Christmas in Yorkshire

Travel through the Yorkshire countryside and check into your hotel* in rural Leeds. You’ll be free to relax in the hotel’s spa and pool facilities this afternoon, and perhaps even indulge in a treatment or two, all of which are payable locally, before meeting your fellow guests for a three-course meal in the hotel’s restaurant.  *Check in time is from 3pm.

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel’s restaurant before boarding your coach for today’s excursion. Moving north, the tour’s first stop today will be the grand Harewood House, one of the ten treasure houses of the UK. Built in the 18th century, this stately home was originally built for a West Indian trader. Adorned in festive decoration, the theme of which will be revealed later in the year as Christmastime approaches, Harewood offers the perfect setting to begin your Christmas celebration. Explore the house’s expansive gardens and decadent chambers alongside your friendly tour manager and discover Harewood’s rich history. For the art afficionados amongst the group, Harewood’s galleries are certainly worth paying a visit.  Stepping outside, you’ll encounter a frozen wonderland in the house’s hundred-acre grounds dressed for the festive occasion. You’ll have free reign to explore the tranquil gorges and Buddhist stupa of Harewood’s Himalayan Garden, as well as the house’s meticulously crafted terrace, where you can find a café, a tearoom, and street vendors offering festive fare. If you have the chance, be sure to also visit the frosted waterfront at Harewood’s Lakeside Garden.  Your second stop of the day will be a short drive away further north to the renowned spa town, Harrogate, where you’ll be free to explore at your own leisure. Known as the happiest place in the UK, Harrogate is the perfect place to usher in Christmas amongst the Victorian shopfronts of ‘The English Spa’. The town, so named because of the mineral springs which drew wealth and tourism to the area in the Georgian era, is also renowned for its natural beauty.  Known for its vast open spaces, one of Harrogate’s most attractive areas is the Stray. This 200-acre stretch of grassland, home to its famous rows of cherry trees, offers a picturesque escape from the town’s busier streets. Be sure to also visit the town’s Crescent Gardens, which will be rife with festive cheer; whether it’s the wide array of seasonal street food that entices you or the square’s nostalgic fairground attractions, Harrogate’s Christmas at Crescent Gardens is sure to raise your spirits ahead of the big day. Now suitably primed for Christmas Day, you’ll travel back to your hotel for a 'Bucks Fizz’ reception and three-course dinner complete with festive entertainment.

Spend Christmas morning at your own pace with breakfast waiting for you. You’ll be free this morning to do as you wish, whether that means making the most of the hotel’s spa facilities of taking a stroll around the local area.  In the afternoon, join the other guests for a ‘Bucks Fizz’ reception and canapes ahead of a special Christmas lunch. You’ll then be free for the rest of the day to take it easy.  This evening, sit down to a buffet dinner, complete with in-house entertainment.

Your fourth day will take you to Yorkshire’s oldest city, York. Get ready for the day with breakfast before making the short coach journey. Once you’ve arrived, enjoy a guided tour of the city’s most iconic sights, including York Castle and its regal Museum Gardens, and the city’s ancient walls and Walmgate Bar, which is the only town gate in England to retain its original wooden doors. Keep an eye out for the Merchant Adventurers Hall, which holds the record for the largest timber frame structure in the UK still used for its original purpose.  You’ll then have free reign of the city for the rest of the day. Explore the winding streets and overhanging jettied buildings of the Shambles, a famed 13thcentury street enclosed by picturesque shopfronts. With an eclectic variety of traditional retailers selling artisanal goods to its more metropolitan shops and cafés, the Shambles offer a magical festive experience to cap your Christmas celebrations.  While walking York’s winding streets, pay homage to the imposing York Minster, the largest Gothic church north of the Alps. Set in the very centre of York, this grand cathedral celebrates the diverse history of the city in an entirely unique way. From displaying mistletoe on its altar, making it the only church to do so as it maintains its connection to the region’s long-held pagan traditions, to memorialising the city’s Roman origins with its Statue of Constantine, York Minster is a must-see for its unique heritage.   Having finished enjoying York’s medieval charm, board your coach back to the hotel, where you’ll be served Prosecco and light nibbles before the last dinner, a three-course meal.

Well-rested and refreshed, you can enjoy your final breakfast then bid your festive Yorkshire escape farewell.  Check out of the hotel by 11am as you make your own way back home.