4-Day Yorkshire, The Viking North Small Group Tour

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Want to tour the back roads of Yorkshire but don't want to join a large coach group? Looking for a little flexibility and spontaneity in your itinerary? Do you have a few days to really get deep into the countryside?

It is hardly surprising that the region has been used extensively for film and TV locations. It is perhaps one of the most varied scenic regions in the country. However, it is perhaps as well-known for being at the very heart of England's Viking past, when the Norsemen ran their "Danelaw" from the great settlement of Jorvic. Later, it became the medieval walled city of York and there rose the greatest of all English cathedrals. On this tour you'll see the austere, heather covered moorlands of Jane Eyre, the hills and lakes of the north eastern Peaks, Captain Cook's north east coast, and the rolling landscape of the Dales.

With a maximum group size of 11 and a university educated guide/driver, you are sure to have a memorable and personal experience.

Whitby, England

April: 26
May: 10, 24
June: 7, 21
July: 5, 19
August: 2, 16, 30
September: 13, 27
October: 11

Tour departs from Willowbank Hotel, 340 Wilmslow Road, Fallowfield, Manchester.

8:00am

Tour returns to original point of departure at approximately 6:00pm (Day 4)

Day One:
The scenic drive to York travels via the Lancashire villages of Todmordon and to Yorkshire for Haworth. The Haworth Parsonage was home for those incredible literary sisters, the Brontes. See the famed parsonage before continuing to York. York itself is a fabulous Viking walled city that has much to offer its visitors, from the splendid Minster, the city center castle, the Roman Museum, and the National Railway Museum, to the medieval shopping "Shambles". Your accommodation base for the next three nights is on the edge of the North Yorkshire Moors, but just 45 minutes from the city. En route, see the pretty village of Coxwold.

Day Two:
Head westward across the heather-covered moors to Whitby. This is Captain Cook country and you will explore his local heritage. Later, board a train (subject to schedules) at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and for the duration of the journey relive the nostalgia of the steam age. Harry Potter fans will find the station somewhat familiar! Next, the most spectacular stately home in Yorkshire, Castle Howard. This beautiful palace is still lived in by the Howard family who built it in the 18th century. You'll have free time here to explore the house and grounds.

Day Three:
Take the real back roads now, over the austere but magnificently beautiful moors to West Yorkshire. Down one such back road you will find Rievaulx Abbey. In the days before Henry VIII, great and rich monasteries dominated the region. Their huge skeletons dominate the valleys and remind us of their once undoubted power and riches before Henry robbed them of it all.

Your next stop is at Richmond, one of the nicest towns in England, situated in the heart of the dales country at Swaledale. Its castle dominates the town and the steep streets are around the central cobbled market square. There's also Scollards Hall built in 1080, one of England's oldest domestic buildings. And, if time allows, a riverside walk by the castle along the River Swale will be a memorable event.

The Dales, taking us though Yorkshire and into Northumbria, are worth a day of anybody's time! Besides the staggering beauty of the area, including the famed Highforce waterfall, history is writ large in the remains of ancient lead workings and settlements. Return south via the town of Ripon (please note: occasionally, Ripon is used as your base and this itinerary is remolded around this point). In Ripon you can visit the captivating 7th century Cathedral and Ripon itself is a meandering of medieval streets dotted with tea rooms and arts and crafts shops. This cathedral, originally a Minster until 1836, is as spectacular in its way to York Minster. A particular feature of interest is the crypt of the original church that stood here (AD. 672). Those having seen enough ecclesiastical heritage might try the Prison and Police or Workhouse museums instead!

Day Four:
Today's first port of call is Harrogate. This elegant city is the North's Bath. Georgian building, beautiful municipal gardens and memorable architecture mark it out. Several times winner of "Britain in Bloom", the town of Harrogate boasts some of the most attractive parks and gardens in the region. One particular local attraction is the Royal Horticultural Society's Harlow Carr Gardens. These are the society's most northerly gardens and an interesting way to see what can be grown here.

This afternoon you will see why the region is so popular for film locations. A short drive brings you to the Ilkley. Have you seen the film "Calendar Girls", the true story of the Women's Institute ladies who produced the infamous nude calendar? Well, this is where it was shot and where the real ladies of the Women's Institute came from. Further south the route takes us through more location country, most notably the town of Holmfirth, The UK's longest running TV comedy program, "Last of the Summer Wine", about the second childhood of a group of aging delinquents and their farcical adventures, was set in the picturesque Holme Valley.

Complete the day in the High Peaks, near Glossop before your return to Manchester.