All Creatures Great and Small Tour of the Yorkshire Dales

This was the only full day tour we booked on this trip, but we are all fans of the show and of National Parks, so this seemed worth the investment of both time and money (it was!). The drive into the park was gorgeous:

We made good time into the park so our guide gave us a photo stop at this farm

Our first real stop was in Askrigg, the town that stands in for Darrowby in the new All Creatures series:

Skeldale House

The Drover's Arms

Town square

Our next stop was to the church where they filmed James and Helen's wedding (and Christmas Eve scenes, I think):

From there, we went to the farm that stands in for the Alderson's place:

After the farm, we drove through the center of the park to its largest town, Howes, for lunch. We made a quick stop at Wensleydale Creamery on the way in and decided to pick up cheese and bread for a little picnic in this cute little town:

After lunch we continued on to Aysgarth Falls where they filmed the fight scene in Robinhood: Prince of Thieves:

Our last stop was Bolton Castle, which has no relationship to the show but was very cool in its own right. The castle still belongs to the Scrope family that built it in 1346 when Richard le Scrope was Lord Chancellor of England for Richard II. It is where Mary, Queen of Scots was housed during her exile and it has been exquisitely preserved by the family :

Mary, Queen of Scots' bedchamber

Her supper and prayer tables

Up on the roof

Kevin wanted proof that he actually climbed up on the roof

The interior of the castle is partially restored, but the ruins were almost as interesting as the restored rooms:

View from the main hall out onto the gardens. You can see one of the raptors from the birds of prey show in the upper pane

View from the gardens

Looking back at the castle

By the time we were done with the castle, it was time to head back to York (and we were all so tired the bus was sooo quiet on the way home!)