Some of the most scenic natural areas and parks in the UK are clustered together just north of Manchester. Our tour of the ‘Big Three’ parks of northern England takes in the Yorkshire Dales, famous for its stone walled landscapes, fine beers and Wensleydale cheese. Then onto the Pennines, synonymous with dramatic waterfalls and rare limestone quarries, and the Lake District which as the name implies, is known globally for its beautiful lakes interspersed with far reaching views and wild hilltops. If the scenery doesn’t take your breath away, the chance to drive some of the UK’s most impressive roads will!
Date: 9th -11th October, 2020
Duration: 2 drives / 2 nights
Meeting point: The Yorkshire Hotel, Prospect Pl, Harrogate, HG1 1LA
Price per car entry: £650
Price includes tour organisation with a guide car, two nights accommodation, welcome drinks on arrival, breakfasts and parking. If you do not require the first night in Harrogate, please deduct £120
Car Type
Sports, performance, supercars and classics are all welcome – the essential ingredient is that you love to drive great roads!
Outline itinerary
9th October – Arrivals into Harrogate
Arrive into the beautiful, historic town of Harrogate and check in to The Yorkshire Hotel at your leisure.
OVERNIGHT: The Yorkshire Hotel, Harrogate, Deluxe Doubles
10th October – Drive 1 – The Yorkshire Dales & Lake District
Today we’ll leave The Yorkshire Hotel after a filling Yorkshire breakfast and move west, experiencing some of the best driving roads the county has to offer and taking in the sights of the Yorkshire Dales. The region offers up a landscape of open heather moors and peatlands, attractive dales and hay meadows, where tumbling upland rivers pass through woodland.
After a loop of the best driving roads, we turn south, then into the heart of the Forest of Bowland, AONB, an area that seemingly time forgot. Lunch is taken on the edge of eth forest at the Mitton Hall Hotel . After lunch, we turn north, heading towards the wonderful Lake District and the Pooley Bridge Boat House at the head of Ullswater. We will continue on, hugging the shores of the lake for its entire length, passing many waterfalls and rivers that make this area so famous. After Ullswater the mountains close in and we take on the impressive Kirkstone Pass before dropping down into Troutbeck Bridge and Lake Windemere, finally reaching Ambleside. For the final part of the drive, we will start by heading away from the lake for a short time and reach the quintessential village of Hawkshead. From here the road takes us briskly towards the forests of High Stott Park before it drops down to Lake Windermere again at Newbry Bridge.
Our final destination for the day is at the north end of the lakes, and the Trout Hotel on the edge of the National Park.
OVERNIGHT: The Trout Hotel, Cockermouth, Superior Executive Rooms
11th October – Drive 2 – Kielder Forest Park and the Pennines
For today’s drive we will start with a run north, crossing the border into Scotland, where we will drive a loop around the Kielder Forest Park, famous for the Kielder Forest Rally, you can be sure of some great drives as we make our way past the tranquil Kielder Water. As we continue now south, we shortly arrive back into England, via Hadrians Wall, and then into the stunning Northern Pennines. Our drive south through the Pennines then includes a visit to the High Force Waterfalls, before a final stretch back through the Yourkshire Dales, finishing at the extreme south of the Park, with late afternoon teas at the Sawley Arms, in the heart of the park, and just to the west of Harrogate where the drive started some 2 days back
For anyone then wanting to stay on that evening, there are a few really nice rooms at the Sawley Arms in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales
Register Your Interest
To register your interest, please complete the form below.
