

For a day out with a difference, make a beeline for Magna, a converted steelworks filled with award winning exhibits; or the activity-packed Dome Leisure Centre. Alternatively, take a walk on the wild side at the 70 acre Yorkshire Wildlife Park and meet everything from lemurs to lions. With the South Yorkshire Pennines on your doorstep, spend a peaceful afternoon on the Trans Pennine Trail or in the wildlife nature reserves of Potteric Carr and Dearne Valley’s Old Moor.

The area also encompasses some of the Peak District National Park.

Home of heritage From Brodsworth Hall, one of England’s most complete Victorian country houses, to Conisborough Castle and from the refined rooms

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WHERE TO GO

Essential experiences 1 2 Brodsworth Hall

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Magna Science Adventure Centre

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of Cannon Hall to one of the most complete ground plans of any English Cistercian monastery at Roche Abbey, this area is heaven for history buffs. For living, breathing history, look no further than Doncaster's medieval shopping mecca, Baxter Gate or the towns elegant Mansion House, dominating the high street.

Admire extensive monuments at Wentworth Castle & Gardens, which is fully restoring it’s conservatory in the summer, before visiting Cusworth Hall, home to the Museum of South Yorkshire Life.

Time to play The county boasts many attractions for the young and the young at heart.

For all round family fun, Hatfield Water Park, Doncaster, offers excellent water

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sports facilities and minutes from the town centre is Lakeside, home of The Dome, and Aeroventure, a museum specializing in post-war aircraft.

Over in Rotherham, the famous exhibits at Clifton Park Museum and an extensive network of science galleries at Magna Science Adventure Centre await the intrepid visitor. Whereas, Barnsley’s Cannon Hall Farm is ideal for families.

Art & Culture Discover fine examples of art at Barnsley’s Cooper Gallery or the ‘open air art gallery’ in Rotherham.

Enjoy a range of productions at The Civic Theatre in Barnsley, The Little Theatre and The Point. Experience Barnsley is a new museum devoted to exploring the people, places and spirit of Barnsley.

Elsecar Heritage Centre An antique centre, individual craft workshops and exhibitions of Elsecar’s past.

Magna Explore the interactive pavilions of Fire, Water, Earth and Air, crammed with fascinating hands-on activities.

Doncaster Racecourse Provides over 30 days of top class racing throughout the year including the St Leger.

Yorkshire Wildlife Park Discover the inhabitants of Lemur Woods, Wallaby Walkabout and the African Plains.

Worsbrough Mill Museum 17th Century working flour mill, set in over 240 acres of country park.

Award winning shopping Doncaster has won the national ‘Safer Shopping Award'. Experience the charm of Doncaster Market, one of the oldest markets in England, the vibrant indoor and outdoor market at Rotherham is complemented with specialist and farmers' markets and the iconic oaken Cruck Barn at Penistone.

A fusion of old and new When you’re in need of a few modern comforts and distractions, the contemporary guest houses, award winning spa hotels, boutique guest lodges and country hotels in the county are happy to oblige. Indulge yourselves with all of the mod-cons on offer, or opt for getting closer to nature in one of the many camping and caravanning sites in the area.

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LEEDS

Sometimes it seems Leeds was designed for city break visitors.

Victoria Quarter

Royal Armouries

Corn Exchange

Leeds is a thriving, passionate, waterfront city, with something for everyone to enjoy. Dig a little bit deeper to discover world-class eating and drinking, lively nightlife, irresistible shopping, outstanding museums, festivals and cultural events, or some of Britain’s most important architectural heritage.

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The SkyLounge bar

Bringing the past to life The past really comes alive in our award winning attractions. Experience the sights and sounds of Victorian Leeds at the Abbey House Museum.

For those who prefer their history a little more gory, Thackray Museum is one of the UK's leading medical museums. At Leeds City Museum, come face-to-face with the Leeds Tiger and step into 'Ancient Worlds' or at the Royal Armouries Museum, home to the national collection of arms and armour, see history brought to life with spectacular jousting displays and re-enactments.

All around the city you'll discover a rich variety of historic houses and buildings including Harewood House and the breathtaking Kirkstall Abbey.

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WHERE TO GO

Essential experiences 1 2 Northern Ballet

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Leeds Headrow at night

A shopaholic’s dream Leeds prides itself on a sharp, stylish image and nowhere is this reflected more than in the city’s shops and elegant Victorian shopping arcades.

The Victoria Quarter is home to many of the world's leading fashion brands and Harvey Nichols. One of the most important city-centre developments of recent times, Trinity Leeds opens in March 2013, bringing together the best of the UK high street, aspiring brands and international retailers, restaurants and Everyman cinema.

Foodies will relish a trip to Leeds.

It's impossible not to graze all day once Leeds has whet your appetite.

Lovers of star-studded cuisine will love TV chef James Martin's The Leeds Kitchen at Alea Casino. Check out Salvo's Restaurant in Headingley for

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award-winning authentic Italian treats.

For those who prefer waterside dining, try Brasserie Blanc or Fazenda Rodizio Bar & Grill, there are many choices at Brewery Wharf, Granary Wharf and New Dock or an eclectic choice of eateries in and around Leeds’ most historic landmark building – The Corn Exchange. Leeds is also home to many fantastic local producers and independent restaurants and bars.

Face the music Leeds nightlife is legendary. Be entertained at gigs, comedy or cabaret, or go for cocktails and dance until dawn in the city’s coolest bars and clubs. Venues such as the O2 Academy play host to live bands while Mojo has a reputation for being the best rock n' roll cocktail bar In Leeds.

Kirkgate Market One of the largest indoor markets in Europe.

Fresh food, drink and fashion to jewellery and flowers.

Marks in Time Unique to Yorkshire, celebrating the role that M&S has played in peoples' lives over the last 128 years.

West Yorkshire Playhouse Spend an evening at the award winning theatre, one of the largest producing theatres in the UK. Leeds City Art Gallery and Henry Moore Institute One of Britain’s finest collections of 20th century art.

Headingley Carnegie Stadium Home to Leeds Rhinos, and a host venue for the 2013 Rugby League World Cup.

Leeds has a world-class calendar of summer music events and festivals, including the Leeds Festival and live gigs at Brudenell Social Club, to free events including Opera in the Park and Classical Fantasia and from Leeds International Film Festival held in autumn, to The West Indian Carnival, brightening up the city in the summer.

Autumn 2013 sees Leeds Arena bringing live entertainment to life, hosting over 140 events a year.

You’re never far from a live stage performance in Leeds, at venues including the Howard Assembly Room and Leeds Grand Theatre & Opera House. Northern Ballet, now regarded as one of the world’s greatest ballet companies, and the West Yorkshire Playhouse all complement the city’s cultural offering.

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WEST YORKSHIRE

One of Yorkshire's most diverse, interesting and beautiful districts.

Harewood House

Yorkshire Sculpture Park

Ilkley Moor

Whether you’re looking for one of Britain’s most ethnically diverse cities, irresistible shopping, quiet countryside, world-class museums, festivals and cultural events, or some of Britain’s most important industrial and architectural heritage, you’ll find it in West Yorkshire.

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Faweather Grange

Art Attack West Yorkshire is a haven for impressive collections of art and where better to start than with the world-famous Yorkshire artists that are celebrated at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park and The Hepworth Wakefield.

Find inspiring art at nearby National Trust’s Nostell Priory, or take the time to explore the photographic exhibitions at Impressions Gallery, the contemporary programme at Cartwright Hall Gallery or the stunning collection of art at Huddersfield Art Gallery.

For a day out with a difference visit the Brontë Parsonage Museum in Haworth and explore the area by steam train on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway. Another nostalgic journey can be experienced on board the Kirklees Light Railway.

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WHERE TO GO

Essential experiences 1 2 Top Withens

© Hannah Webster

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The Hepworth Wakefield

Experience Bradford’s Asian flavours at the Bradford Mela, wrap up warm for the Festival of Light in Huddersfield, Yorkshire’s largest outdoor European street theatre event or enjoy the heritage and the arts at Brighouse Arts Festival, Holmfirth Arts Festival, Halifax Festival and Hebden Bridge Arts Festival. Not forgetting Wakefield's alternative night out. Venues come alive at The Art Walk taking place bi-monthly throughout 2013.

Get interactive Experience Halifax’s Eureka! The National Children's Museum, where the kids can learn through imagination, play and discovery or release your inner chef at the Dean Clough Cooking School.

Don’t forget to stop by the new hightech water feature City Park in Bradford,

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the world’s first UNESCO City of Film and Curry Capital of the UK in 2012.

Showcasing our rich history Not to be overlooked are the county’s abundance of heritage attractions, from Shibden Hall and its stunning formal gardens, to the exciting developments taking place at Piece Hall, transforming it in to a state-ofthe-art visitor destination and not forgetting Oakwell Hall, the Red House Museum and Dewsbury Minster.

Oudoor action Enjoy 360 degree views of the National Trust’s Marsden Moor Estate from Pule Hill, alternatively, pick a clear day to climb every cyclist’s nemesis Holme Moss – the views are fantastic!

Take a walk or bike ride around

National Media Museum Visit the new Life Online Gallery, dedicated to exploring the impact of the internet.

Standedge Tunnel Cruise to the heart of the Pennines through the longest, highest and deepest canal tunnel in the country.

ROKT in Brighouse not only now has the biggest lead climbing wall in Yorkshire, it also has an indoor caving system!

National Coal Mining Museum for England Go 140 metres underground and view the fantastic preserved coalfaces.

Salt’s Mill at Saltaire, is home to a collection of works

by Bradford-born David Hockney in 1853 Gallery.

Anglers Country Park in Wakefield, or get adventurous at Pugneys Country Park with a spot of windsurfing or kayaking! Enjoy a relaxing stroll around picturesque Ilkley, the riverside villages of Holmfirth, Slaithwaite and Marsden or the uplands of the Pennine Moors.

Discover the beautiful Hardcastle Crags or seek out the spectacular views from Stoodley Pike.

Relax and unwind Treat yourself to an unsurpassed spa experience in multi-award winning spas. Eastthorpe Hall is the ultimate urban retreat, Titanic Spa will exceed all your expectations, Alexandra House Spa will restore your passion for life and The Sonas Spa & Leisure Club is a haven of wellbeing and relaxation at Chevin Country Park Hotel and Spa.

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yorkshire.com/coast

YORKSHIRE COAST

The dramatic Yorkshire Coast has been welcoming visitors for centuries.

Essential experiences

Whitby harbour

1 2 3 4 5 Filey beach

Winding 50 miles along the Eastern edge of Yorkshire is some of the most picturesque, accessible and event-filled coastline in the whole of the UK.

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Scarborough

The Yorkshire Coast boasts English Heritage sites such as Scarborough Castle and the haunting ruins of Whitby Abbey. The Grade II listed Scarborough Spa hosts the Scarborough Spa Orchestra and is the only surviving professional seaside orchestra in Britain. The Stephen Joseph Theatre premiers the plays of the world renowned playwright Sir Alan Ayckbourn, alternatively enjoy performances at Scarborough Open Air Theatre.

Plenty to sea For insight into the development of this fascinating area visit Whitby Museum, Captain Cook Museum and Scarborough’s Maritime Heritage Centre. Watch sharks swim at Scarborough’s Sea Life Centre, travel

Scarborough Castle 2,500 years old, stunning location and panoramic views over the dramatic Yorkshire coastline.

Whitby Abbey The cobbled streets on the east side of Whitby lead to 199 steps and the atmospheric ruins.

Robin Hood's Bay is one of the most charming and picturesque fishing villages in the area.

Filey Brigg Memorable views, wildlife, fascinating geology and marine life and unspoiled natural beauty.

Staithes Arts and Heritage Festival is a mix of venues throwing open their doors as exhibition spaces.

on Scarborough’s North Bay Miniature Railway or discover stunning parks such as Pannett Park in Whitby, Filey’s Crescent Gardens and Peasholm Park in Scarborough. Enjoy all year round events such as Scarborough Cricket Festival and Muston Scarecrow Festival.

Taste the coast Enjoy the tastiest fish and chips with renowned fish restaurants in Whitby such as The Magpie, Trenchers and Greens, the Golden Grid in Scarborough and Inghams in Filey. There are traditional cosy tea shops and fine dining at The Lanterna in Scarborough, Restaurant 1881 at Wrea Head Hall in Scarborough and Estbek House in Sandsend. Stay in seaside hotels, country house hotels, guest houses and charming seaside cottages.

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WHERE TO GO

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YORKSHIRE DALES

including sweeping hills, rich valleys and the pretty towns of Herriot Country.

Essential experiences

Malham Cove

1 2 3 Bolton Castle

4 5 Wensleydale Creamery

A place of beauty, grandeur, and tranquility.

Enjoy endless walks, the challenges of the hills and the history of the market towns.

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For lovers of the outdoors, this part of the world takes a lot of beating. It’s the home of Yorkshire’s three highest summits - Pen-y-ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough.

For something more relaxing, discover the dales way of life at the Dales Countryside Museum in Hawes or explore magnificent castles at Richmond, Skipton and Bolton Castle in stunning Wensleydale.

Sights and smells Visit Hazel Brow Farm Visitor Centre, watch eagles soar at the Thorp Perrow Arboretum bird of prey and mammal centre, and enjoy an old-fashioned ride on Embsay & Bolton Abbey Steam Railway or a canal trip to see Skipton Castle from a different angle on Pennine Cruisers.

Tennants Auction House Acclaimed, purpose-built auction house in Leyburn, with specialisations in silver horology and more.

Grassington Festival Considered one of the best music and arts festivals in the country, featuring famous performers.

Barkers of Northallerton One of North Yorkshire’s oldest department stores with a great range of products.

World of James Herriot Learn about James Herriot and the famous TV series 'All Creatures Great and Small'.

Kilnsey Park Spend the day exploring; catch a fish, watch red squirrels play and then enjoy a meal in the cosy café.

Taste sensations Indulge in mouth-watering local produce at a lively farmers’ markets or farm shop, such as Berry’s Farm Shop & Café in Wensleydale and Country Harvest in Ingleton, packed with delicious delights. Or find out how it is made at Wensleydale Creamery’s Visitor Centre followed by a picnic at stunning Aysgarth Falls. Treat the kids to a delicious Brymor ice cream and choose from thirty flavours, produced using only milk from the herd of cows that graze the lush pastures near Masham.

For sophisticated dining The Carpenters Arms in Felixkirk provides a spectacular backdrop.

Finish off with an evening at Richmond’s Georgian Theatre Royal, before spending a luxurious night at Yorebridge House in Bainbridge.

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NORTH YORK MOORS

A special mix of landscape, heritage and cultural traditions.

Essential experiences

Sutton Bank

1 2 3 4 5 North Yorkshire Moors Railway

Rievaulx Abbey

Wide sweeping heather moorland, ancient woodland and historic sites, the North York Moors National Park is as spectacular and diverse as it is unspoilt.

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Moor than meets the eye It’s not just about the moors secluded valleys with pretty villages cut through moorland and ancient woodlands pepper the valleys. Along the Heritage coastline lie sheltered bays, picturesque fishing villages and cliffs with breathtaking views.

There’s plenty of fascinating heritage too, from Roman encampments, to ancient stone crosses. Renowned for its atmospheric monastic ruins, Rievaulx Abbey, Byland Abbey and Mount Grace Priory are well worth discovering.

Beautifully diverse The neighbouring Howardian Hills cover 80 square miles of stunning countryside; an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, to take a walk, breathe the air, find a pub or just enjoy the views.

The White Horse Farm Inn at Rosedale Abbey has been voted the 2012 winner of Yorkshire’s Favourite Pub award.

Sutton Bank Low light pollution and clear horizons will show why it’s now an official Dark Sky Discovery Site.

Ryedale Folk Museum The Harrison Collection at the museum charts five hundred years of everyday English life.

North Yorkshire Moors Railway Step back in time with Britain's most popular heritage steam railway.

The Captain Cook Schoolroom Museum Stand next to Captain Cook on board ship and follow his amazing voyages.

Pull on your boots and choose from a short stroll, to a 110 mile hike along the Cleveland Way National Trail.

You can walk, cycle, glide, ride a horse, climb, surf, sail or just sit back and take it all in. If two wheels is more your style, the Moor to Sea Cycle Network covers over 150 miles. For the more adventurous, try mountain biking at Dalby Forest.

That's entertainment You’ll never be short of things to do in the market towns of Helmsley, Malton & Pickering, with their independent shops and galleries, award winning restaurants and festivals.

Go wild at Flamingo Land in Malton. Thrilling rides and fun packed holidays and over 120 species of bird, mammal, amphibian, reptile and fish.

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WHERE TO GO

yorkshire.com/harrogate

HARROGATE

Enjoy history and indulgence in Harrogate and its surrounding market towns.

Essential experiences

Bettys Café Tea Rooms

1 2 3 Newby Hall

RHS Garden Harlow Carr

4 5

History, artistry and indulgence are all available in the heart of Yorkshire at Harrogate and its neighbouring market towns.

Traditional treats Taste the sulphur waters at Harrogate’s Royal Pump Room Museum and visit the immaculately restored Royal Hall, a memento of Harrogate’s Victorian heyday. Treat yourself to a traditional tea at Betty’s Café Tea Rooms, time travel to Ripon’s three law and order Museums, take to the water on a boating trip from Knaresborough on the River Nidd, go scrambling over challenging rock formations at Brimham Rocks or really get your adrenaline pumping at Lightwater Valley theme park!

Great gardens There are blossoming gardens at historic Newby Hall and RHS Garden Harlow Carr and towns that take pride in their flower-filled, bee-buzzing public spaces.

This area abounds in history, such as the

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Valley Gardens A greater number of mineral springs come to the surface here than in any other known location.

Mercer Art Gallery Home to the district's collection of fine art and a rich diversity of exhibitions.

Brewery Visitor Centres Quench that thirst at the Black Sheep Brewery or Theakston’s Brewery and Visitor Centre.

Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal UNESCO World Heritage Site.

An entrancing building set in gracious 18th Century gardens.

The Great Yorkshire Show is the premier agricultural show in England with the countryside firmly at its heart.

spectacular Knaresborough Castle, a brooding medieval pile that has hosted kings and nobles for centuries.

Celebrate a year-round calendar of events, with everything from Harrogate’s Spring and Autumn Flower Shows, Nidderdale Agricultural Show in Pateley Bridge to Theakston’s Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate.

Stylish breaks Restaurants and gastro-pubs such as the Clock Tower at Rudding Park, the Malt Shovel in Brearton and Vennell’s in Masham serve lovingly prepared dishes, with the freshest of locally sourced ingredients. Unwind and steam your troubles away in Harrogate’s famous restored Victorian Turkish Baths, before resting your head at one of the excellent boutique hotels in the area.

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