A Journey through Glorious Yorkshire

A Journey through Glorious Yorkshire

& the Lake District

Themes

  • Historical

Associations

  • NTHP
  • The Royal Oak Foundation

A Journey through Glorious Yorkshire

& the Lake District

Prices From $4,640p/p

Glorious Yorkshire and the stunning Lake District are two contrasting regions of outstanding natural beauty and home to three of England’s National Parks. These vibrant landscapes are rich in history, scattered with picturesque rural villages virtually untouched by time. We combine this magnificent scenery with an exploration of the architectural grandeur, superb collections and fascinating heritage of some of the regions’ finest houses and estates.

Special extras included in your itinerary

• Guided tour of Wentworth Woodhouse
• Early evening guided walking tour of York
• Lake Windermere boat cruise
• Guided tour of Rydal Mount
• Morning coffee at Blackwell
• Guided tour of Holker Hall
• Themed evening talk by a guest speaker

Royal Oak Foundation members and National Trust for Historic Preservation members receive a $150 US dollar discount on top of the advertised price on this website. To receive your discount please tick the ‘Royal Oak Foundation Member’ or ‘NTHP Member’ box at checkout. If you are not already a member and would like to join, visit Royal Oak Foundation or National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Day 1
Arrival

On arrival at Manchester airport, a private transfer will take you to our overnight hotel, the Radisson Blu Edwardian Hotel, Manchester. In the evening you are invited to join the group for a welcome drink and canapés, followed by dinner.  

Day 2
Wentworth Woodhouse and Brodsworth Hall & Gardens

Wentworth Woodhouse was built by the First Marquess of Rockingham between 1725 and 1750 and consists of two joined houses of totally different architectural styles; the Baroque style west front and the east front in the later Palladian style. Having been closed to the public for over 25 years, the house is now open and in the process of being restored to its former glory. We enjoy a guided tour of the magnificent State Rooms, acknowledged to be some of the finest of the Georgian era.

Next we visit Brodsworth Hall and Gardens. Built in the 1860s in the Italianate style for the wealthy Thellusson family, the house has survived with remarkably few changes. With a sense of grandeur mixed with gentle decline, Brodsworth tells the story of the changing fortunes of the people who lived and worked here while the beautiful pleasure gardens have been restored to their full Victorian splendour.

After our visit, we travel on to the Middlethorpe Hall Hotel, one of the Historic House Hotels of the National Trust, where we stay for the next three nights. Tonight, we enjoy dinner together at the hotel.

Day 3
Castle Howard and York

Designed by Sir John Vanbrugh, Castle Howard has twice appeared as Brideshead in film and television adaptations of Evelyn Waugh’s classic novel. Home to the Howard family for over 300 years, this magnificent 18th-century residence offers world-renowned collections and stunning architecture, all set within 1,000 acres of breathtaking scenery with idyllic gardens, woodland and lakeside walks.

We continue on to York, where we enjoy an early evening guided walking tour. The city is steeped in history, from its founding by the Romans in 71AD to its wealth as a medieval wool trading centre and there is plenty of evidence of this fascinating past left to admire, from the Roman city walls to the surviving medieval streets known as the Shambles.

After our tour, we enjoy dinner together at a restaurant in York.

Day 4
Harewood House, York Minster and Treasurer’s House

Built in the 18th century, Harewood House is one of the greatest Treasure Houses in England, with interiors designed by Robert Adam, furniture by Thomas Chippendale and an outstanding art collection ranging from Renaissance masterpieces to 20th century art. Set in a magnificent ‘Capability’ Brown landscape, Harewood is still home to the Lascelles family and reflects the changing tastes and styles of the past 250 years.

We then have the opportunity to explore the iconic York Minster, the largest Gothic cathedral in northern Europe and home to some of the most stunning stained glass windows that have led to the Minster being described as ‘the Sistine Chapel of England’.

Afterwards, we visit Treasurer’s House in the heart of the city. The house has a 2,000-year-old history and was the first house given complete with its contents to the National Trust in 1930. This is thanks to Frank Green, a wealthy industrialist who not only restored this magnificent house but used it to stage his remarkable collection of antique furniture, art and textiles.

After dinner back at the hotel this evening, we enjoy a fascinating talk by a guest speaker.

Day 5
Fountains Abbey and Lake Windermere Cruise

Leaving our hotel, we travel to the largest monastic ruin in Britain, Fountains Abbey. Nestling in the Skell Valley, the ruin is surrounded by some 800 acres of gorgeous countryside, including the Georgian Studley Royal Water Garden with its wonderful views, cascades, follies and statues, and a medieval deer park.

We continue on to Bowness-on-Windermere where we embark on a picturesque boat cruise across Lake Windermere, the largest natural lake in England, with magnificent views of mountain scenery, secluded bays and wooded islands.

We disembark in Lakeside from where we travel the short distance to the Lakeside Newby Bridge Hotel, our base for the next three nights. Dinner is included every night of our stay here.

Day 6
Coniston Water, Brantwood House, Beatrix Potter Gallery and Rydal Mount

This morning we enjoy a scenic drive alongside Coniston Water with its backdrop of spectacular scenery towards Brantwood.

Here we celebrate the Arts and Crafts movement at Brantwood House, former home of John Ruskin. Brantwood is filled with many fine paintings, beautiful furniture and Ruskin’s personal treasures and offers a fascinating insight into the world of the famous writer, artist and social reformer.

Our next stop is the picturesque village of Hawkshead where we visit the Beatrix Potter Gallery. The 17th-century building was once the office of Beatrix’s solicitor husband and now exhibits her wonderful drawings and illustrations.

Later we visit Rydal Mount, poet William Wordsworth's family home for the greater part of his life from 1813 until his death in 1850. The house retains a lived-in, family atmosphere and contains portraits, personal possessions and first editions of the poet's work which we discover on our guided tour.

Day 7
Blackwell, Holker Hall and Cartmel

We start with a visit and morning coffee at Blackwell, one of Britain's finest Arts and Crafts houses. Designed by MH Baillie Scott, Blackwell retains many of its original decorative features, including spectacular plasterwork and stained glass while the rooms contain furniture and objects by many of the leading Arts and Crafts designers.

We continue on to Holker Hall, home of Lord and Lady Cavendish, where we enjoy a guided tour. Dating back to the 16th century, with alterations and additions in the 18th and 19th centuries, it is a delightful family home with fine displays of antique furniture and art.

We return to the hotel via Cartmel, an unspoilt medieval village that has grown up around its famous 12th-century medieval Priory. Around the village square is an assortment of 16th to 18th-century buildings housing traditional pubs and interesting shops.

Day 8
Abbot Hall Art Gallery and Gawthorpe Hall

We head to Kendal and the Abbot Hall Art Gallery, originally designed as an opulent house by architect John Carr in 1759. Kendal’s finest historic house is now an award-winning art gallery, showcasing a variety of works by a wealth of artists including George Romney, Daniel Gardner and John Ruskin.

We then pay a visit to Gawthorpe Hall, an Elizabethan country house affectionately referred to as the ‘Downton of the North’. Family seat of the Shuttleworth family for over 300 years, the hall was redesigned in the 1850s by architect Sir Charles Barry, designer of the Houses of Parliament and the ‘real’ Downton Abbey, Highclere Castle. The hall houses the North West’s largest collection of portraits on loan from the National Portrait Gallery as well as the Gawthorpe Textiles Collection, a wonderful collection of intricate lace, embroidery and needlework.

After our visit, we travel back to the Radisson Blu Edwardian Hotel, where we enjoy a farewell dinner together.

Day 9
Departure

A private transfer will take you back to Manchester airport for your return flight home.

What's Included

• Airport transfers from Manchester airport*
• 2 nights at the Radisson Blu Edwardian Hotel
• 3 nights at the Middlethorpe Hall Hotel
• 3 nights at the Lakeside Newby Bridge Hote
• Welcome drink and canapés
• Full English breakfast each day
• 3-course table d’hôte dinner on 7 nights at the hotels (with after dinner tea and coffee)
• 1 dinner at a restaurant in York
• Services of a tour director throughout your stay
• Travel to and from all excursions
• All entrance costs
• Porterage

*supplement applies for transfers from all other airports

Special extras included in your itinerary

• Guided tour of Wentworth Woodhouse
• Early evening guided walking tour of York
• Lake Windermere boat cruise
• Guided tour of Rydal Mount
• Morning coffee at Blackwell
• Guided tour of Holker Hall
• Themed evening talk by a guest speaker

Nights One and Eight - Radisson Blu Edwardian Hotel, Manchester
Nights Two to Four - Middlethorpe Hall Hotel Built at the end of the 17th century, the Middlethorpe Hall Hotel is a beautiful red brick country house set in manicured gardens and parkland just two miles from York. One of the Historic House Hotels of the National Trust, the interiors of this luxury hotel are elegantly decorated and furnished with antiques and fine paintings. A health and fitness spa offers a swimming pool, sauna and gym.

Nights Five to Seven - Lakeside Newby Bridge Hotel
The Lakeside Newby Bridge Hotel is a traditional lakeside hotel located on the shores of Windermere. Offering stunning views across the lake, this former 17th-century coaching inn retains many of its original features including oak panelling and real fires. The hotel’s spa offers a pool, Jacuzzi, sauna, steam room and gym plus spa treatments (at an extra cost).