Tomorrow swmbo ,myself and our new best friend,the Illness our 2013 vRS ,take our first holiday up to The Yorkshire Dales from North Kent coast.On Tuesday we plan to drive from Kettlewell,our base, to York and then on to Whitby returning the same day.By the map there's an obvious route but can any one with local knowledge offer us a route that's more picturesque and pleasurable for the Illness to stretch her metaphorical legs please ?

Kettlewell - Grassington - Bolton Abbey - Bolton Bridge on the B6160 then onto the A59 across to York. Then head for the A64 to Malton and just after that the A169 to Pickering and on to the A171 into Whitby. You could divert slightly earlier off the A169 to the B1410 alongside the River Esk to Ruswarp and then take your pick from there to Whitby.

 

Heading back from Whitby get on the A171 and stay on there until just past Skaling Reservoir and take the minor road left signposted Danby (station), Castleton, Hutton-le-Hole http://tinyurl.com/q2t34f2  Follow that road through Danby and Castleton which will take you back across the Moors on Blakey Road on to Hutton-le-Hole and on to join the A170. From there head to Thirsk then take the A61 to Ripon. Pick up the B6265 going though Ripon, Pateley Bridge, Hebden & Grassington and you'll be back on the B6160 at Threshfield.

 

I did most of this run earlier in the year and there's some fantastic sections of driving road, as well as all that scenery. Enjoy your new vRS

+1 for above.

To make it slightly more interesting..Why not do a loop

From Kettlewell, through Buckden up to Ougtershaw and up the hill to Hawes in Wensleydale, then Leyburn and back to Kettlewell before you do Martin's route

Upper Wharfedale is simply stunning,,Well worth the extra miles

To make it slightly more interesting..Why not do a loop

From Kettlewell, through Buckden up to Ougtershaw and up the hill to Hawes in Wensleydale, then Leyburn and back to Kettlewell before you do Martin's route

Upper Wharfedale is simply stunning,,Well worth the extra miles

It depends how long he has in Kettlewell - there's loads around there! This is a great extra though - did it plus more on the same day as doing the main route above.

 

Don't forget to call in to the trout farm at Kilnsey for some pink fish & chips

Thank you for your input and all suggestions.

We are in Kettlewell for the week and I look forward to using the routes mentioned. 

The only "miss" will be the pink fish  for my self,being a vegetarian,the swmbo may be tempted while chips while "up north" are never to be missed. 

 

 

Just arrived in Kettlewell having completed the York Whitby Kettlewell journey of the above.Apart from the audacity of others choosing to use the roads at the same time as us 75% of the journey was great and the remainder frustrating!

Thanks again for the route and the loop will be attempted in the next few days.  

Back safe and sound having seen so many Vrs's in many guises around Knaresborough area over the last few days.The Illness has performed very well and the economy has been very much the better side of forty for most of the trip..excluding the return journey,as ever,when we dipped to just below forty,the price of eighty mph whenever possible! The only one issue I have is that perhaps Candy White is'nt the best colour for a compulsive car washer such as myself whilst in a strange land.

1447.8 miles of bliss in five days.

Welcome home

You can now see why its called "God's Own County"

Sounds like you had a good trip! Did you get any photos along the way? Post them up

Thanks ChrisRs,I used to visit relatives in my mid-teens in Northallerton but it was only a few years ago with kids at Uni/working that I introduced my wife to the beauty of the Dales and the Moors national parks. She has fallen in love with these areas completely.We have always been Mousey Thompson fans and visiting buildings with his work in form a day every year,This year we went to Kilburn followed by a trip to a church outside Doncaster where there are 26 mice carved within and we found them all

When I figure out how to do it I will put some pictures up.

Welcome home

You can now see why its called "God's Own County"

I thought that was Lancashire! :no:

 

Just as I thought I was being clever the quote function put 10 quote boxes in so I have had to delete 9 of them!

Serves you right...LOL