Included Visits
En route to your hotel we will visit Wensleydale, a pastoral paradise complete with high fells, riverside meadows and secluded waterfalls, located at the heart of the Yorkshire Dales. You will also have time to explore Skipton, the ‘gateway’ to the magnificent Yorkshire Dales. The broad, tree-lined high street is home to the town’s famous market and leads up to the 900-year-old castle - one of the most complete and best preserved medieval castles in England.
After visiting Skipton, admire the views as we enjoy a picturesque drive through the villages of Askrigg, Aysgarth and Bainbridge. Askrigg was once an important market town in the dales and is home to Skeldale House, where James Herriott lived in All Creatures Great and Small. Aysgarth is famed for its triple flight of waterfalls stretching over a half-mile section of the River Ure (the Upper Fall was featured in the film Robin Hood Prince of Thieves), while the unspoilt village of Bainbridge is centred around a spacious village green complete with ancient village stocks.
We have also included free time in the heart of the Pennines at the market town of Hawes, home of the Wensleydale Creamery, makers of the Wensleydale cheese made famous by Wallace and Gromit. The creamery is open to the public and has a visitor centre, viewing gallery, restaurant, shop and museum.
Bowness-on-Windermere is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Lake District National Park, an area filled with more than 100 lakes and wonderful wildlife including red squirrels and red deer. Here, you will have time at leisure to explore this dynamic town with its wealth of shops, attractions and activities such as horse riding, boating and water skiing that can be found at the bustling lakeshore on Bowness Bay. When you feel like taking a breather, relax in a café and enjoy the views out across the lake and up to the mountains, regarded as some of the finest in the Lake District.
