YorTours

03/01/2025

Another little golden nugget to be experienced on your visit to London - see below ⬇️ The Postal Museum

New Year, new Tunnel Walk dates. Join us on select Tuesday, Friday and Saturday evenings for a subterranean tour of one of London's most unique engineering landmarks.

Opened in 1927, Mail Rail helped transport up to 4 million letters and parcels a day at it's peak and visitors can explore the history of this secret, underground railway with The Postal Museum's expert guides. To find out more, head to the link below.

👉 https://bit.ly/46fWNCe

Image Credit - Miles Willis

22/12/2024

As its fast approaching Christmas; ever wondered about food traditions ? then take a peek below; you might see how Yorkshire puddings are harvested too .....another little golden nugget from my great colleague Tim Real Yorkshire Tours

People travel from far and wide to experience a traditional Yorkshire Christmas, with many of our older towns and cities decking themselves out to create a proper Dickensian Christmas.Our stately homes and grand houses often re-opened, decorated for the festive season to create magical experiences f...

22/12/2024

Gentle Christmas 🎄 🎅tour 🏃🏼‍♂️‍➡️🏃‍♀️with all of our Nidd Valley running club “ behind the scenes “ of Studley Royal & someone you may recognise 😉 in bright orange 🍊 how lucky are we 👍 another day in the life of British Guild of Tourist Guides in a UNESCO World Heritage Site

16/12/2024

Quirky fascinating and an element of surprise and intrigue. Thanks to my great colleague Tim Real Yorkshire Tours take a peek below ⬇️

But perhaps the strangest tradition from Whitby’s history is that of the Penny Hedge which legend has it dates back to 1159.

15/12/2024

Todays candlighting ceremony for those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our tomorrow, over 1000 graves lit by residents of Harrogate who read out the names of each and everyone when lighting. We WILL remember them 🙏 and the 3 graves I honour on behalf of their families whom I’ve personally met & hosted here

14/12/2024

Take a peek below ⬇️ and the link to public walks led by our professional, White , Green and yes Blue Badge qualified Tour Guides who will deliver delight and excite too British Guild of Tourist Guides 👇

06/12/2024

All Creatures Great & Small Christmas 🎅 Special 23 December Channel 5 @ 9pm see below ⬇️ thanks Real Yorkshire Tours

Looking forward to this!

22/11/2024

A most interesting historical story below ⬇️ on a building we all pass on the way into York - take a peek 👀 thanks to my colleague Real Yorkshire Tours

It turns out it was called Ingram Hospital and is one of York’s most important mid-seventeenth century buildings.

15/11/2024

So you want to experience that quintessential yet out of the ordinary culinarily delights of Yorkshire fayre and Michelin star ; take a look 👀 below ⬇️ at my great foodie colleagues report in Hovingham ( a stones’ throw from Castle Howard too ) thanks Real Yorkshire Tours

04/11/2024

Not only a golden nugget on “ footpaths” ⬇️, but also the historical significance of the peaceful public “ walking demonstration “ on Kinder Scout back on 24 April 1932; resulted in our 1st National Park formation on 17 April 1951. Thanks Yorkshire Treasures

Have you ever thought about why there are so many footpaths, and their origin? I recently came across the origin of the word 'path': a route 'padded down' by frequent use was called a 'paeth' in Anglo Saxon. So many of the paths we use today have ancient origins and reasons for being.

Paths tell the story of humans through the ages, their well-trodden routes telling the history and habits of those who walked before us. When you stride out in the Yorkshire Dales, you're treading in the footsteps of monks who moved from abbey to abbey, or traded sheep in the market towns, in the footsteps of lead-miners, wool-traders, pilgrims, drovers, farmers, children walking to school, worshippers going to church, and those carrying coffins to consecrated ground.

Routes which have become special to us or especially appreciated for awe-inspiring views were once trodden by ordinary people doing (to them) ordinary things.

It's thanks to 'ordinary people' that we have the opportunity to walk these paths, after the Kinder Scout Mass Trespass in 1932 and later the Countryside and Rights of Way Act in 2000.

02/11/2024

expect the unexpected as British Guild of Tourist Guides ! how fortunate was I to have Lee & Sylvia, who never complained once; despite the pain and discomfort...over 6 days too.

OUTSTANDING TOUR GUIDE, GUARDIAN ANGEL & ADVOCATE

Nick is knowledgeable, engaging & excellent. He was thrown a "curve ball" when he picked us up in London . Scheduled to be driven to Yorkshire with a tour of Belton House, and 5 more days with Nick. My wife had fallen the night before, (later diagnosed as a complicated wrist fracture). We asked Nick for advice & help. He recommended the Harrogate Hospital ER ( we had no idea he volunteers there) Not only did he take us; he took charge as our advocate for the entire 6 days. He was the first point of contact for the doctors & medical staff, diagnostics, scans, and even with the superb orthopaedic surgeon . Despite this set back, Nick revised our schedules, and we had excellent tours which we enjoyed through all of this. Nicks kindness, care & calmness shone throughout .

When it was time to drive us to our next destination (Bristol) he collaborated with our next guide and brought him up to date on our situation as well as our tour agent back in the US. He took a lovely route and we so enjoyed the scenery and his commentary.

Nick is very knowledgeable, and a lot of fun. We highly recommend YorTours and Nick. He's the best!

28/10/2024

Lychgates - outside older churches ? What’s their story- thanks to Yorkshire Treasures see below ⬇️; fascinating 🧐 too !

Ever wondered why the path to many older churches has a little pitched roof porch? It's a 'lychgates', (old English word lych meaning 'co**se'). Some are carved, such as the one at Greenhow Hill made by Robert Thompson which features his famous mice under the roof. The one below can be seen in Coverdale.

Lychgates sometimes have small seats on either side of the gate. The tradition of a lychgate dates back to the 16th century. When some-one died, they were wrapped in a shroud and carried to the lychgate to await burial. Depending on the location, some people might stay there to guard against bodysnatchers. Later they were used to set down the coffin before the service, awaiting the clergyman.

18/10/2024

So many many reasons why Carperby and The Wheatsheaf Inn feature on my own Yorkshire Dales National Park and specifically 🎥 location tours

James Herriot's honeymoon, Greta Garbo, a stone circle, a sacred spring and Deadman's Hole: they can all be found in one small village... Carperby in Wensleydale. There's a letter on the wall of the Wheatsheaf Inn which is the focal point for many visitors to Carperby in Wensleydale.

It's from James Herriot, or more accurately the writer, Alf Wight, and tells his parents of his wedding, including the moment the vicar asked him if he took "this woman to be your lawful wedded husband"... Not long after James Herriot stayed there, Greta Garbo came to stay during a break in her busy schedule performing in the Dales.

Nowadays Carperby is a small quiet village, but must once have been a busier place as it has two 'centres'. It gained a market in 1305, one of the earliest in the Dales. By 1587 the market had declined as Askrigg took much of the trade. It was moved to the other end of the village and the 'new' market cross dates back to 1674.

​Carperby seems to have been quite an important location for worshippers of one kind or another. There was a Friend's Meeting House and two Wesleyan Chapels (one replacing the other), both now converted into private houses, although an old Quaker burial ground remains. ​

The name derives from early Scandinavia settlers and was originally kerperbi. 'Kjarr' meant a bushy, boggy area and 'by' a farmstead.

​Close to Carperby is a curious place, a stone circle about which very little is known. Some think it could have actually been a Bronze Age cremation site. ​In the middle of Carperby stands St. Matthew's Well, which may be on the site of a sacred spring, in use much earlier than the date stone implies.

​There's also a place called Deadman's Hole at one end of the village - I wonder what led to that name? ​
​
From Carperby there are several pleasant walks, including over to Bolton Castle or to Aysgarth Falls.

18/10/2024

Culzean Castle (Part 2). It’s illustration featured on the Royal Bank of Scotland £5 note for over 40 years! Terms of transfer by the 5th Marquis of Alisa ( chief of the Kennedy Clan) on his brothers death included :-
1. The top floor be given to General Dwight Eisenhower as gesture of thanks for his role as Supreme Allied Commander during WW2
2. The widow of 4th Marquess be given her lifetime use of the West Wing

Dwight 🇺🇸visited & stayed shortly after in 1946, and again 4 more times including when as President of the U.S.A.

Ps it’s available to rent today in whole or as separate apartments National Trust Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

18/10/2024

Some rather unique historical events associated with Culzean Castle as I discovered in person today . Gifted in 1945 and IHT avoided ( reluctantly accepted by the NT for Scotland due to cost(s) of backlog maintenance/ preservation & partial restoration) , including some “ unusual “ caveats- see my next post 🇺🇸. A Robert Adam cliff top masterpiece ( which bankrupt the family / assisted by gambling debts) which contains the 2nd largest collection of “ used” former government swords/ pistols / “ purchased for their scrap metal value” from Tower of London in early 19th century, ( only beaten by Windsor Castle). Take a peek below ⬇️ look 👀 out for rules of stable boys & servants, their “ walkway “ to work so as not to be seen ( including tradesmen’s entrance) & more …..time spent on reconnaissance is never wasted