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Why we love glamping in Yorkshire

Go glamping in Yorkshire and you’ll come to love this lush green county as much as the locals do, with its stunning scenery, towns steeped in industrial heritage, rugged moorland, and rolling valleys. The Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors offer endless adventure to hikers and bikers, York makes a great base for exploration and the East Coast gives you a taste of the classic British seaside. Here are a few ideas to get you planning a visit to God’s own country.

Walks

If you're glamping in the Yorkshire Dales, the circular walk from Malham to Gordale Scar, via Janet’s Foss, takes in many of the area’s natural wonders, like Malham Cove, once the site of a waterfall higher than Niagara Falls. Further south, Haworth is the start point for The Bronte Waterfall Walk, and easy 3.6-mille loop named for the village's most famous residents.

Trainspotters glamping in North Yorkshire will love the Ribblehead Viaduct Walk which, at just four miles, won’t burst any blisters. The five-mile walk around Langsett Reservoir in South Yorkshire combines peaceful woodland with open moorland, although be warned it’s pretty steep in places. Finally, Ilkley Moor in West Yorkshire, home to the imposing Cow and Calf rocks, is well known as the inspiration for the Yorkshire county anthem ‘On Ilkla Moor Baht ‘at’. A ramble on this rugged moorland, dotted with bleating sheep, is an absolute must when you go glamping in Yorkshire and in the summer months you can finish with a dip in the town Lido.

Annual events

There's always something going on that'll add a bit of local colour to your time glamping in Yorkshire. The Whitby Northern Soul Weekender, held at the historic seaside town’s pretty pavilion, features some of the North’s best loved Northern Soul and Motown DJs. Then there’s the iconic Great Yorkshire Show, a world famous annual agricultural event featuring livestock, rural pursuits, and an enormous food festival, where everything from ice-cream to Yorkshire Pudding can be sampled, maybe even together. If you're a foodie but not around the for the above, then The Yorkshire Dales Food & Drink Festival is a great reason to go glamping in Yorkshire. Held annually in the picturesque market town of Skipton, visitors will enjoy live music, fantastic food and drink, talks, workshops, and more.

For music-lovers, Underneath the Stars is a family friendly music festival held at Cawthorne, near Barnsley and, last but not least, Yorkshire Balloon Fiesta welcomes over 35,000 annual visitors to York Racecourse for a wonderful spectacle where over 50 colourful hot air balloons take to the skies together alongside a dazzling giant firework, laser, and drone show. The event also features a huge funfair, live music, and lots of food, drink, and games to keep the kids entertained.

Places to eat

Yorkshire Pudding, Yorkshire Parkin, a buttered fat rascal*... there are plenty of local specialties to try when glamping in Yorkshire gets your appetite going, with sophisticated Michelin starred fine dining sitting alongside beautiful baking, Sunday roasts to remember and some beautiful beer. YO Bakehouse in Malton is one among many great places in the foodie town where you can sit in and enjoy a delicious meal or stock up for a picnic. If you fancy something fancy, the Black Swan at Oldstead is a Michelin-starred, 4 AA Rosette restaurant with dishes made from fresh produce that the team grow and forage themselves. The tasting menu is a little pricier than grabbing a sausage roll at the local bakery, but well worth the investment.

Sister restaurant Roots is also the proud holder of a Michelin star and offers a relaxed tasting menu in the heart of historic York. Set in a characterful nineteenth century building, produce is home grown on the owner’s estate. Some dishes are nostalgic, and some ultra modern. All are delicious. Last but not least, Yorkshire is known for its amazing roast dinners, with the Yorkshire Pudding as the star attraction. When you’re glamping in Yorkshire, you'll probably never be far from a pub that serves a special one. Ask around for the best place nearby and get ready for a real treat.

*it's a sort of rock cake or scone

Arts and culture

Founded in 1132, Fountains Abbey is the largest ruined monastery in the UK. Step back in time and imagine what life would have been like for the Benedictine monks who first came here all those years ago, then take a stroll around the World Heritage site’s 18th century water gardens with their moon-shaped ponds, mirrored lakes, and formal hedges.

For art lovers glamping in Yorkshire, The Henry Moore Institute in Leeds has three galleries that play host to an ever-changing range of world-class exhibitions. Straddling the river Calder in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, the Hepworth Museum is an award-winning art space, named after the renowned local artist, that delivers a world-class selection of international and modern contemporary art. Since the 7th century, Gothic masterpiece York Minster has been at the centre of Christianity in the north of England. A gothic masterpiece, this impressive space is one of the largest of its kind in Europe - well worth a visit when glamping in Yorkshire, not least for its Great East Window, which boasts the largest expanse of medieval stained glass in the world. You should also keep an eye out for regular fairs and markets supporting local artists and makers throughout the year.

Glamping in Yorkshire with Canopy & Stars

What is glamping?

Glamping (it comes from "glamorous camping") is a fun and environmentally sound way to holiday in the UK, with fun, quirky spaces that help you get closer to nature, without sacrificing your creature comforts. Glamping in Yorkshire with Canopy & Stars allows you to immerse yourself in a wild location, in a unique space personally inspected by a member of our team.

What can I expect from Glamping?

From timber cabins and gypsy caravans to spacious family lodge tents, and even a two-storey wooden castle (this one has to be seen to be believed) our range of glamping spaces in Yorkshire is wide, wild, and wonderful. Each site has its own quirks that make it truly memorable, from hot tubs and al fresco dining areas to water flowing underneath, and windows wrapping around an entire building - a location so special that it’s been featured on George Clarke’s amazing spaces, on Channel 4.

Why book with Canopy & Stars

Whether you’re glamping in Yorkshire or another one of our popular locations, our eclectic spaces provide a base for you to enjoy and explore some of the UK’s finest countryside. We pick our locations and accommodation with loving care, personally inspecting to ensure that each one is truly special and provides you with the experience you're looking for. We're part employee owned and have established a charitable trust that use its share of profits to support climate change projects.

About Canopy & Stars

Canopy & Stars is a small, independent travel company based in the UK and run by a select team, all of whom own a stake in the business. Everyone works together to ensure that our customers, accommodations owners, suppliers, and staff feel valued and included in all that we do. Our charitable trust allows us to work with environmental projects around the world, and we’re currently partnering with TreeSisters on an ambitious planting project.

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