Danby Castle

We stumbled across a short walk in Danby that takes you from the visitor centre, past the castle and back to where you started.  Danby Castle, now a wedding venue, was built in the 14^th century.

It’s a lovely scenic route, crossing rivers and railway lines with the odd cow crossing your path.  Once we reached the Castle, we stopped to say hello to some cows take in the picturesque views and snap a few photos, before heading back through the fields.

Whitby

I’ve been to Whitby so many times before, it’s not far from where I live, but it’s a place I like to go back to again.  Whitby is a seaside town in North Yorkshire and is always popular with tourists due to its maritime history and association with Captain Cook (and also with Dracula).

Places to visit:

Whitby Harbour + Beach

The Harbour is surrounded by lots of little shops, selling everything from donuts to jet.  The black jet is found in the cliffs and was especially popular during the Victorian era. There's also the kipper shop further up the hill and the swing bridge, which is always fun to watch raise up.  We had dinner just across the bridge in Hadley’s Fish restaurant. There’s also the Magpie, which is always popular and Trenchers in the harbour.

199 steps

There are 199 steps leading up to the church and Abbey and once you’ve climbed them you can see over the harbour and the cottages below.

Whitby Abbey (+ church)

Once you've made it up the steps, you can go inside the Abbey (it's run by the English Heritage) and the church is free to visit.  The Abbey was established in the 7^th century and is now a grade 1 listed building. Dracula’s grave is said to be in the churchyard.

The Whale Bones

You can't really miss them; the whale bones are huge and are there at the top of the hill.

Boat Ride

We took a boat ride out to sea and although it was a bit of a bumpy ride, you get to see Whitby and the Abbey from a different angle.

Mount Grace Priory

Mount Grace Priory is a priory in North Yorkshire near Osmotherley, and was built over 600 years ago in 1398.  When we first arrived, we explored the gardens which stretch down to a lake at the far side. There were lots of sky-blue dragonflies flying about near the water!  As well as looking around outside at the ruins of the priory, you can step inside where there is lots of information about how the Priory once was.

The priory is maintained by the English Heritage and admission into the grounds is £10, with members and National Trust members able to visit for free.

Emmerdale Tour

I went to Leeds at the beginning of August to do the Emmerdale Tour.  We had an early start to the day as we had to drive into Leeds and then we got a bus directly to the village. 

We began the tour at the set of the factory, and were able to buy souvenirs from the shop before heading into the village itself.  It was such a sunny day walking around the village.  There were plenty of opportunities to take photos and I took SO many.  We got to see all of the village – the pub, the café, the pretty cottages – it was such a good day and I really recommend it even if you're not a massive fan as I’m not and still enjoyed it. 

Bolton Abbey

We drove to Bolton Abbey the other week; it’s just outside of Skipton in the Yorkshire Dales.  Most of the abbey is still standing, and the main arch is really quite impressive. It takes its name from the ruins of the 12^th century Augustinian monastery, which is now known as Bolton Priory, which was closed in 1539.

To cross the river, there’s a bridge or you can brave the stepping stones (which I didn’t.)  The walk round ended up being about 7 miles, which was ridiculously long, especially with the shoes I was wearing, because there was only one other bridge back across until the end once you started walking. (If there is another bridge please let me know!)

Castle Howard

Castle Howard isn’t actually a Castle, it’s a stately home near York in North Yorkshire.  It boasts a large walled garden as well as acres of land and woodland that you can walk around.  We headed round the gardens first; my favourite part being when I found some sky-blue flowers to match my outfit.

After you’ve wandered through the gardens, two things to look out for are the fountain in front of the house and the temple of Venus which is now a ruin. We had lunch there in the tea-room and there was some sort of race going on in the grounds.