Yorkshire Dales from Van Buren

It was an amazing tour, and Andy is really knowledgeable about the area. He made the tour really fun.

Guided Tour - May 2026 Getting started We had used the opportunity for a pick-up at the hotel. The coach came in on time. We were also the last pick-up. So the tour literally started from our door step. Derek was the driver-cum-guide for this tour. He was very knowledgeable and had a good sense of humor. He was happy to take questions on the bus. I don't think the volume control in the coach worked well enough - so we would miss a few things he was commenting about, especially in the last leg of our trip back to Windermere. The tour Thanks to a lot of road blocks, the trip had to take a different route, and even re-organize the way it went. Derek was fully aware of all the back roads so that made it easy. We actually started with the Wensleydale creamery. We got a great opportunity to taste the various types of cheese. They were definitely yum! We saw them actually cutting and packing the cheese in the cold room - where we did the tasting. Unfortunately, all of us in the tour came from different parts of the world - so we could not buy any cheese to take home - as it needed refrigeration. It was interesting to hear how castles were built and left to ruin due to lack of funds - Bolton castle was a wonderful example of that. There was an interesting story about how the farmers would manage to keep the sheep that were unsold in a small shaft like place (i forget the term Derek used) to retrieve it safely the following day. Some very good views of the valleys. Beyond sheep you could see cows here and hence the creamery I guess! Some nice views of the water falls. The weather was a bit of hit and miss. The wind gusts were severe at a couple of places we stopped. That was an experience too... Our final stop at Grassington - we had an opportunity to see the filming of the British TV serial - All Creatures Great and Small! This happened - as if it would help complete our experience of England!! Overall This is definitely a tour worth doing to complete your experience of the various landscapes and nature of England. We were fine with the duration, however this trip had the most time on the coach rather than on your feet. However if I had limited time I would choose Lake District tour and South Downs & Seven Cliffs over this. Also this trip operates only one day a week. So, it does take a bit of planning. I would have loved to give 4.5 Star rating... no fractions possible. Thank you Derek for a great job and managing the road blockage challenges very well.

John was fabulous! Tremendous knowledge and very very friendly.

This tour was a highlight of our visit to York. John our guide was extremely knowledgeable about the history (2,000 years worth!) people and landscape of the area. We found him warm and friendly and his driving very safe. The stops are lovely and do not feel rushed. He pointed out the landmark buildings and areas used in the series All Creatures Great and Small, which was one focus of the tour. Highly recommended and a special thanks to our guide John for an incredible day in the Yorkshire Dales!

It was a wonderful day, even though the weather was quite awful, our guide John made it very interesting and entertaining. Our tour was the Yorkshire moors and then to Whitby. We saw some amazing sights and John point out and educated us on so many things. If we had driven it ourselves we would have missed so much. We even got to ride a vintage train into Whitby and this was the highlight for my Dad. The bus was very comfortable with nice big windows. All in all it was money well spent. Thank you :-)

Oh my, what a great day we had. Mark, our driver and guide entertained us thru the most beautiful places in the world in the Yorkshire Dales. Polite, helpful, knowledgeable, entertaining— he made certain we saw what we came to see and explained all the geography , history and all in detail with enthusiasm and a level of professionalism you rarely see. Go anywhere on any tour with these folks.

We were given a great tour . A great overview of some of the Dales. The driver , Ben A , was very knowledgeable and kept us entertained for the whole 9-10 hours. Great value for money. A great day out , even better when someone else driving. Thanks Ben A

An excellent day trip of Yorkshire dales thoroughly enjoyed. Our guide Mark was brilliant so knowledgeable

Out tour guide was very knowledgeable about the Yorkshire Dalea and catered the day to our interests. He showed us many sights we wouldn't have known were there. We lived learning about the history of the region.

First, visiting the Dales is a must. If one does not have a vehicle, this trip really fills the bill. The beauty and views are endless. Dave A. was a fine and cautious driver, but an even better reconteur of all things Dales (and Lake District). The numerous view and comfort stops were well timed, and the castle and creamery visits added interest and flavor to the tour.