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Around 40 million people visit the UK every year, but only one third of those visitors travel anywhere in England outside London (and most stay in the south). Although London is a fantastic place to visit, I don’t think people can say they have really seen England without planning a Yorkshire trip ‘up north’.
Yorkshire is the largest county in the United Kingdom and due to this, it is split into four sub-regions – North, South, West and East Riding, all of which have sights worth adding to your bucket list. We have lived in Yorkshire now for 11 years and made it our challenge to document the Covid ‘staycation’ experiences in our county – it truly is a world away from London!
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IN THIS GUIDE //
Planning a Yorkshire Trip
GETTING TO YORKSHIRE
– TRAINS AND BUSES
– AIR TRAVEL
– RENTAL CAR
GETTING AROUND YORKSHIRE
BEST TIME TO VISIT YORKSHIRE
WHERE TO STAY IN YORKSHIRE
YORKSHIRE FOOD TIPS
LOCAL YORKSHIRE SHOPPING
– QUIRKY YORKSHIRE SHOPPING
– YORKSHIRE MARKETS
FINAL THOUGHTS – YORKSHIRE PLANNING GUIDE
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GETTING TO YORKSHIRE
Part of planning your Yorkshire trip will undoubtedly be getting here. There are many options, but all require a little bit of planning in advance since transport in the United Kingdom is not generally cheap.
TRAINS AND BUSES FROM LONDON TO YORKSHIRE
If you arrive in London, the best option to reach the main cities of Yorkshire (e.g. York, Leeds, Sheffield) is to catch a train from Kings Cross station. The trains are a little over two hours, comfortable and direct. Note that in the United Kingdom, trains are often extremely expensive if you buy them same day. Book in advance to get the best deals. The other option if you’re budget conscious is Megabus or National Express. These take 4-5 hours and I have seen tickets as low as £1!
We’ve personally used all these options to and from London in the past and they are fine – it just depends on your budget and time constraints.
AIR TRAVEL TO YORKSHIRE
If you are not visiting London, then the most convenient international airport for your Yorkshire trip is Leeds-Bradford Airport. This is a 40-60 minute bus ride from Leeds and the fast bus goes every half hour. This airport is convenient but small and the lack of flight routes from outside Europe often makes it expensive unless you can fly direct.
Manchester airport is much larger, has far more flights and is more popular for international arrivals. It has its own train station making it simple to travel across to Yorkshire – it is a little over two hours to reach York.
RENTAL CAR FOR YORKSHIRE
Another choice is hiring a car from your arrival airport in London, Leeds or Manchester. The drive is around three hours from London (depending on airport) and is reasonably straightforward.
In the United Kingdom people drive on the left and most use manual transmission cars. If you are not comfortable driving one, make sure you check on the car rental website – they always have some automatics. Also, any major town will charge you for parking – check your hotel reservations to see what parking is included and the same for any attractions you plan to visit.
CAR HIRE FOR YOUR YORKSHIRE TRIP
We always rent our vehicles all over the world, including our recent trips in Thailand, Malaysia, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Jordan and Morocco, with Discover Cars. They’re often the most affordable, plus they paid out immediately on an insurance claim we made when our car took some heavy damage in Sicily. We fully recommend them.
If you book through the link below, we make a small profit, at zero cost to you, which helps us write these posts! We only endorse products and companies we actually use regularly. For more information, read our position on affiliates.
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GETTING AROUND YORKSHIRE
Car rental | the best way to get around Yorkshire is to hire a car. Public transport is reliable and widely available between towns and cities, but the countryside is a tricky one to navigate without your own transport. We only ever book vehicles through Discover Cars, they’re the best.
Public buses | these services are available in all cities and towns. Depending on the size of the town, the buses may run once and hour or every three minutes. All timetables can be found online and bus stops sometimes have electronic displays with schedules. Public buses can be expensive depending on the route; consider buying a week pass if you are in the area for a while.
Local trains | these are easy to use, (sometimes) good value even last minute and often show off the amazing scenery of Yorkshire. Often even smaller towns and villages are serviced by trains – Google Maps can show you. There are some ‘Heritage Train Journeys’ but they cost a lot more and are an historic day trip rather than transport!
Uber | this online taxi service is prevalent around all the major cities and is relatively inexpensive, especially if you are sharing. They are not a great option to take you far into the countryside though. Many other local taxi companies are also available if you do not want to use Uber or do not have the app.
BEST TIME TO VISIT YORKSHIRE
It’s no lie – most days in Yorkshire we get all four seasons!
Summer | the best time to visit for the weather is the summer season (June – September). This is also the busy high season and it is definitely worth avoiding the school holidays which run from the second week of July to the end of August. The trails are busier, accommodation and camping is full and pubs are rammed with visitors.
Shoulder season | in my experience, Yorkshire can have wonderful weather in May/June and September/October but it is really hit and miss to be honest. If you are booking a Yorkshire trip and hoping for never-ending sunshine, it would definitely be optimistic!
Winter | in the winter the days can be clear and blue, but often very cold and windy so bring adequate bad weather attire. It goes without saying that it rains a fair bit (although the summer actually gets more rain in total!). Snow is not uncommon in the hills of the Yorkshire Dales.
All year around, bring solid waterproof shoes that cover your toes (Yorkshire, including the towns, is hilly). Bring layers as the weather changes very quickly, especially in the countryside.
WHERE TO STAY IN YORKSHIRE
Budget | the major budget chain hotels in the U.K. are Travelodge, Premier Inn and IBIS. Most major towns have a selection of them. IBIS are normally super cheap (think Motel 6) and can be found on booking.com, Travelodge and Premier Inn are not found on the normal booking sites so reserve a room direct. Premier Inn is the nicest of the three.
Chains | Yorkshire has all the usual middle and upper-end chain hotels like Hilton, Marriott, Jurys Inn, Holiday Inn, Radisson. Accommodation is not generally that cheap in the UK though so shop around. My favourite to use (and cheapest) is booking.com. There are so many independently owned boutique hotels though that it would be a pity to spend all your time in a Hilton on your Yorkshire Trip. Instead, consider a barn, cottage, tree house, yurt or even castle!
B&B | in smaller towns villages and national parks, B&Bs (bed and breakfasts) are a popular choice. They commonly offer rooms in larger houses (mostly with en-suite) with a home cooked breakfast included. They are popular for central village locations and personalised service. The price range is huge, from budget to opulent. Again, these can be found on booking.com or directly via individual websites.
Camping | this is popular in the Yorkshire Dales. No wild camping is allowed (although it is possible), so your only option is developed campgrounds. These have all your standard facilities and are often adjacent to or in the grounds of a pub. Book ahead, the best campgrounds can be busy in the summer. This is generally the cheapest option but will often require you to hire a car.
YORKSHIRE FOOD TIPS
Veggie/Vegan food | is widely available. In the major towns, you can get nearly anything you want. Smaller villages are less diverse but will still have options.
Supermarkets | such as Asda, Tesco and Morrisons have very affordable food (the U.K has an astonishing variety of food for very low prices, especially useful if you are self-catering). For days in the countryside, you can pick up a pre-prepped sandwich starting around a pound. If you have self-catered accommodation and want to make your own, a loaf of bread is about 50p.
Traditional Yorkshire fare | including parkin (gingerbread cake), Yorkshire puddings and Wensleydale cheese are all well-known classics from the region. This is only a small selection of the local food on offer though.
Seafood | on the coast, your portion of fish ‘n’ chips will be as good as anywhere in the world and Bridlington has an authority on crab and lobster.
Breakfast | in the mornings, you’re looking for a proper British ’fry-up’ including black pudding. Don’t worry, you can get veggie fry-ups too (I saw vegan haggis in my supermarket the other day).
Pubs | these classic establishments are everywhere. Thatched roofs, roaring fires, dog/child/human friendly gardens, low ceilings and wooden beams – Yorkshire pubs have character. If you’re in need of a local ale, or pub-grub ranging from classy gastro affairs to simple, relatively cheap eats, there are so many to choose from!
Tea | you know how much the English like tea? Well one of the most popular brands in the U.K. is ‘Yorkshire tea’ – originally from North Yorkshire’s Harrogate. Don’t stop your tea-trying adventures there though – why not pop in for afternoon tea? Betty’s Café Tea Rooms is the place to be seen (reservations are a good idea to avoid queuing).
LOCAL YORKSHIRE SHOPPING
There is a multitude of shopping options in Yorkshire depending on your tastes.
Mainstream high street shopping can be found in any of the main towns and cities. Leeds in particular has upmarket designer shopping including Harvey Nichols in some lovely arcades. There are some very large shopping centres such as Trinity in Leeds, Meadowhall in Sheffield and a designer outlet near York. All of these offer up the usual high street shopping options under cover.
QUIRKY YORKSHIRE SHOPPING
For alternative, quirky shopping, there are a range of places to check out:
The Shambles in York are renown for their 14th century buildings and the inspiration for Diagon Alley in Harry Potter. Here you can find quaint sweet, chocolate and fudge shops and there are at least four Harry Potter themed premises including a place where you can mix your own potions.
Haworth is another place with unusual, independent shops. Here you will find sweet shops, vintage clothing, galleries and even an absolutely beautiful old-school apothecary! There is also a great walk here.
The Corn Exchange in central Leeds has a large range of independent retailers, including food, art, fashion and jewellery.
There are a whole variety of other places that are known for alternative independent retailers too – check out Hebden Bridge, Whitby, Bridlington and Skipton. Towns like Grassington in the Yorkshire Dales have some seriously quirky shops too.
YORKSHIRE MARKETS
Yorkshire has a whole assortment of markets. Some are permanent and open every day, others are pop-up or monthly affairs. Some to consider are:
Malton Monthly food Markets – Malton is known as the Yorkshire food capital and this market shows off the best of the local area on the second Saturday of every month. The town itself is worth a wander around but bring your appetite! The street food is amazing. They also have food festivals at various times of the year, check the website for details.
For architecture, visit Halifax Borough Market or Leeds Kirkgate Market. Both are set in stunning Victorian settings and are open Mon-Sat. They have multiple independent fishmongers, butchers, fruit and veg stalls, books, food stands and more. I’ve personally bought some very cheap mangos at both.
Skipton Market is open four days a week and each day the stalls rotate, making it worth visiting more than once! It’s set in sight of Skipton Castle along the cobbled high street and has been running since medieval times.
There are also many others and we haven’t been able to visit them all. We will update this whenever we find another gem!
As well as all the above, there are countless festivals all over the four counties throughout the year. From beer, gin, cider and vegan food to Yorkshire puddings and jam, all is celebrated! Check this link a list of Yorkshire festivals.
FINAL THOUGHTS – YORKSHIRE PLANNING GUIDE
Yorkshire has been our home now for well more than a decade and we think more people should visit. It’s a stunning part of the United Kingdom and an underrated outdoors destination.
We hope this gives you an overview for your Yorkshire trip and helps you plan. If you are visiting the Yorkshire Dales as part of your trip, have a peek at our ‘can’t miss’ walks in the area.
We hope you have a fantastic trip!
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Thank you, Claire + Nick
