York - Small Group Bus Tour Recommendations

Hi Lisa -

Try one or some of the following:

grandyorkshire.com

mountain-goat.com

bobholidays.com

All do small bus tours from York covering the areas you are after. Caveat emptor! These are the ones I’m aware of (there are of course, others) but paradoxically as I live in the area I’ve never used any of them, preferring to jump in my car to go wherever local(ish) takes my fancy. Feel free to ask about any of the specific places they go to/you want to visit if needs be.

Have a great trip!

Ian

Hi Ian,

Thank you for the thoughtful response and offer of information! Those companies were the ones I found in my preliminary research - the Bob Holidays tour sounds perfect, but unfortunately it isn't offered on a Friday, which is the day we have available. I will research these and possibly some others - thanks again for the recommendation!

Kind Regards,

Lisa

We stayed three nights in York and later drove our rental car through the Yorkshire Moors to Whitby. Also, we stopped at Castle Howard on the way.

I can't provide an opinion on the tour companies.
However, you can easily do this on your own. Just do the research on where to go and rent a car.

Also, you need more than two days in York, especially going on a day trip out of the city. Do not miss spending significant time in the Cathedral (Minster), as well as walking the ancient walls, visiting a couple of the great museums, especially the National Railway Museum. The old city area with its narrow streets is great as well.

Hi Lisa -

Unless I’m not reading the Bob Holidays website correctly the Howarth and the Dales (albeit the southern edge of the Dales) ONLY runs on Fridays which suits your needs, yes?

If you wanted to visit Haworth and the Bronte Parsonage, plus moors, you could do it under your own steam from York. Take the train to Leeds from York, change to the Keighley (pronounced Keith-ley) train and at Keighley change to the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway for Haworth. It would most likely require an early start and late finish, but it is doable. If you wanted to eat on the way home Leeds is a big city with a load of eateries and I’d get there as a priority on the way back as the trains to York from Leeds at least run quite late.

However, be sure to check your train times carefully as the K&WVR is privately run by volunteers - some services are steam hauled - and thus the time table tends to be a bit thin. If you can’t make it work the journey to or from Keighley is doable by taxi and Bronte taxis are based near to the station by the bridge. Buses in my experience also tend to be a bit thin, but might also be worth a check.

The station at Haworth is situated at the bottom of The Main Street in Haworth and it is a stiff climb up the hill to the church and Parsonage/museum/bookshop which is at the top. Fortunately there are plenty of places to gawp into on the way up, including cafes.

If time and the weather allows you can wander from the Parsonage out of the village towards Penistone Park and a taste of the moors. Strong hikers will be able to walk over the moors as far as the Bronte Falls and bridge and further on to Top Withens, a wild and exposed spot (it’s on the Pennine Way, so you’d expect that) which is said to be the location of Wuthering Heights, although the ruined farm buildings there never bore any resemblance to Wuthering Heights the house, as described in the book. A large plaque on one of the walls makes this clear too! First editions of Wuthering Heights have an illustration of WH which is clearly located at Top Withens. The moors here are high and exposed and even in the balmiest of conditions you would be foolish not to wear proper hiking shoes/boots and carry a waterproof just in case. An OS map I would recommend if you can read one (or the OS style Yellow Publicatons pocket maps are good and cheaper!). An umbrella up there would usually be as much use a the proverbial chocolate teapot unless pressed into service as a parasol to keep off the sun, not unknown, but unusual! Oh yes, and having got there, you’d need to walk back unless you walked down to Stanbury and phoned for a taxi (there are a couple of pubs in the village) to collect you for the short journey back to Haworth.

If you need more info, don’t hesitate to ask.

Ian

@Ian - thank you for the treasure trove of information! I so enjoyed reading it. Makes me long for the countryside. You are correct - Bob's Holiday Tours does offer the Haworth/Yorkshire Dales trip on a Friday, but I was thinking the Yorkshire Dales National Park Day Trip would be the premier option - and unfortunately this one does not run on Fridays. Do you think I would be missing out on one over the other? Mountain Goat Ltd. offers a Yorkshire Dales trip that runs on a Friday, but I preferred the Bob's itinerary...decisions, decisions!

@geovagriffith - thank you for the information and your take. I agree, two days is too short, but unfortunately that is all we have to spare, so we'll make the most of it. I think in one ambitious day we can walk the city, do the Minster and walk the walls. Definitely won't have time for museums, but we can add that to our itinerary the next time we go! Thanks again!

Hi again Lisa -

I’ve had a pore over both itineraries and if I’m honest there’s not a lot of difference between them, it’s just a matter of the routes there and back chosen. Both go to Castle Bolton, both go to Hawes for instance. If I’m honest I think I prefer Masham to Pateley Bridge, not least because there are two breweries in Masham! And if you are stopping for coffee, The Black Sheep Brewery has a rather nice cafe/bar and gift shop. There are a couple of other places around the square, but generally I’d head for the brewery.

Hawes is the self styled ‘capital of the Dales’ and gets very busy, with cyclists, hikers and bikers, plus other visitors. Thus there are plenty of places to eat - the last time I ate in Hawes we went to The Fountane Inn, but only because we were hiking The Pennine Way and it was only a short hobble from our B&B!

I’m guessing the route from Masham to Castle Bolton will go by way of Middleham (Richard lll’s castle) and Leyburn, but don’t quote me. Coming back the Mountain Goat itinerary is a bit vague but whichever way that returns, both tours cover alot of ground and there’ll be plenty of Dales scenery.

But you pays your money and you takes your choice…. As ever, anything more you need to know, feel free to ask!

Ian

P.S. One quibble with the Bob itinerary re Askrigg. It’s another small Dales village (none of them can be considered ‘big’!) and it isn’t the actual Darrowby of the books - that was Thirsk - but Askrigg was Darrowby in the original BBC TV series. The ‘Skeldale House’ from those shows sensibly changed its name to Skeldale House and was, at one time at least, a B&B. The Skeldale House in the current remake is in Grassington. None of which makes any sense or is of any relevance if you are not a fan of the James Herriot books!