Yorkshire is a Champion Place to Visit!

This may sound like a strange thing to say, but Yorkshire smells so good. I’m not talking about the mouthwatering aroma of seaside fish and chips, or the homely smell of roast beef and Yorkshire pudding wafting from pubs. It’s not the sweet scent of hops brewing in old casks of ale, or lavender fields either. I’m talking about the Yorkshire air!

There is an ‘ozoney’ fresh quality about the air, especially on the Moors and the Dales, where it often blows, and always has a heady effect. It casts spells on unsuspecting walkers!

I wish I were from Yorkshire, because I love the people’s sense of belonging and pride. They even have a special day set aside (August 1st) to celebrate the fact that they are from Yorkshire! God’s Own County is indeed a special place.

I have visited it many times and have always felt wrapped in warm hospitality. It’s a county full of folk tales and people with a great sense of humour. It’s very difficult to talk about it and not use clichés!

A survey from 2011 showed that Yorkshire people, or Tykes, were the happiest in Britain!

Yorkshire has many great things to do and is a perfect place to spend time if you are in the UK. In fact you will be spoilt for choice.

If you love the great outdoors then Yorkshire is for you. It is the biggest county in England, 6,000 square miles, and there are three national parks to explore, with breathtaking scenery. But the landscape can be bleak and foreboding when the weather closes in, so be prepared. It has the Pennines, the North Yorkshire Moors, the Wolds, and the Dales. The east coast has spectacular views, and award-winning beaches.

If you are not a driver, then the North Yorkshire Moors Railway has a steam train that will take you over 28 kms of beautiful scenery. A great trip!

Yorkshire has many man made attractions for visitors too, including wonderfully lush gardens, castles, ruins, stately homes, and lots of very interesting industrial heritage museums. The Elsecar Heritage Centre is set in former ironworks and colliery workshops. The National Coal Mining Museum for England takes you 140 meters underground! Yorkshire was at the centre of the industrial revolution in England.

Its characteristic seaside resorts are charming too. One of my favourite seaside towns is Scarborough, with its South Cliff Lift that opened way back in 1875, and its very English atmosphere. Here’s a short video of the lift:

Then there’s York, arguably Britain’s greatest medieval city. It has one of the world’s most beautiful gothic cathedrals, a very well preserved castle, and amazing medieval city walls. For those looking for something more up to date there’s the fascinating National Railway Museum that shows the history of railways in Britain, and has many famous engines like the Mallard.

The video below is a bit old but very charming and shows how interesting a trip to York is.

If you are with your family, then don’t miss ‘The Forbidden Corner’ in Middleham. It is a quirky, weird and wonderful garden that leads you into a world of make believe, with statues, and tunnels, and all sorts going on. The video below will give you a taste of what it’s like.

Yorkshire was voted the top European destination of 2013 at the world travel awards. But, I must warn you that it does not all smell of ‘ozone’, as it has its fair share of problems too. For example, people love to drink heavily, and so it has the most cases of drink driving offences in the UK. Furthermore, it would be wise to do some research before setting off, as some towns are not quite as quaint as York, especially after chucking out time!!

So back to the air, the brass bands thrive on it, and flat caps are still worn because of it, and once you’ve breathed it in you’ll want to return to Yorkshire again and again!

If you’re looking for a great company to help you with a walking or cycling holiday then I strongly recommend Macs Adventure.

        

Here’s a link to an article about teaching English abroad

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Giovanna Sanguinetti has been a teacher for many years and loves teaching dyslexic children. She is a qualified and experienced teacher of drama and theatre arts too. Her big love is theatre directing. She lives in London and is currently embarking on a very exciting project home educating her son through his exams years of school. While she does this she will continue writing online about education. Giovanna also loves adventure travel and is passionate about responsible and sustainable travel. She enjoys writing about this and has her own brand-new website. She is also the Travel Feature Editor on Tastes Magazine.