Few places pack in as much history as Yorkshire: ruined abbeys, stately homes, Roman and Viking York, and medieval castles. Our holiday homes put many of the best sites within easy reach, and some of them are historic buildings themselves.
Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal
Just outside Ripon, Fountains Abbey was founded in 1132 and gives a unique glimpse into the lives of Cistercian monks. Together with the Georgian Studley Royal Water Garden, it’s a World Heritage Site. Allow a full day to walk from the abbey through the water garden to the deer park. It’s the perfect day out from our Ripon holiday homes.
Ripon Cathedral
Ripon Cathedral traces its history back to St Wilfrid in 672AD, and his Anglo-Saxon crypt is still open to visitors. Stay right beside it at Cathedral Mews, Cathedral View or Cathedral Stay.
Abbeys of the North York Moors
Rievaulx Abbey sits in a wooded valley near Helmsley, and Whitby Abbey stands high on the cliffs above the harbour. Both are easy to reach from our Sands Farm cottages near Pickering.
Castle Howard
One of England’s grandest stately homes, set in huge landscaped grounds. It makes a good day out from Pickering or Ripon.
York
Walk the city walls, visit York Minster, wander the Shambles and discover the city’s Viking past at the Jorvik Viking Centre. York is an easy day trip by train from Knaresborough.
Castles
From Knaresborough and Pickering to Middleham, Bolton and Scarborough, read our guide to Yorkshire castles near our holiday homes.
Stay somewhere with its own history
- The Little Chantry: a 14th-century Grade II listed cottage on the River Ure in West Tanfield.
- Cathedral View: an apartment in a Grade II listed building beside Ripon Cathedral.
- The Chapel at Sands Farm: a lovingly restored former chapel near Pickering.
- Loft 11: an apartment in a converted 19th-century mill near Pateley Bridge.
