Coast’s Choice: Yorkshire
Tea, puddings, Emmerdale: three things that are synonymous with the next county on our journey, the beautiful moors of Yorkshire.
Yorkshire has some of the strongest cultural heritage in Britain, not to mention some of the most impressive landscapes, and it’s easy to see how it earned the nickname ‘God’s own county’. It has also produced many famous artistic and literary figures including David Hockney, Ted Hughes, Alan Bennett, W.H. Auden and James Herriot.
Flamborough Head
This headland is a fabulous place for nature lovers to spend an afternoon. Stretching 8 miles between Filey Bay and Bridlington Bay overlooking the North Sea, it has been described as one of the UK’s natural wonders.
Flamborough Head is home to the Bempton Cliffs bird reserve, where more than 200,000 seabirds incoluding gannets, razorbills, fulmars and puffins take up residence between April and August. Admission is charged at £5 per car – see here for more details.
Those more interested in geology can explore the many caves within the chalk landscape, while history enthusiasts can tour the functioning lighthouse and its 1674 chalk tower predecessor, the oldest surviving complete lighthouse in England.
After taking in the sea air, you can wander into the local Flamborough village and warm up with a cup of tea at one of its quaint cafés or a pint of ale at its tourist-friendly pubs.
Nearest caravan site: 2.3 miles
Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal
This World Heritage Site features a plethora of historical gems that can easily keep visitors of all ages entertained for a whole day. The main attraction is the 12th century abbey, the UK’s largest monastic ruins, along with the world’s only surviving Cistercian corn mill.
Other features of the 800 acre site include a Jacobean manor house, Medieval deer park, water gardens and Victorian church. There’s plenty of wildlife to look out for including pheasants, swans, deer and bats, while there is lots of open space to enjoy a picnic or let your little ones run around.
The Abbey and its surroundings are open daily from 10am, tickets are available at a cost of £9.00 for adults and £4.85 for children. Click here to find out more.
Nearest caravan site: 2.8 miles
Jorvik Viking Centre
Over 16 million people have visited this reconstruction of Viking-age streets since it first opened its doors in 1984 and the Jorvik Viking Centre continues to prove popular among Yorkshire residents and visitors alike.
The centre is divided into four exhibitions, which are designed to bring Viking Britain back to life. You can take a look at 1,000-year-old excavated houses and relics found in the museum’s foundations, track the story of the Viking’s arrival and existence in Britain, encounter actors playing Norse citizens and even smell home-cooked stew inside the home of the street’s amber worker.
Entry to the Jorvik Viking Centre costs from £9.25 for adults and £6.25 for children up to the age of 15. For further details visit the museum website.
Nearest caravan site: 0.7 miles
National Media Museum
Film fanatics will not want to miss out on a trip to Bradford’s National Media Museum, a mecca for those wanting to learn about the media and stimulate their creative sides. Over 3.5 million items of historical significance are stored here, from photography and cinematography collections to television and new media archives.
There are many interactive exhibitions and displays at the museum, including the chance to see television presenters broadcasting live, as the building is home to the BBC’s Bradford base. There is also an IMAX theatre – the first to open in the country – showing 3D movies.
Among the museum’s galleries are a collection of classic video games, which visitors are welcome to try out, and an in-depth look at the impact the internet has played on our lives.
Entry to the National Media Museum is free of charge, however charges apply for some exhibitions and the IMAX cinema. Click here to find out more.
Nearest caravan site: 4.5 miles
Saltaire
The second World Heritage Site on our list of recommendations, Saltaire is a Victorian village near Bradford. The settlement is named after its founder, Sir Titus Salt, who was a leading figure in the Yorkshire wool industry during the 1850s. Salt moved his five textile mills from Bradford to the Saltaire plot and provided somewhere for them to live that offered a better quality of life than the city’s slums: the model village was born.
Salt not only provided revolutionary new housing for his employees, he also built a school, church, shops, laundry, library, meeting rooms and Turkish baths on the plot. His vision was to educate and better the workers, providing education for the children and pensions for the elderly.
Today, the village retains much of its original character and offers lots of culturally and historically interesting attractions for visitors. The salt mill has now been converted into a large shopping arcade, while the town’s 1853 Gallery has a large collection of David Hockney artwork. It’s also worth taking a look at the Congregational Church’s Italian-style architecture, the mausoleum where Titus Salt is buried and the factory school now used by Shipley College, in addition to taking a walk along the nearby canal.
Click here to find out more about Saltaire’s history.
Nearest caravan site: 1.2 miles
Before you set off on your travels this summer, don’t forget to check that your caravan or motorhome insurance is up to date. For a competitive quotation on renewing or taking out a new caravan insurance or motorhome insurance policy, contact Coast’s UK based sales team on Freephone 0800 614 849.