York is located in one of the most beautiful parts of England, sitting between the North Yorkshire Moors & Wolds to the East and the Yorkshire Dales & Pennines to the West. In between lies the Vale of York which itself offers a range of attractions, activities and historic houses including Castle Howard, Benningborough Hall, Fountains Abbey, Brimham Rocks, Dalby Forest, the Yorkshire Air Museum and Eden Camp.
The Yorkshire Dales
20 miles west of York is the spa town of Harrogate, home to the original Betty’s Café. It is a pretty Victorian town, with expansive parkland and botanical gardens, including the northern HQ of the Royal Horticultural Gardens. If you have time, we recommend a day trip to the Yorkshire coast, approximately an hour’s drive east of York. Explore the rugged scenery of Flamborough Head; or the Victorian splendour of Scarborough, Britain’s original seaside resort. Further north are the beautiful fishing towns of Whitby and Robin Hood’s Bay. Inland from there you will find the beautiful moorland villages of Goathland and Grosmont, which may be familiar as the settings for the popular TV drama ‘Heartbeat’.
