Travel ideas - Yorkshire's top picks

As the UK’s largest county, Yorkshire has variety in spades...
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Yorkshire Attractions

Whitby Abbey, North Yorkshire
Explore the Gothic abbey ruins that inspired Bram Stoker, the author of ‘Dracula’. The abbey towers above the town of Whitby and offers wonderful views of the coastline. There’s a car park for the abbey with toilet facilities and the ruins are a short walk across a field.

The Deep, East Yorkshire
Hull’s award-winning aquarium, home to over 5,000 animals. Marvel at an array of marine life including sharks and rays swimming above you, from the Deep’s underwater tunnel and take a ride in the glass lift.

Dalby Forest, North Yorkshire
This forest lies in the southern part of the Nork York Moors National Park, and as well as offering miles of walking routes and being a home to a variety of wildlife species, the forest is a designed Dark Sky Discovery Site, so it’s ideal for stargazing too!

Yorkshire Sculpture Park, West Yorkshire
Celebrating ‘art without walls’ the Yorkshire Sculpture Park is an open-air gallery showing work by British and international artists, including Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth. Spread across the beautiful West Yorkshire countryside are around 80 sculptures and installations to see.

     
Image second left: ©VisitEngland/Visit Harrogate

Castle Howard, North Yorkshire
A grand historic house with ornate interiors and impressive landscaped gardens, a farm shop and garden centre. There’s 1,000 acres of parkland to explore, a mixture of lakeside terraces, woodlands and temples. The house is famed for its impressive Atlas Fountain which dominates the south parterre.

Royal Horticultural Society Garden Harlow Carr, North Yorkshire
Offering a variety of growing landscapes for garden lovers to enjoy. From woodland and wildflower meadows to an arboretum and alpine house, there’s stunning colours to be witnessed here all year round.

The city of York
York is a very walkable city with the famous ‘Shambles’ being where all the quirky gift shop and independent shops can be found. Not to be forgotten is the grand York Minster, never far from sight with its towers rising above the rooftops. The best way to get a great view of York is by walking its city walls, and even better this is a free treat.

Yorkshire Beaches

Scarborough
This Victorian resort town is rich in history, with a castle and museum of geology as well as traditional amusement arcades ice cream parlours, shellfish stalls and beach huts. The ancient castle sits atop a rocky promontory and divides the sandy coastline into two halves. The North Bay is an award-winning beach with brightly coloured huts lining the promenade and a few cafés. The South Bay is where you’ll find the harbour with its array of boats, and towards the south end of the beach there’s the Italian Gardens and the Cliff Lift.

     
Third image: ©Bernd Brueggemann/stock.adobe.com

Whitby
As well as being a traditional seaside resort with Blue Flag beaches and some of the best fish and chips in the area, Whitby is a town with so much more to offer. On the East Cliff you have the ruined Whitby Abbey and the Church of St Mary, reached by 199 steps. To the west of the town is West Cliff Beach, which is lined with beach huts. Above the beach is the Captain Cook memorial, and the famous replica of a whale’s jawbone, forming an archway that’s just the perfect setting for a selfie!

Runswick Bay
Runswick Bay’s peaceful sandy beach is sheltered by Lingrow Knowle, a lofty crag that towers over the bay. The village itself is characterised by charming red-roofed cottages and pedestrianised lanes. There’s a thatched coastguard’s cottage, a single pub and a tiny café. If you’re interested in naval history then visit the RNLI lifeboat station and enjoy spectacular views and an ice cream on the steps. The beach is a family favourite for rock pooling and fossil hunting. And with scenic paths heading both north and south on the Cleveland Way, there are plenty coastal walks to be had.

Hunmanby Gap
The beach is a short walk from the village of Hunmanby and the car park, which only costs a few pounds for the whole day as it’s parking in a farmer’s field. The beach is vast and generally empty. You can bring your dog here and have a barbecue on the sands if you wish. Once the tide has receded you can walk along the beach into Filey or you can walk in the opposite direction, via the beach and cliff paths, towards Bempton and Flamborough.

Flamborough
Noted for its stretch of rugged white cliffs along the coastline, Flamborough Head is an outdoor lover’s paradise. There’s a nature reserve nearby and the coastline here is ideal for bird watching. You can also hike along windswept paths and experience an area of Yorkshire that is wild and untamed. To the north of the headland is North Landing beach, an expanse of sand, white pebbles and rock pools, while to the south, South Landing beach is shingle and pebble. Both have car parks nearby.

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