We will leave Manchester in morning, and return to Manchester next day by noon. Will drive through Yorkshire Dales, and need recommendations for overnight accommodation and what route to take to get the most from our time.
I would take M61 out of Manchester to M6 north, get off on A684 you will drive thru a lot of small villages this will take you to Leyburn which has a lot of nice B&B's. If you continue on A684 it will take you to A168 turn right and this takes you to Thirsk home of James Wight (aka James Herriott) In Thirsk you could take A61 to B6265 which will take you to Fountains Abbey and/or A6108 to Jervaulx Abbey. Also from Thrisk B170 to B1257 takes you to Rievaulx Abbey. All three Abbey's I mentioned are worth the time to see. If you are near A61 when you are ready to go back to Manchester, take A61 to A59 which will take you back to M61 to Manchester.
Great reply . . . thanks so much!!
Matilda - I agree with Robin. We visited the abbey mentioned and really enjoyed them. Thirsk and the James Herriot area is delightful. Check out the Spittal Hill B & B near Thirsk. It is a Wolsey Lodge (wolseylodges.com) and is a wonderful place to stay. It is pricey but we thought it was well worth it. Dinner was a very special experience. Have fun.
Hi Matilda, I wanted to tell you that when you are driving on A684 you will come to a small village of West Witton, on the left will be The Wensleydale Heifer Pub a great place to eat. There is a place to park the car on the right across from the pub.