Group members gather in Toronto for the overnight flight to Manchester.

Our tour manager will meet us on arrival in Manchester and transfer us to nearby Harrogate, a delightful city ideally located in the heart of Yorkshire. Our hotel is located in the heart of the city, convenient for exploring the centre and nearby parks. Welcome dinner will be at our hotel.  Doubletree by Hilton (8 nights)

First stop today will be in Rylstone’s, the inspiration of William Wordworth’s 1808 poem ‘The White Doe of Rylstone’ and for the Helen Mirren movie Calendar Girls. Following a chance to wander around the quaint cobbled streets and browse shops in Otley, enjoy magnificent countryside views en route to the pretty, traditional spa town of Ilkley. Also with brilliant surrounding views is the beautiful village of Grassington. We stop in Ripon at its ancient Cathedral, a beautiful church with a history reaching back to the 7th century. The Saxon crypt, one of the oldest in the country, is the only part of Wilfrid's original church that remains. 

Today enjoy the beautiful and medieval city of York, with fascinating insights into its long and varied history. The magnificent 13th century walls enclose a medieval spider's web of narrow cobble stone streets. At its heart lies the immense, awe-inspiring York Minster, one of the most beautiful Gothic cathedrals in the world. On arrival, we will explore on foot the Shambles, one of England's most interesting medieval streets and see the fine Minster with its beautiful medieval stained glass windows and marvel at the narrow cobbled streets. We will have free time to explore on our own, before returning to Harrogate.

We journey through the scenic heart of the Yorkshire Dales and Herriot country. Enjoy the breathtaking view overlooking the River Swale. Drive through the village of Askrigg (known as Darrowby) where the TV series All Creatures Great and Small was filmed. We shall drive past the Cringley House (Herriot’s Skeldale House), and Wheatsheaf Inn, Carperby (Herriot’s honeymoon hotel). Bolton Castle was a luxurious country home as well as a defensive fortress. Inside we will find a complete household with kitchens, dungeon, solar, nursery, armoury and the Great Chamber. Built in 1399, the castle’s scars bear testament to over 600 years of history including the Pilgrimage of Grace, Mary Queen of Scots’ imprisonment and a Civil War siege. The castle was also the location for James Herriot’s proposal to his future wife. Before returning to Harrogate, we will visit the Marmion Tower and medieval gatehouse. 

Venture north and east across the North York Moors to the coast for a day of scenic driving. Visit the James Harriot museum in Thirsk and travel back in time to what life was like when James Herriot was a practicing vet.  Learn about how he lived, worked and wrote his incredibly successful series of books.  Continue to Whitby for lunch and some free time to explore before driving down the coast to Scarborough and then inland to Pickering on our return to Harrogate. 

Venture across the Blubberhouse Moor on our way to Bolton Abbey Priory. We will explore the ruins of the Priory,  set in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales on the banks of the River Wharfe. Enjoy a leisurely walk along the river’s edge, along woodland and moorland paths. Following a break to enjoy lunch, we will ride the Embsay and Bolton Abbey Steam Railway from the award winning historic station at Bolton Abbey to Embsay Station which was built in 1888.  On the train ride we will pass a 16^th century tower and St. Wilfrid’s Church.

This morning we visit Yorkshire’s most important secular building in Halifax, Piece Hall.  An architectural and cultural gem, it is the sole survivor of the great 18th century northern cloth halls, the hand woven textiles from the pre-industrial economy of Yorkshire. On our way back to Harrogate we will pass by Haworth, home of the Brontë sisters, and visit the Bronte Parsonage Museum where the Bronte collections can be seen, the largest and most important collection in the world to inspire scholars, writers and artists.  Continue to the house and gardens at Harewood, dating from the 18th century it is one of the region’s most magnificent great houses.

Castle Howard, one of Britain’s finest historic houses, is situated just outside York in the Howardian Hills, an area of outstanding natural beauty. The approach to Castle Howard is as breath taking as the arrival. The magnificent 18th century house has dramatic interiors filled with world-renowned collections. With peaceful woodland and lakeside walks, the 18th century walled garden featuring a outstanding natural beauty. The approach to Castle Howard is as breath taking as the arrival. The magnificent 18th century house has dramatic interiors filled with world-renowned collections. With peaceful woodland and lakeside walks, the 18th century walled garden featuring a rose collection and an ornamental vegetable garden is a real treasure. We then return to Harrogate for some time at leisure and explore this beautiful Victorian spa town on our own.

We say farewell to Harrogate, crossing the Yorkshire Dales to the Lake District. Visit Sizergh Castle, home of the Strickland family for more than 750 years. The romantic fortified mansion contains some of the finest Elizabethan carved over mantels in the country, as well as a collection of English and French furniture. Later explore Levens Hall, a magnificent mansion built around a 13th century pele tower and expanded in the 16th century. The family home of the Bagots, it contains a collection of Jacobean furniture, fine paintings, the earliest English patchwork and many other beautiful objects. The gardens of Levens Hall are a unique living sculpture gallery, a topiary garden, with over 100 pieces each clipped to an unusual and individual design. Our hotel and spa is located at a beautiful location on the shores of Lake Windermere in the heart of the Lake District.
Beech Hill Hotel & Spa (4 nights)

This morning we visit Hill Top, a time capsule of Beatrix Potter’s amazing life. Full of her favourite things, the house appears as if Beatrix had just stepped out for a walk. Just up the road is the village of Hawkshead. Historic and wonderfully picturesque, it is characterised by a cluster of whitewashed houses, archways and alleyways, courtyards and squares. Further north, next to the town of Grasmere, is Dove Cottage, the cottage and home of the famous poet William Wordsworth. The first family home of Britain's greatest poet, he lived there from 1799-1808. Settling in this enchanting place meant that he was able to concentrate on writing, making this period his most inspired and productive.

Venturing further north, we pass through Grasmere on our way to Keswick. Nestling between the Skiddaw Mountains and Derwentwater Lake, Keswick is situated in an idyllic location. Nearby we shall discover the Castlerigg Stone Circle. Surrounded by the fells of Skiddaw and Blencathra to its north and Castlerigg Fell, High Rigg and Clough Head to its south, this ring of 38 stones, set within a ring of mountains, has stood for about 4,500 years since its creation by Neolithic farming communities.  Enjoy stunning views of this gorgeous region with a cruise on Lake Windermere.

On the shores of Lake Windermere we find the neo-Gothic Wray Castle. Built around 1840 by a prominent Liverpool surgeon, the original owners never lived in the castle but it did play host to several illustrious visitors including Beatrix Potter and William Wordsworth. After some time exploring the property, enjoy some time at leisure in Ambleside and/or Windermere. This evening we enjoy a farewell dinner at a local restaurant.