The historic cities of York and Durham have long attracted visitors to their wealth of architectural and scenic delights, and we have provided a Blue Badge guide for each to ensure that you get to see the best that they have to offer. The surrounding countryside includes the National Parks of North Yorkshire Moors and the Yorkshire Dales, both dramatic and wild and home to scattered picturesque villages and towns. We have included a visit to Beamish Open Air Museum and the remarkable stately home of Castle Howard.

ITINERARY

Day 1 After our taxi pick ups, we travel north stopping in the beautiful town of Stamford en route. We arrive at our hotel on the outskirts of York in time for dinner.

Day 2 This morning we are joined by a local guide for a walking tour of York, which in 2012 is celebrating 800 years since King John decreed it a self-governing city. The afternoon is free for your own exploration. You might like to have a closer look at the iconic York Minster, or visit the National Railway Museum (free entrance). You could also explore the re-discovered Viking city at the Yorvik Centre, where the excavations and reconstructions show how life was lived over 1000 years ago. Or you could take a cruise on the River Ouse.

Day 3 We travel north today via Thirsk, famous as the home of vet and author James Herriot. From here we travel west across the Hambleton Hills, on the western border of the North York Moors National Park, into Ryedale and the pretty market town of Helmsley. This afternoon we visit Castle Howard, one of England’s grandest baroque mansions and home for over 300 years to the Howard family. The house contains fine collections of art and antiquities and the 1000 acres of grounds are ornamented with temples, lakes, statues and fountains.

Day 4 Leaving York after breakfast we make our way across country through Blubberhouses to Skipton, the ‘Gateway to the Dales’. The broad tree-lined High Street, the many alleyways or ‘ginnels’, and the impressive 900 year-old castle make this an extremely pleasant stop. We continue up into the Yorkshire Dales National Park, along Wharfedale and through Kettlewell to Hawes, the picture-postcard home of Wensleydale Cheese. From here we travel along Wensleydale via Leyburn and up to Richmond, where we have another stop, before travelling north to Durham and our second Marriott hotel for a three-night stay.

Day 5 This morning we have a guided walking tour of Durham and the afternoon is free for your own exploration. Visit the iconic castle or cathedral, both part of the Durham World Heritage Site, visit the university, check out the cafés and shops in the busy little centre, or take a cruise along the River Wear.

Day 6 A full day out to Beamish. Britain’s favourite open air museum, set in over 300 acres of beautiful countryside, vividly recreates life in the North of England in the early 1800s and 1900s, demonstrating recent history in a ‘living’ way. Most of the houses, shops and other buildings were brought to Beamish, rebuilt and furnished as they once were, but you can also visit Home Farm, Pockerly Old Hall and the drift mine which are on their original sites. You can taste local fare cooked using traditional methods and chat to the colourful characters who made them. You can stroll among the many attractions or take the vintage trams and buses to sightsee in a more leisurely way.

Day 7 Leaving Durham after breakfast we travel homewards making suitable refreshment stops along the way, and reaching the local area and our taxis late afternoon.