I had seen internationally renowned sculptor Sir Tony Cragg’s work elsewhere including at Yorkshire Sculpture Park where his otherworldly pieces work so well being incorporated in the landscape so I was excited and keen to visit when I heard his work was going to be on show at Castle Howard.   I had managed to get to Castle Howard with clients, but as they had mobility issues I was only able to see the exhibits actually in the house and those sitting right next to the house. Luckily I was invited along by Ammie, Head of Sales and Partnerships to a private evening viewing. I immediately ..read more

Guest blogger Holly Dodd contributes to the Real Yorkshire Blog this week with an interesting article about Yorkshire Universities which will hopefully be of interest to those looking to choose the next step on the educational ladder. There are plenty of reasons to visit Yorkshire. But have you considered going to university there? If you haven’t, you definitely should. Yorkshire is brimming with culture with fantastic study options that cater to a range of interests.   In this article we’ll be going over the choices of University in each region of Yorkshire. We’ll dive into the histo ..read more

Many villages in the Yorkshire Wolds were far more important before the Norman Conquest than they are today. Nunburnholme village is a prime example, where before 1066 the ground where the church now stands to the on the south west edge of the village had been consecrated and it is believed a wood and thatch church served a large busy village. This is very different from today, where Nunburneholme is a small, remote, quiet settlement a few miles from Pocklington.   But Christian worship had been going on much earlier than this, as proved by the Anglo-Viking stone cross discovered on th ..read more

, A friend of mine who lives in York had raved on about Arras for a number of years, so with a tour finishing in York last Friday and my wife having a meeting in the city, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to sample what Arras had to offer at first hand.   After a bit of pre-dinner research, I found out that the restaurant was originally set up in Sydney Australia by Lovaine and Adam Humphreys, a husband and wife team who have been working together since 2001. They moved back to England to start a family and so Arras was reborn in York. Their vision is to create a dining experience ..read more

After arriving in Hull on a Friday evening, as one of the organisers of this year’s Yorkshire Heritage Summit being held the next day, I decided to take a stroll around the city. It was already dark and Hull’s night time economy was in full swing when I arrived at the Victoria Pier.   I immediately saw, the impressive aquarium called The Deep, situated at the confluence of The River Hull and the Humber Estuary. The aquarium was lit up and as I walked closer I was intrigued by a statue standing in front of The Deep.   The statue was a tall 6ft figure sitting upon a plinth, staring ..read more

I’m sure many people have watched the new series of All Creatures Great and Small and seen the beautiful farmstead at the foot of the fells with the famous red post box which plays Helen’s Farm (officially Heston Grange). It is a location that well before the TV series I used to stop and photograph with the juxtaposition of the bright red box standing out vividly against the green of the fellsides and greys of the limestone buildings and dry stone walls.   The location is actually Yockenthwaite Farm, just past Hubberholme in Langstrothdale. I now often stop briefly with guests whilst ..read more

Not a stop I make on every tour in Wensleydale I do, but last week I had a couple who loved gardens so I thought I would treat them to a stop at Aysgarth’s Rock Garden as an extra stop on our Dales Highlights Tour.   It’s easy to miss the Rock Garden on the A684 road between Swinithwaite and Hawes, just past the turning to Aysgarth Falls. There are just some metal railings and a small gate with a few limestone rocks, but don’t be put off it is definitely worth entering and exploring further.   With its weird limestone blocks and alpine plants, you feel like you are stepping ba ..read more

High above Fylingdales Moor at a place called Lilla Howe is one of the most important crosses on the North York Moors if not the whole of England, with a history that dates back to 626.   I had passed the cross years ago on a walk before I became a tour guide and not paid a massive amount of attention to it, but after understanding a bit more about its importance, I set out with my wife to hike to the cross to investigate further.   We parked at the Forestry Commission car park at Old May Beck, before walking through the Foss Plantation and around York Cross Rigg and Widow Howe Mo ..read more

Whilst in Whitby for a few days, we decided on our last night to have a change from pub grub or fish and chips. After googling restaurants in Whitby, I came across an interesting little restaurant called Ditto on Skinner Street, 5 minutes walk from the Whale Bone Arch.   We booked for 6pm and were told that they would need our table back for 8pm. This wasn’t a problem as we just wanted an early tea so we arrived at 6pm on the button to be welcomed as the first there and had the choice of tables. This wasn’t too hard a choice as there appeared to be only about 18 covers.   Having c ..read more

With my tour guiding business, I often have cause to take visitors to the Hepworth Sculpture Gallery in Wakefield.   From the outside car park and from the windows inside, you get a good view of a small gothic building sitting on the bridge across the road over the River Calder. I’d been told this was a chantry chapel many years ago, but thought it would make an interesting blog as it so different from the more modern Hepworth Gallery.   The history behind the building dates back to the mid 1300’s. The Chantry Chapel of St.Mary the Virgin was built by the townspeople of Wakefield w ..read more