Exploring Yorkshire

After barely two weeks back home from Norfolk, I'm off again tomorrow to explore North Yorkshire for two-and-a-half weeks. After a weekend in Leeds with Dave I'm travelling with my friends Dave & Naill on the narrowboat Chelonian, working our way along the Aire & Calder navigation, Selby Canal and River Ouse from Leeds to York (and possibly beyond) and back. Then I'm off to see another part of Britain's east coast, and the seaside resorts of Scarborough and Whitby. Rather different from North Norfolk I expect.

Update: Due to the vast amount of rain we have been having recently, there is now considerable doubt over whether we will be able to navigate on the tidal Ouse from Selby (which is currently flooding 2 metres above normal tide), so it looks likely that we will be going west along the Leeds & Liverpool Canal to Skipton instead (the darker blue route on the map below).

Further update: It seems that the water levels in the River Ouse are still way too high, so we will now be going to Skipton instead of York, which is a bit of a shame as I was quite looking forward to visiting York (which I have only ever been to once, and then only fleetingly). Still, the route up to Skipton is quite nice as I remember from last year, and we will get a chance to see more of the Saltaire World Heritage Site.

Here is the basic itinerary:

• 1 night   Leeds (hotel - £38.27)
• 1 night   Leeds N/B Chelonian (Clarence Dock)
• 7 nights N/B Chelonian (Leeds - York, or Leeds - Skipton, and return)
• 4 nights Scarborough (guest house - £128)
• 5 nights Whitby (guest house - £165)

View Yorkshire 2012 in a larger map

And a few random hopes and expectations (in no particular order, as usual):

• Modern art - Moore, Hepworth, Gormley, Hockney etc.
• Great Indian food at Jaipur in Armley
• Navigating a tidal river
• The chance to see a bit more of York
• Travelling along (still) commercial waterways
• Canalside pubs
• Traditional north east coast seaside resorts
• Staying at B&Bs (for more than a couple of days at a time)
• Fish & Chips
• Cliffs and a dramatic coastline (compared with Norfolk)
• Great coastal walking (weather permitting)
• Travelling on one of England's most spectacular steam railways
• A glimpse of the moors
• The atmosphere of fishing ports
• Evidence of the Vikings

See further posts...