Hf holidays

Rick’s the first person to acknowledge that his tours don’t go everywhere, and he doesn’t offer walking tours, so yours sounds like it’ll be a good experience. Do they offer any suggestions about what to pair with your trip with them? Maybe they can even offer help on how to add that extension on your own.

Plenty of discussion about other tour companies in this forum, as noted RS knows they're not the only option out there. Others have mentioned this company, here's just one post
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/england/hf-holidays-cotswolds-thoughts (find more by searching for "HF Holidays" using the search bar at the top of the page)

Thank you for the link to the old post. It's very helpful.
I just found out about Hf group chat. I'll post my questions there.

If you are going straight from one to the other then you have basically 6 hours to transfer between houses. In the case of Southern Yorkshire that is to Skipton for their private transfer/service bus 210 or 211/taxi to Newfield Hall, Malham.

Thus either the North York Moors (Whitby) or the Peak District (Dovedale or the new house at Buxton) are best.

From Whitby, bus to York, then train changing at Leeds. From Buxton I would personally do train to Manchester, then bus to Skipton changing at Burnley.

They must hire a hotel to do Dorset, as they don't have their own house there.

I'm going to be pedantic on geography before anyone gets confused or actually lost.

The phrase "Southern Yorkshire Dales" was a bad choice from the company, the Yorkshire Dales National Park stretches across the West-Yorkshire and North-Yorkshire local government areas. The word dale shows the very old Viking influences in the north of england, and means valley, as does dal in most of Scandinavia. Yorkshire Dales (South) would have been harder to get wrong

The second line of the question just says Southern Yorkshire, and that is not where you will be in his tour (although you might get very close to South-Yorkshire on the Peak District tour). Any travel enquires you do for the Dales tour searching on Southern Yorkshire is likely to go wrong, but Southern Dales might work..

As for transfers between tours, the key is the start and end days, I've had a look and the are not all the same. If the end day of the Peak District or North Yorkshire Moors tours are the same as the start day of the Dales tour then they are quite easy to link, both start with a road transfer (Derby or Scarborough) then a train to Leeds and then the same train to Skipton. Rail journey around 2½ hours, transfer to railway 30-60 minutes. Dorset and South Downs are probably too far but Dorset scenery would be a very good contrast to the Dales as well as less chance of rain! Would it possible to find a Dorset tour that ends the day before the Dales tour starts and spend one night somewhere in between?

I almost went on a walking tour with them but Covid intervened.....

A friend of mine has done several and speaks quite highly of this group.

If we want to get pedantic, then the Yorkshire Dales National Park also extends into the Westmorland and Furness Unitary Authority/Cumbria.
That happened in 1974 when the Dent and Sedbergh area were transferred to the new County of Cumbria (now divided back out again into Cumberland and Westmorland & Furness). That is why the buses into Sedbergh and Dent are all supported by or run by Westmorland (and the police and fire services are Cumbria), but the Tourist Information Centre in Sedbergh is run by the Yorkshire Dales National Park, and is why the building plaque on Dent School refers to it being built by the West Riding Education Department.
To make matters even more complicated that part of Cumbria/Westmorland (or Yorkshire) has Lancaster postcodes, as does much of the southern part of Westmorland.

Likewise in 1974 the Grassington/Skipton/Malham area was transferred from the West Riding of Yorkshire to the new North Yorkshire.

We haven't heard from Lola (also from Seattle), the forum's biggest HF Ambassador for a long time.

Hi,
I have been going on HF Holidays almost yearly since 2002, mostly Europe, but some in the UK and Scotland. I have always enjoyed my holidays. You can usually choose the activity level and I always meet friendly, interesting people.

Terri

I have been doing walks with HF holidays for a few years. I went to the Malham location early in 2025. The Malham country house is not easy to get to by public transport, you do have to arrange with them to be picked up from Skipton railway station with the others who are using public transport.

I went to their Whitby location earlier this year, and to the Church Stretton location in 2024. I found Whitby a pain to get to, though doable. Never been to Whitby before - I stayed for an extra 2 nights in an hotel in the town before my HF holiday. Whitby is a great place.

As I also use public transport to get around the UK, I have 3 of the HF locations I am particularly looking at to book next year that seem public transport friendly. Alnmouth (in Northumberland) - I was told by other guests on my last HF holiday that it was easy by public transport, tho' I've not checked these details. Bourton on the Water (Cotswolds), where I believe there is a public bus from Moreton in Marsh railway station (and the country house is close to the centre of the town). Or the new Peak District location in Buxton (but as this is new I suspect it will be very popular).

I think they have just released many dates for next year, and they seem to have some good deals.

If you are doing a week's holiday, the holiday will end Friday after breakfast. So, you would need to get their bus back to Skipton railway station and work from there to your next destination.

Hi Katy,
I booked the one in Malham 4 nights, i plan to either book their shared transfer from Skipton to Newfield Hall or just book a private taxi,depends on the timing.

I am now considering adding the one in Whitby. There is a 3 day gap between trips, i could spend in York to break the journey.
The one in Whitby is about 30 min walk to town. No big deal but looks like the road has no sidewalk. I may have to take taxi to town instead.
Idk, i may think too much about this.

Did you stay 7 nights or 4 nights in Whitby?

Their new house in Buxton looks lovely as well.
So many choices.

Thanks

From Whitby to York you could do train (the normal train, not the North Yorkshire Moors Steam Railway) all the way- change at Middlesbrough normally (sometimes Darlington)- typically a bit under 3 hours for the end to end journey.

I stayed for a week at the Whitby location. With a week's trip you do get a "free" day on the Mondays, ie changeover day for those doing 3/4 night trips. I did walk into town on the free day, think I got a taxi back (there'es a cab rank in the centre of town). It was easily walkable, and going into town its (mostly) downhill.

I stayed in Whitby itself for 2 days before my trip. I'd never been before and its a great little town. But, if you've not been before and have the opportunity, I wouldn't want to miss the chance to stay in York. There's heaps to do there, the Minister, walk the walls, the Railway Museum, lots of other museums.....

Just to add that Whitby is a bit tricky, but perfectly doable by public transport. I did get advice here for my options. Came up to York from London. From York there is an hourly train service to Scarborough (and it takes about an hour). From Scarborough you come out of the rail station and get the bus (X93 I think) , which stops on the road outside the station. The bus is an hourly service and also takes about an hour to Whitby. If I were to do it again, I would make the same decision. I was fortunate on returning to York, having made friends at the HF house, I was offered a lift back to York, so didn't have to do the trip in reverse.

Thanks isn31c and Katy.

Sounds like Whitby will be a great option for me to pair with Malham. I've never been to York or anywhere else in the UK other than London:). I'm sure anywhere I choose will be good.

Hi Holly

I haven't taken an HF Holiday trip yet but I wanted to mention that I'm planning to take 2 in 2027. I'm going to do two 4 days tours which will start on consecutive Mondays. I will spend the weekend somewhere in between. This may be a strategy that works for you as well.

Hi Katiecem
I think all Hf 4 night trips start on Mondays and their 7 night start Fridays.
I am still deciding between a 7 or 4 night guided walk in Whitby. The one i've signed up for is a 4 night with sightseeing in Malham.

Which ones are you going to?

Fyi.. they are having a sale now till June 30.
I signed up for their basic membership.

Whitby to York has to be done top deck of Coastliner 840 bus! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwwsmOvzCIE

https://www.greatscenicjourneys.co.uk/journey/coastliner-840-leeds-york-whitby/

don't forget to get off in York but find out which would be the best of the many stops before you go.

Holly,

I'm planning on the Shropshire Hills and, like you, still thinking about the second one. Maybe Bourton on the Water or possible South Downs. I haven't reserved yet because I'm waiting for airfare rewards to come up for the dates I'm looking at.

Me.crewe, no as I said above Whitby to York can be done by train. On a weekday either-
Whitby depart 0844 Middlesbrough arrive 1017, depart 1114 York arrive 1218 or
1200 Middlesbrough 1332/1414 York 1518

The 2nd train is ordinarily a Redcar to Manchester Airport train- currently turning short at York due to engineering work across the Pennines.

Off the 0844 you can also do Middlesbrough depart 1026, Darlington 1055/1105 York 1134,
Off the 1200 you can also do Middlesbrough depart 1352, Darlington
1421/1435 York 1502

On current plans the £3 bus fares end next March so Whitby to York will be back to a Coastliner day ticket fare of £15.
That bus was under threat for lack of trade before the £2/£3 fares due to the high fares so it remains to be seen if that happens.

Looking at early July this year on split tickets the 1200 train is £12.10 or £12.60 depending on 1 or 2 connections and the 0844 is £20.70