As part of our Green Traveller's Guide to the Howardian Hills, Paul Bloomfield picks out a selection of B&Bs, hotels, self-catering and camping in this wonderful Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the north of England, between the Yorkshire Wolds, the North York Moors National Park and the Vale of York.
From a converted train station, where steam trains still occasionally chug past to Britain’s most northerly commercial vineyard, you can choose to stay in some unique and characterful accommodation to suit a range of budgets and styles.
There are quiet campsites around lakes and woodland and others with crazy golf and entertainment, self-catering cottages that are basic but homely and others that feature in the pages of interiors’ magazines, and B&Bs on working farms where you can muck-in with the animals.
There are also others in pampered surrounds of drapes and swags; hotels where you’ll bump into the local party crowd or bell tents and wooden eco-pods where a sing-song round a campfire is the night’s entertainment.
Google map: shows the location and details of all the places to stay, local food and drink, nearby visitor attractions and activities in our Green Traveller's Guide to the Howardian Hills:
Green = Places to stay Blue = Local food & drink Yellow = Attractions Purple = Activities
Places to stay in the Howardian Hills
Carr House Farm, North Yorkshire, England
If you love dogs but don’t have one, Anna and Jack will lend you a friendly hound to take walkies. As well as running this BBC Countryfile-recommended award-winning B&B in a 16th century farmhouse, the owners breed and train Labradors. carrhousefarm.co.uk
Newburgh Guest House, Yorkshire, England
Behind a topiary hedge, next to a man-made lake and with manicured gardens, this long Georgian stone house has an air of sophisticated orderliness. There are book-lined walls, antiques and a real fire in a red dining room. newburghhouse.com
Dutch House, North Yorkshire, England
A dynamic Dutch couple run Dutch House, which combines wildlife garden, courtyard café, child-friendly art workshop and shop with a one-bedroom B&B in its own separate traditional farm cottage. The bedroom is spacious and light, with quirky touches. dutchhouseyorkshire.com
Shallowdale House, Yorkshire, England
With exquisite gardens, sublime views, light-filled rooms where everything’s just-so and sumptuous breakfasts, owners Phillip Gill and Anton van der Horst have won many plaudits for their three-bedroom B&B in Ampleforth. shallowdalehouse.co.uk
The Fairfax Arms, Yorkshire, England
With its oak bar and wooden beams, open fire and streamside garden, this is an inn replete with traditional village charm but that doesn’t mean it’s lacking in fun. Expect homemade biscuits, filter coffee and Taylor’s of Harrogate tea in all rooms. thefairfaxarms.co.uk
Worsley Arms Hotel, Yorkshire England
You may have to nip across the road to get to breakfast, but this characterful Georgian hotel, with 11 bedrooms in its main building and nine more in a row of restored cottages across the village green, is one of the prettiest hotels near York. worsleyarms.co.uk
The Dovecote Barns, York, England
A five-star holiday cottage near York with six en-suite bedrooms (king size beds), individually designed bathrooms and a private garden, perfect for dining al fresco. Short breaks and group dining for 12 guests are available year round. dovecotebarnsyork.co.uk
Nunnington Cottages, Yorkshire, England
Egyptian cotton sheets, down duvets, brass beds, oak floorboards, wood-burning stoves, squidgy sofas and details fit for interiors’ photo-shoots, make these two 18th century cottages a cut above the rest. nunningtoncottages.co.uk
Sunset Cottages, Yorkshire, England
The views from the six self-catering cottages on a 175-acre farm outside the village of Gilling East, will make a city-dweller weep: rolling wooded hills of pasture and, in the foreground, colourful herbaceous borders of the farmhouse gardens. sunsetcottages.co.uk
Warren House Farm, Yorkshire, England
Surrounded by fields of horses and sheep, these three self-catering cottages, sleeping four or five, date from the 18th century. Exposed stonework and beams meet frills and easy-clean lino. Each has a lovely enclosed garden, patio and extensive views. warrenhousefarm.com
The Hideaway at Baxby Manor, Yorkshire, England
If you appreciate the quiet life and would rather listen to the dawn chorus from your tent than stay in a caravan hooked up to electricity and play crazy golf, this small, off-the-beaten track campsite is for you. thehideawayatbaxbymanor.co.uk
For information on local food and drink, nearby visitor attractions and activities, see our
