Your country needs you - it's official. The Prime Minister has today urged British holidaymakers to "consider a staycation" as he encouraged us to holiday in the UK. Mr Johnson said,

“There are wonderful attractions in North Yorkshire and across the country, and I am not going to discourage anybody from having a staycation. This is a totally beautiful country. Throughout the United Kingdom, there are fantastic amenities, resorts, beaches, holiday destinations of all kinds, and I thoroughly recommend them.” 

The Staycation

Now that holidaymakers are being ordered to self-isolate after trips abroad, it seems this is the year to discover the hidden gems on our own beautiful island. City dwellers are escaping to the country for cleaner air, peace, tranquillity and magnificent views. 

The beauty of a UK holiday or 'staycation' is that you can get away for short trips, mid-week breaks and long weekends whenever it suits you. It’s better for the environment, not to mention better for your budget. Great Britain has plenty of choices when it comes to the countryside but there’s one place that’s now coming into its own – Yorkshire.

Yorkshire is one of the UK’s most beautiful, and perhaps still largely undiscovered, holiday destinations. This region is full of amazing historic market towns and places of interest surrounded by astonishingly beautiful countryside and the rest of the UK is starting to catch on.

In Yorkshire, many farmers have discovered a new revenue stream from converting unused barns into holiday homes and sharing their beautiful surroundings with holidaymakers looking for a breath of fresh air. And it’s not just converted rustic barns on offer, there is a real variety of rural retreats across the beautiful Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors for every taste and budget, from high-end luxury holiday cottages to fashionable new glamping pods and cosy shepherd’s huts.

Converted Barn, Pickering

The Barn at Rigg End is a perfect example of a characterful traditional Yorkshire barn conversion. This holiday home offers panoramic views across the heart of the Yorkshire Moors. Spacious and charming, with a traditional rustic style, the barn has a private garden with a balcony and terrace to the upper floor for spectacular countryside views. The Barn also has a grazing field available so you can even bring your horse on holiday!

LOG CABIN, Skipton

For a modern and decidedly comfortable camping experience in the Yorkshire Dales, you could stay in a stylish wooden ‘glamping pod’ at Yorkshire Dales Glamping, a 5-star luxury holiday park in a tranquil valley surrounded by beautiful unspoilt scenic landscapes. Glamping is glamorous camping for holidaymakers who want to feel like they are camping out in nature, without having to! Some of the glamping pods are pet-friendly so you can even bring your dog with you.

Converted Farm, Pickering  

From the old milking parlour and the piggery to the granary outhouse, Country Cottages in Yorkshire now offers country cottages and studio rooms in a converted 18th-century farm near the Moors. The holiday homes have high wood-beamed ceilings and are all positioned around a south-facing courtyard in 42 acres of gardens with a children's play area.

Visit Yorkshire 

Yorkshire, or ‘God’s Own Country’, as the locals affectionately call it, is well known for its distinctive Yorkshire tea, traditional Yorkshire puddings, and its notable beers. These are all successful exports, of course, so what brings holidaymakers to Yorkshire? The rugged beauty of the spectacular countryside and its many secrets is certainly a huge draw for visitors from the UK and further afield, and the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors are ideal places to escape the city and relax in nature. If you’re looking for some of the best countryside-walks away from crowds, then Yorkshire should be on your list. 

Scenic spots include the dramatic stepped waterfalls of Aysgarth Falls, sketched by Turner and said to have inspired Wordsworth. Malham Cove, where Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows was filmed, is another just waiting to be discovered. 

One of the best ways to see the countryside is on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, a lovingly restored steam train from 1836, which runs for 18 miles from Pickering to Whitby. It’s the easiest and most relaxing way to reach out-of-the-way beauty spots and makes for an excellent day out.

Active holiday adventures can also be had, with canoeing and kayaking, mountain biking, horse riding and pony trekking. Yorkshire is a great destination for history and culture-lovers with the impressive house and gardens of the 300-year old stately home, Castle Howard and the medieval Gothic York Minster cathedral with its dungeons and old city walls. The North York Moors National Park runs a summer events programme for all ages, and the award-winning Forbidden Corner with its unique labyrinth of tunnels, underground chambers, walled gardens and woodland walks is a great day out for all ages.

Award-winning and Michelin-starred restaurants of note in the region include The Black Swan at Oldstead and The Box Tree in Ilkley. The Queens Arms in Litton is a warm and friendly 16th-century pub with vegan options and excellent reviews. Then there are the traditional English tea rooms, like the family-run Elizabeth Botham’s Tea Rooms and Bakery Shop in Pickering, serving the perfect cup of Yorkshire tea since 1865. These are thriving businesses that largely depend on holidaymakers coming to the area - more so now than ever before.

Whichever way you choose to holiday, if you visit Yorkshire you can be sure of a warm welcome in delightful surroundings, safe too in the knowledge that you’re not only helping the environment by holidaying in the UK but supporting rural villages and the countryside economy.

Discover why you need to walk the Yorkshire Wolds Way and find out more about the future of travel post Covid-19.