YorTours

17/08/2024

After a long day but great few days “ on tour” happy to rest up here tonight having “ safely delivered “ Nadine & Shane to Glenapp Castle now watching the Belfast ferries ⛴️ both arrive. Today included The Angel 😇 of The North, Heddon-on-the- Wall, Housesteads Roman Fort , The Sill National Park Discovery Centre and my fabulous & engaging professional guiding 😉

11/08/2024

I’m incredibly proud of for all our 2024 Olympics. You’ve put the GREAT back into BRITAIN 🇬🇧 Overall medals table 3rd in world 🌍.
USA 🇺🇸 126 medals , China 🇨🇳 91, GB 🇬🇧 65, France 🇫🇷 64 thanks 🌟

11/08/2024

delightful thank you from Tim Cohen, groom's dad, for yesterdays "little" wedding gift tour in wishing Beth & Tomer fab wedding today at Sun Pavilion Harrogate. Just my “ day job” 🤭 as British Guild of Tourist Guides

"Many thanks for the very interesting and amusing tour yesterday. Everybody thought you were fantastic. Your love of Harrogate and passion to share its story quite something. Thank you again for your generosity and the treat from Bettys was really tasty. Everybody enjoyed it. Thanks again. Tim

10/08/2024

Just a short introduction to my home town for wedding guests from Australia & Leeds prior to Beth & Tomers celebrations tomorrow in the Sun Pavilions this short tour my own little “ gift” to them and their friends from 🌎✈️

07/08/2024

Simply the best 🏆 that’s why I take visitors from afar 🌎 a genuine warm welcome awaits too 😀The World Of James Herriot

01/08/2024

Yorkshire Day 1st August has some historic significance thanks to Yorkshire Treasures a succinct summary below ⬇️ 👀👇

Do you know WHY it's Yorkshire Day today? How did it start? It’s now a region-wide event when you may spot Yorkshire flags (the white rose), celebratory events and social media posts showing pride in the area. It’s not existed for very long but Yorkshire folk have certainly embraced the chance to tell everyone they love Yorkshire.

It started in 1975 but the story goes back further – over 1100 years when Yorkshire’s boundaries were established.
Yorkshire was divided into three ridings, the North, East and West Ridings, plus York. 'Ridings' is from an old Norse word meaning a third (probably ‘thridding’). Each of these areas were then divided into administrative units known as 'wapentakes'. Parts of the Yorkshire Dales were previously in the West Riding (and North Riding higher up in the Dales and over towards the North York Moors), until 1974 when the boundaries changes and the county of North Yorkshire was created.

It was in protest to these boundary changes and local government organisation that Yorkshire Day started. Some people state the following declaration to mark the day:

"I, [Name], being a resident of the [West/North/East] Riding of Yorkshire [or City of York] declare:
That Yorkshire is three Ridings and the City of York, with these Boundaries of [Current Year minus 875, so for 2024, 1149 years' standing; That the address of all places in these Ridings is Yorkshire; That all persons born therein or resident therein and loyal to the Ridings are Yorkshiremen and women; That any person or corporate body which deliberately ignores or denies the aforementioned shall forfeit all claim to Yorkshire status.
These declarations made this Yorkshire Day [Year]. God Save the King!”

Over time, the reason for Yorkshire Day has been forgotten, and now it’s used by many as an opportunity to simply show pride in the area. Some say it means that all the old stereotypes come out - flat caps, racing whippets, distinctive accents & dialect, Yorkshire puddings etc - but others argue it’s a chance to talk about our local distinctiveness.

What do you think?

01/08/2024

It’s Yorkshire Day Gods Own Country 😇🇬🇧and I’m in “ Darrowby” on tour

27/07/2024

One of the most romantic towns , with its stinking spaw water 💦, Pier Head, Cold Bath Road & Parliament Street gas lights first lit by methane from ? Take a tour & visit Harrogate Museum on Royal Parade see details below ⬇️

Royal Pump Room Museum Guided Tours
Fridays, Saturdays & Sunday, 10am & 2pm,
During School Holidays, included in admission price.

Learn about the largely untold stories of Harrogate's workers: the people who built and maintained the town and those whose service sustained the glowing, international reputation of Harrogate's baths, pump rooms, shops and hotels.

Discover more about the science behind the sulphur water at the Royal Pump Room Museum during talks from our knowledgeable staff. Learn about the role of Harrogate's mineral waters in the development of Harrogate as a thriving spa town.

Royal Pump Room Museum open Tuesday to Sunday from 9:30am until 5pm
Admission Ticket Prices
Adult: £4 | Child (5 - 16 years): £3 | Disabled/senior citizen/student: £3
Family (2 adults and up to 3 children): £11.75

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Also located 1 minute walk away; Mercer Gallery
Talks Friday, Saturday & Sunday,
11am & 3pm, during School Holidays - Admission free!

20/07/2024

One of my former army colleagues flying the flag for the word “ exceptional “ volunteering contribution and then some more see why below ⬇️ both James & Ceri Bicknell members of the local mountain rescue team and raising much needed funds with a short ride of just 4000 km - please show your admiration below with a contribution

And they're off!

Ceri Bicknell and James Bicknell have just set off on the North Cape 4000. Starting near Verona, they'll be cycling North through Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Finland before reaching the North Cape, over 4000km away

We'll be following them and updating you during their potentially 21 day challenge as they spread the word about Penrith Mountain Rescue throughout Europe!

If you can, please support them by donating to their fundraising page: https://www.justgiving.com/page/ceri-bicknell-1717674737523?utm_term=MKEXVAzAe

19/07/2024

5 days in the life of a professional tour guide; British Guild of Tourist Guides from touring of Yorkshire, then Alnwick & Bamburgh castles , St Cuthbert & Lindisfarne , Haltwhistle ( centre of Britain 🇬🇧) Heddon on the Wall, The Angel of The North by Anthony Gormley & so much more besides… my “ office” view earlier today 😉concluded Edinburgh with help from fellow regional colleagues along the way

18/07/2024

What an adventure guiding through the north including? The Centre of Britain 🇬🇧, Haltwhistle, tomorrow? the world 🌎🤭 and a clean wash too 👍

17/07/2024

The origin of so many well used phrases and sayings have more truth and meaning than you believe possible. The provenance below ⬇️ kindly provided by Yorkshire Treasures will leave you “ spell bound “ 👍

07/07/2024

as professional British Guild of Tourist Guides we all strive to excite and delight our visitors on tour; it appears that Mitch, Dana & Chris had that 3 day "experience" :- ( and a little luck on my part !) & BIG thanks to my colleague Ron Smith ( Cumbria & Yorkshire)

"Working with Nick was so easy! From the first email we sent, to the last handshake, he was a consummate professional. We asked lots of questions. He answered them all.

He met us at the York train station, where it was pouring down rain, but he had umbrellas for us. York Minster, and gave us an absolutely thoroughly guided tour of the church. He really knows the Minster well and all the history it holds.

Nick gave us a history of York over lunch and emphasized the Viking culture that proliferated.

But the best day was the next one, as we had indicated we wanted to see the Yorkshire Dales and any filming locations for the series, “All Creatures Great and Small”. What a surprise! He took us to Grassington, which stands in for Darrowby in the series, and THEY WERE FILMING!
We saw the shops of Grassington transformed to war-time Darrowby, old cars, actors, and even James Herriot! We stood on the steps to Skeldale House and had our photos taken, as well as out front of the Drovers Arms. It was a magical day.
We then toured around the Dales and the scenery on the show does not do this absolutely beautiful area of the English countryside justice.

We wanted to see a little more, but Nick was already booked for subsequent days, so he recommended another Blue Badge Guide who took us to more filming locations and also to the Lake District.

The whole experience was fantastic and Nick was there the whole time to make it even better. We cannot recommend him highly enough."

04/07/2024

My special place , a warm welcome from everyone , yet saddened by this news . A true shame it’s coming to an end Yorkshire Treasures Ripley Castle

Ever wanted to live in a castle? Time for a whip round with friends as the Ingilby family have recently announced they are going to sell Ripley Castle, with the grounds and surrounding buildings. Ripley Castle has been occupied by the same family for 700 years. Further details will be released later this year, so if you'd like to visit - go now!

The Ingilby family rebuilt the village of Ripley in the 14th century on its present site. In 1603 King James l stayed at the castle in the village; two years’ later the Ingilbys helped mastermind the Gunpower Plot to assassinate the King at the Opening of Parliament. In fact nine of the 11 conspirators in the plot were close relations or associates of the Ingilby family.

They were a fearless lot those Ingilbys, including ‘Trooper’ Jane, the sister of Sir William who held Oliver Cromwell prisoner by guarding him, holding two pistols, in the castle’s library after he had won the Battle of Marston Moor, a pivotal moment in the English Civil War. The Ingilbys were staunch royalists and ‘Trooper’ was safeguarding her brother who had fought against Cromwell on the battlefield before hiding in the Priest Hole in the Castle.

Then in the 1800s the eccentric Sir William Amcotts Ingilby, inspired by his travels to Alsace in France, demolished the village and had a new one built modelled on a French town complete with a Hotel de Ville, cobbled square and Gothic-styled buildings.

Happily today it's a much more peaceful atmosphere as you wander through the village and tour Ripley Castle
For those who like to walk or cycle, the Nidderdale Greenway passes through Ripley offering a four-mile traffic-free option to get to the village from Harrogate.

01/07/2024

Oh my goodness, just received today. Best job in the world as a professional British Guild of Tourist Guides - it "appears" that I consistently deliver highest quality experiences for all our visitors all thanks to my supporters & colleagues AND to those visitors who have so kindly contributed.

01/07/2024

East Witton , my visitors from afar 🌎 always captivated & enchanted by its beautiful unique features. See why ? Below ⬇️ thanks to concise précis by Yorkshire Treasures & maybe a connection to the ruling local “ Witan” Anglo Saxon counsel

27/06/2024

Darrowby, not June but Christmas 🎄; being “dressed” for All Creatures Great & Small Christmas special. Another “ eventful” day as a professional British Guild of Tourist Guides 🎥 about to commence YorTours

26/06/2024

And I thought I knew the origins of place names of Yorkshire 👌evidently more to learn thanks to this concise article below ⬇️ it’s easier to understand thanks to Yorkshire Treasures

Ever tried to unlock the 'code' of different place names in the Yorkshire Dales, or worked out why we say 'Massam' not "mash-em'? With thousands of years of history and Roman, Celts, Saxon, Viking, Norman and other settlers, it’s no surprise that place names give us an insight into how they've evolved.

I still remember my history teacher, Mr. Milner telling me this over forty years ago, and thinking he'd just given us the key to a secret code! You don't need to know that many words to get a good handle on who lived here before us and why.

First came the Brigantes, a Celtic tribe. Some of the names from this time remain, sounding a bit Welsh perhaps.

An example is anywhere with pen in the name, meaning ‘hill’. For example, Penhill, (so good they named it twice?!) and Pen-y-ghent.

Anglo Saxon was the next influence. Look out for names ending in ham or ton (eventually leading to town) which meant a farmstead. The name before –ton or –ham was often either the name of a person who owned that land, geographic feature or a trade carried on there.

Masham was the farmstead owned by the Saxon chief, Massa so it was Massa’s ham. This is why it’s pronounced Mass-ham not Mash-em! Skipton originally meant sheep farm! It’s hard to imagine that once woods and forests covered much of the Dales. Ley meant ‘clearing in the woods’ e.g. Wensley.

The Vikings contributed to our language in a really significant way. They gave us suffixes like thwaite meaning ‘clearing’, keld meaning ‘spring’, foss or force for ‘waterfall’, and gill or ghyll meaning ‘ravine’.

Many landscape features still use names from the time of the Danelaw:
Beck – stream
Cam – bank or ridge
Carr – wetland
Fell - mountain
Garth – enclosed grass paddock by a farmstead
Ling – heather
Mire – a pool e.g Redmire would have been a reed pool
Moss – boggy land
Nab – outcrop
Scar – steep rock face
Sett or seat – upland fields, often summer pastures
Syke – gully
Tarn – upland lake
Thorpe - settlement
Whin – thorny bushes

You may have noticed some more fanciful French-sounding names like Jervaulx which came from the Norman. Richmond was originally a strong hill, Richemont, which makes sense when you see the castle!

In the Dales we’re used to the importance of rivers in naming places – most dales are named after their river e.g. Wharfedale, Ribblesdale. A valley is called a dale, although in some areas you might see words like dean instead, and the valley bottom was called… bottom! Lots of place names end in ford, as in a shallow river crossing. Kirk was the Scandinavian word for church. Kirkby would have meant church by…

​Maybe now when you look at the map or drive around the Dales, you'll also see it through the eyes of those ancient settlers. They're long gone, but the names remain.

26/06/2024

I’m often asked by visitors when “ on tour” what do you do to relax Nick ? when “ not on tour “ , voluntarily at 🏥 & a jaunty run 🏃‍♂️ over Yorkshire😉

25/06/2024

How fortunate to be invited to a VIP private viewing of the sculptures by Tony Cragg , thought provoking both inside and outside Castle Howard . All a day in the life of a professional British Guild of Tourist Guides with colleagues Tim Barber & Andrew Ward , special thanks to the Honourable Nicholas Howard for hosting & inviting us into his home . The exhibition of contemporary sculpture must be seen before it sadly ends on 22 September.

20/06/2024

Yorkshire has it all; from quirky to the most extraordinary ; no lime stone left upturned when you visit one of these shows / galas below - kindly provided by Yorkshire Treasures

What do you have planned for the next couple of months? There are so many events happening all over the Yorkshire Dales, you might need to plan some extra trips? Here's a selection of them. Please do add any others - or tag the events you've involved in or enjoy going to:
Skipton Sheep Day: 30th June
Great Yorkshire Show: 9th – 12th July
Settle Flowerpot Festival: 13 July - 1 September
Masham Steam Rally: 20 & 21 July
Ingleton Gala: 20th July
Ripley Show: 11th August
Art in the Pen: 17-18 August
Kettlewell Scarecrow Festival: 10 – 18 August
Gargrave Show: 17th August
Burnsall Sports: 24th August
Malham Show: 24 August
Wensleydale Agricultural Show: 24 August
Reeth Show: 26 August
Hebden Sports: 26th August
Kilnsey Show: 27 August
Muker Show: 4 September
Medieval Music in the Dales: 13 – 15 September
Bentham Agricultural Show: 7 September
Horton in Ribblesdale Show: 7th September
Nidderdale Show: 22 September
Grassington 1940s Weekend: 20 -22 September
Richmond Walking & Book Festival: 20 - 29 September
Yarndale: 28 – 29 September
Masham Sheep Fair: 28 - 29 September
Yorkshire Dales Cheese Festival, Celebrating Local Produce: 11 to 14 October

Which events have I missed? What are your favourite events? Any photos to share?
Image by Stephen Garnett Photography.

13/06/2024

“ time spent on reconnaissance is never wasted “ a core phrase during my army training ✔️ today is no exception and “applying “ for this vacancy below ⬇️ ( do I have such key attributes?)

12/06/2024

Fortified Manor House , then castle , destroyed by Scot’s and English and rebuilt many times. Quiet , nostalgic and so peaceful on tour from Hadrians Wall - in the great hall

12/06/2024

Every day really is a school day; and no exception here , romantic, sentimental and sad with Bob & Laura on tour

12/06/2024

Sneak in across the border 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 without being caught 😉🤞whilst on tour to Jedburgh then Edinburgh

12/06/2024

If Yorkshires 3 Peaks aren’t challenging enough then take a look below at other Yorkshire hills and vistas to behold 👞👍🇬🇧 thanks to Yorkshire Treasures

Do you think this is true? (read on for an alternative suggestion): "The Yorkshire Three Peaks of Pen-y-ghent, Ingleborough and Whernside are ranked 10th busiest walking route in the world*, with... 991 Instagram posts per km of trail".

Do you think this is true? I'd say it depends entirely on when you go and the route you take. But there are also plenty of alternative hilly walks in the Yorkshire Dales, where you'll barely see a soul and which enable you to enjoy equally stunning scenery and some incredible views. Jonathan Smith at Where2Walk has put together a list of Dales' Hewitts: The Dales 30. These are all hills of at least 2000 feet, with a drop of 100 feet on all sides so you're certain of amazing vistas.

Here's the list - which do you already know and recommend?

1. Whernside
2. Ingleborough
3. Great Shunner Fell
4. High Seat
5. Wild Boar Fell
6. Great Whernside
7. Buckden Pike
8. Pen y Ghent
9. Great Coum
10. Swarth Fell
11. Plover Hill
12. Baugh Fell, Tarn Rigg Hill
13. The Calf
14. Lovely Seat
15. Calders
16. Great Knoutberry Hill
17. Rogan’s Seat
18. Dodd Fell Hill
19. Fountain’s Fell
20. Little Fell
21. Nine Standards Rigg
22. Simon Fell (Ingleborough)
23. Yockenthwaite Moor
24. Fell Head
25. Yarlside
26. Gragareth
27. Darnbrook Fell
28. Randygill Top
29. Drumaldrace (Wether Fell)
30. Birks Fell

* according to tour operator Explore Worldwide

10/06/2024

Hay meadow flowers - the varied plants 🌱 in some detail below ⬇️ kindly summarised by Yorkshire Treasures

Thinking of going to see the Swaledale hay meadows? Go v.soon! They are looking so beautiful and you don't want to miss them before they're cut. They're stunning to gaze at within the landscape but even more beautiful when you stop, crouch low and try to identify the many wildflowers you'll find in each meadow.

Some of the flowers you can spot:

Pink/red Betony which was once regarded as a 'all-heal' poultice and infusion, and often planted in churchyards to prevent ghosts doing mischief.

Melancholy Thistle – so-called not because it’s sad but because it was historically used to prevent a form of depression called ‘melancholia’

Bird’s-foot Trefoil – also known as ‘eggs and bacon’ because of its yellow flowers and reddish buds. A more unpleasant name was ‘Granny’s toenails’! While the yellow flowers look like miniature slippers, the seed pods resemble bird’s claws.

Devil’s Bit Scabious – the name for this pretty lilac flower with its pincushion head derives from the Latin ‘scabare’ = to scratch – as it was used for treating skin conditions such as scabies. Its roots look as though they have been bitten off, according to legend, by the Devil.

Yellow rattle – at the height of summer the tiny seeds rattle in the brown pods of this flower. Yellow rattle is a particularly important plant for hay meadows as it helps to reduce the vigour of some of the most competitive plants, helping to increase the diversity of traditionally managed hay meadows.

Pignut – the stems of this delicate white flower lead to tubers or ‘nuts’. It was once a popular pastime for children to dig these up until they were warned against doing so by their parents who claimed eating pignuts would give them head lice. .

Sweet vernal grass – once known as ‘chewing grass’ because it tastes of vanilla.

The Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust published a lovely book called Hay Time, by Don Gamble and Tanya St. Pierre which gives more explanations of the traditions and importance of hay meadows. The best known ones are in Swaledale but you can find lovely hay meadows through out the Yorkshire Dales.

29/05/2024

Congratulations to Yorkshire Blue Badge Tourist Guide Margy Longhurst who has been elected mayor of the historic and beautiful town of Knaresborough in North Yorkshire.
Here she is with her daughter Rose being photographed by her consort, husband Richard.
https://yorkshiresbestguides.co.uk/project/margy-longhurst/

27/05/2024

Dry stone walls in , the iconic stone & field boundaries. Some “golden nuggets “ on these remarkable structures below 👇 thanks Yorkshire Treasures

How many miles of dry stone walls are there in the Yorkshire Dales? How long does it take to wall a metre? How old are the oldest ones?

Dry stone walls are one of the Yorkshire Dales' most distinctive features, and some of the oldest man-made landscape features. It's believed there are over 5000 miles (8000 km) of dry stone walls in the Yorkshire Dales. Not all of them are in tip-top condition but most are well maintained. Some of the walls around Langcliffe are believed to date back to the 13th century, built to deter wolves!

The very first dry stones walls were probably created centuries ago when early farmers were clearing the land for cultivation. Some walls are really thicker than might seem necessary, just because they were built in very stony areas. Most walls are built to mark field boundaries or mark land ownership, and limit movement by sheep and cows.

When on a tour of his farm at The Wensleydale Experience, Adrian Thornton-Berry showed me some very straight walls rising up the hill near Swinithwaite and said they were built around 200 years ago by French prisoners of war taken from Napoleon's army. Nearby are some large block foundations to a wall that date back to the times of the Knights Templar...

If you see very large stones being used as the base of the wall, that's often an indication of a wall that may date back to medieval times. Straight walls and fields that seem more uniform may date back to the Enclosures period of the late 18th and early 19th century.

Dry stone walls are 'dry' because they are made without mortar, simply relying on their complex structure to stay up. They take time to build, around 3-7 metres (depending who you ask and how experienced they are!) of wall in a day. That's about a ton of stone per metre, all lifted by hand!

A good dry stone waller never picks up a piece of stone twice but is able to look at a pile of walling stone and pick up the right size and shape of stone every time. A well built wall should easily last for more than 100 years, with minimal maintenance.

The foundation course usually consists of larger stones, upon which two wall faces are built, forming a cavity which is filled will smaller stones. Walls are finished or capped with large stones laid at an angle or on edge. Through stones bind the two wall faces together. If you look at walls in different parts of the Dales, you'll notice small differences in their construction. If you compare the Dales dry stone walls to those in Devon and Cornwall and you'll notice a very different style.

You can see demonstrations of dry stone walling at agricultural shows through out the Dales during the Summer months, and learn more about thurles, batter and smoots, cripple holes, sheep creeps & throughs.