Yorkshire is one of England’s biggest counties (Wainwright’s Coast-to-Coast Walk only actually covers two counties – beginning in the Cumbrian seaside village of St Bees and ending when you paddle your toes in the East Yorkshire village of Robin Hood’s Bay). This is a county of cold weather, dark skies and soaring birds of prey – be sure to pack an extra jumper! The almost haunting landscape gives rise to a culture of artists and writers – former poet laureate Ted Hughes hails from these parts, and his first wife (American poet Sylvia Plath) is buried just outside the little town of Hebden Bridge (not far from some of Yorkshire’s most stunning country walks and waterfalls).
On the coast, Scarborough is England’s first seaside resort. There are many other holiday resorts including the quiet beach at Filey (5 miles of golden sands) alongside dramatic cliffs (at Boulby, they rise to 660 feet above sea level, the highest in England).
Yorkshire has 3 (of our 10) National Parks
National Parks are overseen by local authorities with a focus on nature recovery, sustainable farming and being accessible to everyone.
The North York Moors is one of England’s largest areas of heather moorland, in the uplands of northeast Yorkshire. A national park since 1952, it covers around 44,000 hectares and is the most wooded of our national parks.
The Peak District is England’s oldest National Park (opened in 1951). Known for its steel limestone valleys and White Peak, it’s near the Pennines and features gritstone ridges and moorland. Around 20 million people live within an hour of this National Park.
The Yorkshire Dales was created in 1954. This upland area (named after the Danish word for ‘river valley’ grows a unique moss (found nowhere else on earth) and is also home to the brown long-eared bat (his ears are almost as long as his head & body!) This park crosses over into Cumbria.
the cities & towns of Yorkshire
York is one of England’s most elegant cities, with gorgeous architecture, the largest Gothic cathedral in Europe, a railway museum and more ghosts than anywhere else! The Shambles is a medieval shopping street known for its independent shops and cafe culture (none of the original shops remain, but some still retain the wooden shelves that would serve food, back in the day).
Whitby is formerly (sadly) a whaling port and with a rich history related to Count Dracula, but today is a popular holiday resort facing the North Sea n the East Yorkshire coast. Most houses are built of brick or stone (with red roofs) on narrow streets surrounded by the River Esk. Part of the so-called ‘Dinosaur Coast’ (find footprints on the beach), the first abbess of the local monastery was Saint Hilda of Whitby, born into royalty. However instead of marrying other royals, she went off to Northumbria (age 33) to become a nun.
Leeds is England’s largest city by population (after Birmingham – London doesn’t count as its population is split into the cities of London, Westminster and the Financial District). This vibrant city is not too far from the Pennines (the hills that form ‘the backbone of England’).
Bradford is another busy urban city, which used to be the wool capital of the world. However now with animal welfare concerns, it’s discovering new ways to earn income. Lying east of the Pennines, the city has stunning Victorian architecture, including the Italianate city hall.
Wakefield used to be an affluent town due to coal mining (River Calder was once so polluted, the local salmon disappeared). Today kingfishers are gradually returning, though the river is prone to flooding. The city is part of the 9-mile square ‘rhubarb triangle’ that grows most of England’s early forced rhubarb, due to the wet cold weather. Native to Siberia, it’s a favourite crop for allotment growers.
Ripon is the third smallest city in Yorkshire, 12 miles north of Harrogate (known for its floral displays) and known mostly for Fountains Abbey, one of the largest preserved Cisterian monasteries in England. The city meets across three rivers, so is very prone to flooding.
is Sheffield England’s greenest city?
Sheffield (named after the River Sheaf) is the fourth biggest city in England, not far from the Peak District National Park. The city has 50 public parks and around 150 woodlands, and it has more trees per person than any European city). The city also runs on renewable biogas energy. The old steelworks are now home to artisans, microbreweries and vegan eateries that sell their wares to keep historic buildings alive. Thankfully the smoking chimney have gone, but the rest remains.
If you want to leave the city to explore surrounding countryside near Sheffield, you’re spoiled for choice. From the 2.5 mile Rivelin Valley Trail (that links to most of the Peak District) to Five Weirs Canal Walk (over 5 miles), you can also take the 15-mile Sheffield Round Walk, that extends out to the city edges, passing parks, woodlands and streams.
Grey to Green is ‘England’s longest green street’ planted with trees and foliage, for a calming oasis in the city centre. Built as a response to a flood (trees soak up rain), the project has given hibernation homes to ladybirds, lacewings, bees and wasps (all pollinators). There are planted beds designed to capture plastics and old car tyres, to stop them falling down drains to reach the sea (similar to Portland’s ‘bioswales’, which stop flooding and pollution in another rainy city).
further reading on Yorkshire
Walking the Wharfe sees writer Johno Ellison return from living abroad to walk the length of the waterway where he grew up. Retracing the steps of Victorian writer Edmund Bogg over 120 years ago, he walks upstream from the Vale of York to find Victorian spa towns and rare red kites (and otters) who have returned, thanks to conservation initiatives. Seduced into wild swimming in a chilly river (not the section notorious for reportedly drowning everyone who has ever tumbled into it), this book confirms that lesser-known parts of our small island, can hold their own against touristy areas.
A Year in the Calder Valley spends a year observing the countryside of West Yorkshire – a dramatic landscape home to birds, animals, trees and wildflowers. Due to high rainfall, the valley’s rushing river was used in the industrial heyday in the Pennines, and you’ll still find renovated mills and factory buildings, a legacy to the textile industry. And the canal is now a place for walkers and boaters to enjoy nature’s sights and sounds.
Walking the Line is a charming book that explores the Settle and Carlisle Railway, built by Midland Railway between 1869 and 1876, to forge an independent route to Scotland by train. Uniquely for a railway, it’s a Conservation Area with special protection for its viaduct, tunnels, bridges and stations.
Yorkshire Dales: Slow Travel (2024) looks at the caves, valleys, waterfalls and limestone geology of the Yorkshire Dales along with wild swimming spots, hidden caves, Dark skies sites and stone villages, and walking routes like the Pennine Way, Three Peaks, Dales Way and the Coast-to-Coast walk. Drop in to England’s highest pub, journey to Gaping Gill (one of our largest underground chambers), visit Sedbergh (where even the bus stops have bookshelves) or take a scenic trip on the Settle-Carlisle railway viadict.
The Little Books of the Little Brontës is the inspiring true story of four siblings (Charlotte, Branwell, Emily and Anne) who lived in a windswept house by the Yorkshire Moors with their father. With often sad lives, these children devoured novels and poetry to pass the time, stimulating an imagination that saw them to grow up to be some of England’s best-loved writers.
