York to Keswick through Yorkshire Dales

Castle Howard "Brideshead" is in a huge estate and will be quite memorable. It is just NE of York. Fountains Abbey near Ripon is a World Heritage site. Barnard Castle is in a beautiful location. M5 near the Lake District will give you Freeway speed north and south.

These sound like excellent ideas for our trip. We could spend a good part of the day at perhaps Castle Howard and then complete the trip. Might not do the southern Lake District that day. Thanks!

This is one of my favourite parts of England and a nice drive. Fountains is beautiful, we spent hours there. So is Rievaulx but maybe a little out of your way. Thirsk is not too far off if you're planning to travel thru Hawes but a great place to spend as much or as little time as you want if you're a fan of "All Creatures Great & Small". There is a TeaPottery in Leyburn. Did you know there is a pencil museum in Keswick?

Some more good thoughts on this leg of the trip, thanks. I'm now leaning towards going to either Fountains Abbey or Castle Howard and then bypassing the Yorkshire Dales by going on the A66 to Penrith. We like to be pretty leisurely about our stops. In Keswick do we plan to view the Derwent pencil museum. My wife and I have used their pencils for sketching.

Jervaulx Abbey is another great abbey, it was an Cistercian Monastery, to visit in Yorkshire Dales. It's six miles from Leyburn.

The. Dales are. worth as much. time as you. cangive them. Good choice with the Hawes route,but Swaledale is even prettier!!Richmond. worth. Astop and i. Upper. Swaledale you could vist Tan Hill.Great bakery inReeth. Would not recomend the 66,pretty dulll and. very very busy route with trucks,and. On the western bit. Before Penrith. Its single lane.ther Another good route would be Teesdale,via High Force..then take Hartside Pass. Theres a cafe on the summit and one of the most awesome views in england. Theres a great ice cream parlour. InPenrith.near the bus station.
Too many nice. Places!!

If you are going to Castle Howard, then Rievaulx Abbey isn't too far away. Out of my 18 days in Britain last July, the abbey was my favorite place. Amazing location, incredible ruins, more sheep then tourists. I took some fantastic photos there!

Near Hutton is the. Lion Inn, good accomodatioon.And huge. meals.
For something different ,La Rosa campsite

Thanks again to eveyone for all the great ideas! We are adding a few days to this leg of the trip. The plan now is to go from York to Castle Howard and then on the Hutton le Hole. Next day on to Rievaulx Abbey and stopping in Ripon for 2 nights -- see Fountains Abbey. The next day head through the Yorkshire Dales (through Hawes) to the south Lake District and up to Keswick.

Hutton-Le-Hole is one of my favorite places to visit, but other than strolling around the village and green, there is not much else to do/see there. Definitely visit it- but I cant see the point in overnighting there. it really is not much of a drive from castle howard. You may want to go on to Thornton dale, a little bit larger village which we also enjoy- it does have some hotels, and a little more activity

There is a nice looking B&B in Pickering that has good review called Ashfield House. Perhaps this would be a better stop over the Hutton le Hole? It is just a little before Thornton Dale. Not sure how the villages compare.

I have spent a week in this district lake. Do enjoy a small town of Bowness on lake Windermere and take a short cruise along the lake. If poossible , do visit Beatrix Potter's House who wrote a Tale of The Peter Rabit for the children and on your way back enjoy Howckshead Beer of the famous Cumbrian brewary. Also visit William Wordsworth's house the famous english poet and the story telling garden where people from the town use to gather every night to exchange stories. Do not miss Daffodils gardens. It has been one my most memorable trips to Europe