What's on inYorkshire

Perhaps no region better defines the north of England than Yorkshire. Tough, reserved and fiercely proud this is an English county like no otherso independent it often feels like a different country.Called Gods Own Country by the locals it is also heartbreakingly beautiful, packed with brooding hills and dramatic cliffs, desolate moors and hundreds of miles of stunning walking, riding and cycling trails. It is also a huge region that has, in recent years been split into four countiesSouth Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, North Yorkshire and East Riding of Yorkshire.

There are so many attractions, particularly historical, in Yorkshire that it is hard to know where to start, but any itinerary would have to include the medieval city of York, a city of quite incredible historical and cultural wealth made up of winding, narrow streets and 13th century walls, with possible the worlds most beautiful gothic cathedral at its heart.

York Cathedral is simply awe-inspiring, and no trip to Yorkshire, or indeed around the UK would be complete without experiencing York minster. Nearby highlights include St Williams College, the Treasurers House and Bootham Bar and Monk Bar Gates. York also has the superb York Castle Museum and the surprisingly good National Railway Museum.

For more history head out into Yorkshire and try Kirkstall Abbey, a 12th century Cistercian Abbey located in picturesque parklands alongside the River Aire or in Leeds check out the abbey gatehouses and the Abbey House Museum with reconstructed Victorian shops, or the lovely estate of Temple Newsam House with its massive gardens and rare breeds farm. Also worth a look are Leeds Museum and the Armley Mills Industrial Museum exploring what used to be the worlds largest wool mill and Leeds industrial heritage; as well ashundreds of great houses and parks across Yorkshire, from Bramham Park to Lotherton Hall, Harewood House to the National Coal Mining Museum near Wakefield.

For more colour, Leeds Art Gallery grows in stature every year, as does the music and arts scene of this ever-changing city; Leeds now offers some of the UKs best nightspots from Millenium Square to the Northern Quarter to the more alternative atmosphere of the Briggate and North Street Areas.

Lastly of course, Yorkshire does scenery like no other region, from the high moorland and green valleys of Yorkshire Dales National Park (not forgetting the extravagant houses, stone walls, steep hills and old ruins) to the Yorkshire Peak District and from the dramatic Yorkshire Moors to the Yorkshire coast and resort towns like Whitby, the Yorkshire landscape offers variety and thrills like no other. Absolutely thrilling, and not to be missed.