Yorkshire and the Humber – Holiday rentals between coast, moors and cultural heritage

Yorkshire and the Humber combines distinctive coastal landscapes, expansive moors, a rich industrial history and exceptional nature experiences. Between the Yorkshire Coast, the Yorkshire Dales and historic places such as York, Saltaire and Fountains Abbey, numerous contrasting facets lie close together.

Nature

The Yorkshire Dales feature heather-covered moorlands, distinctive peaks and small-scale pastures. Ancient glaciers shaped this landscape, which is also rich in fossils. The North York Moors are home to England’s largest area of heather moorland. Another geological feature is Brimham Rocks: huge, bizarrely shaped rock formations were created by a mighty river – 100 million years before the first dinosaurs appeared.

The heather moorland of Brimham Rocks is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). Three regional heather species grow there: ling heather, bell heather and cross-leaved heath. At the RSPB Bempton Cliffs, around half a million seabirds gather between March and August on chalk cliffs above the North Sea. A level path suitable for pushchairs leads to the clifftop.

The Yorkshire Coast also features a distinctive landscape with high cliffs and rocky shores. A clifftop trail stretches for more than 30 miles and follows this section of coast for much of its length.

Paths and water

Many recommended walks in the Yorkshire Dales National Park begin and end at public transport stops. These include connections to the Settle-Carlisle Railway. Waterfalls, rivers and lakes in the national park are popular places for picnicking, paddling and swimming. Kayaking, canoeing, sailing and windsurfing are also practised there.

On the coast, the Cinder Track is a versatile, cycle-friendly route along the former railway line between Scarborough and Whitby. Nature and historic transport infrastructure meet here along a route whose course is closely connected with the former railway line.

Culture and history

Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal combines ancient abbey ruins with an impressive water garden and deer park and is a World Heritage Site. Studley Royal’s deer park is home to 300 wild deer. A circular trail runs along the meandering River Skell over arched bridges.

Saltaire is a complete and well-preserved 19th-century industrial village. The ensemble includes textile mills, public buildings and workers’ housing. The town planning and ideas about social welfare in Saltaire influenced the garden city movement of the 19th century in the United Kingdom and ultimately internationally.

The Yorkshire Sculpture Park displays sculptures outdoors while also managing a 500-acre landscape for nature conservation. In York, the York Castle Museum houses a social history collection reflecting everyday life in the county. Kirkgate, the reconstructed street in the museum, was influential worldwide in museum design. The museum is housed in a former debtors’ prison and an adjoining former women’s prison; both buildings are listed as Grade I buildings.

Wildlife and stories

In South Yorkshire, Yorkshire Wildlife Park offers a walk-through wildlife experience. The park provides more than 150 acres of space for wildlife experiences and includes three special walk-through animal reserves. In Hull, The Deep is an education and conservation charity with an aquarium overlooking the Humber Estuary.

Yorkshire served as a setting for literary classics such as Dracula and Wuthering Heights, as well as a filming location for film and television productions ranging from Downton Abbey to Harry Potter. As a result, the region offers literary and cinematic connections alongside its landscapes and buildings.

Further regional destinations: Filey, Scarborough, Rotherham, Sheffield, Doncaster, Barnsley, Kirklees, Wakefield, Calderdale, East Riding Of Yorkshire, Kingston Upon Hull, Leeds, North Yorkshire, Bradford, York, Stockton On The Forest, West Yorkshire, Penistone, South Yorkshire.

For the overarching travel overview: Great Britain.