Overview

Another new tour for 2024 is to the Beautiful Yorkshire Dales and includes a great hotel and train rides on the Keighley & Worth Railway and the famous Settle to Carlisle Railway. We also include a relaxing canal cruise with a cream tea.

Your Accommodation:

The 3 star Craiglands is located on the outskirts of Ilkley and set in 6 acres of landscaped gardens. This grand Victorian hotel is timeless in appearance yet full of the mod cons you need for a wonderful stay. All bedrooms are ensuite and have TV and tea/coffee making facilities. Public rooms include a relaxing Bar, lounge and noted restaurant. A leisure facility offers spa pool and gym and a lift serves all floors.

Your Itinerary:

We join our Club Class coach for the drive north to Yorkshire and famed Ilkley, arriving at the Craiglands Hotel late afternoon for a welcoming tea/coffee.

Our first visit of the day is to Grassington with a bustling cobbled market square set against a backdrop of the beautiful dales Our next stop is delightful Skipton. We can browse the famous weekly market, enjoy lunch and explore the town at our own pace. This afternoon we embark on a leisurely 2 hour return canal cruise along the beautiful Leeds Liverpool Canal, complete with commentary and cream scones and tea on board. We return to our hotel with time to stroll into the pretty, traditional spa town of Ilkley.

This morning we embark on a circular scenic drive, taking in the wonders of West Yorkshire’s most famous villages. Our first stop is pretty Hebden Bridge in the Upper Calder Valley, a filming location for the popular Happy Valley TV series. Here we have the chance to wander the bohemian streets before traveling on to Keighley via picturesque Haworth, home of the famous Bronte sisters, and an undisputed literary mecca. In the afternoon we enjoy a one-way journey through Bronte country on the Keighley & Worth Valley railway. We return to the hotel late afternoon.

Today, we enjoy a spectacular return journey on the famous Settle to Carlisle Railway, one of the most scenic and impressive railways in the UK. We begin in Skipton settling down to enjoy a journey which carves its way through the magnificent landscape of the Yorkshire Dales before descending to Cumbria’s lush green Eden Valley with views of the Pennines and Lakeland Fells. We travel through 72 miles of unspoilt countryside, through 14 tunnels and over 20 viaducts, including the famous Ribblehead Viaduct. We arrive in Carlisle at lunchtime and have free time here before we board our train again to enjoy the spectacular views once more on our return journey.

Our homeward journey takes us through the scenic countryside of the Peak District to arrive in our home area late afterrnoon

Insurance Premiums are renewed from 1st January 2024.