Art, History and Literature in Northern England

Welcome to Manchester

Welcome to Manchester. Arrive at leisure and make your own way to your hotel.

In the evening, welcome champagne reception and gala dinner

Leave the big city behind and visit Harewood House on your way to Grantley House in Yorkshire

Harewood House in Yorkshire, home of the Lascelles family, is one of the foremost historic homes in the country. sitting in the heart of Yorkshire it is one of the Treasure Houses of England. The House was built in the 18th century and has art collections to rival the finest in Britain.

Enjoy a private themed tour of the extraordinary House with a very experienced and knowledgeable House guide.

Exhibitions of contemporary art and over 100 acres of exquisite gardens to explore.

Owned by David and Diane Lascelles, Earl and Countess of Harewood, the Harewood Estate manages the countryside surrounding Harewood House. It has a nationally recognised conservation programme with particular emphasis on the restoration of historic buildings ranging from Home Farm to Harewood Castle, as well as the protection and development of wildlife habitats and the maintenance of Listed parkland.

York - a vibrant city with Roman roots and a Viking past

Small and mighty York is the medieval walled city that really packs a punch. Its backdrop of cobbled lanes, winding ‘Snickelways’ and even a shopping street that dates back to the Domesday Book, mean this compact city is packed with stuff to see.

Check out the impressive 2,000-year-old Gothic halls of its cathedral, or the ridiculously pretty 13th century timbered streets of The Shambles, walk around the the longest town walls in England and explore York galleries & artistic scene.

Castle Howard - the private residence of the Howard family for more than 300 years

Castle Howard is a stately home in North Yorkshire, set in the Howardian Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The property is still a private residence and has been home of the Carlisle branch of the Howard family for more than 300 years. Castle Howard was commissioned by the 3rd Earl of Carlisle in 1699 and took over 100 years to complete.

Successive generations have welcomed visitors to the House and it was first opened to the public by George Howard in 1952. Visitors can expect dramatic interiors and world-renowned art collections inside the House, which is also the filming location for Bridgerton and Brideshead Revisited.

A glass of something sparkly and canapés as a welcome gesture will be offered on arrival
After refreshments, you will have a chance to learn more about The Cultural History of local artisan Gin Distillery production, followed by tasting three of their finest gins, including Castle Howard Dry Gin
Following the Gin tasting, you will have a relaxed, delicious two-course lunch, which will be served in a beautiful Grecian Hall
To finish the day at Castle Howard, enjoy an exclusive private tour led by an expert House guide.

The castle owns an extraordinary collection of art and antiquities that will be showcased during the tour.

Yorkshire Dales and Ambleside - galleries and artists studios

The Yorkshire Dales is home to outstanding scenery, great castles, abbeys and a breathtakingly peaceful atmosphere. At its heart are two very special protected areas of outstanding natural beauty. Drive around wild heather moorland and valleys full of hay meadows, dry stwinone walls and barns, the pretty villages and small towns each with their own charm and character. Visit quaint town of Sedbergh, England’s official Book Town.

The Old School Muker Art Gallery & Craft Centre is the largest art gallery & craft centre operating within the Yorkshire Dales National Park in North Yorkshire, showcasing a diverse and extensive range of work from over 50 independent artists and makers, all of whom share our passion for the iconic Dales landscape and wildlife that surrounds us in Upper Swaledale.

Yore Mill Craft Shop and Gallery Located in the former Mill building at Aysgarth Falls Yore Mill Craft Shop and Gallery opened in July 2021. Its gallery looks out over the Upper Falls and it is unlikely that there are many finer views out of a gallery window in Yorkshire or beyond. The Craft Shop and Gallery includes works by artists and makers from across Yorkshire and the North of England and a selection of items by independent makers from across the UK. The Falls have attracted the famous over the centuries, Wordsworth honeymooned here, Turner painted here and more recently of course was the film location for Robin Hood Prince of Thieves (1991) and Wuthering Heights (1992).

The Old Courthouse Gallery in Ambleside is a family-owned independent art gallery with a long history of displaying superb contemporary arts.

“Art is not only a pillar of the Leeu Collection, it is a passion and as important as food, wine, or sense of place. It enhances the aesthetic component that guests expect when booking into a five-star destination property.” – Analjit Singh, founder of the Leeu Collection

Day of Beatrix Potter, William Wordsworth and Turner in the Lake District

There’s an impressive list of radical thinkers and artistic pioneers who found inspiration at the Lake District – William Wordsworth, Beatrix Potter, J.M.W Turner, John Ruskin, Kurt Schwitters, Josefina de Vasconcellos and Andy Goldsworthy. Walk in their footsteps, visit their homes and explore the rich creative life built on their exceptional heritage.

As well as museums and heritage centres there are scores of galleries, exhibitions and artists’ studios; there’s artworks in the mountains and forests; a packed, year-round programme of live theatre performances, independent cinemas and festivals celebrating all manner of creative endeavours, from music to local craft.

Visit the Beatrix Potter house and some of the Lake District’s prettiest locations. Travel through idyllic countryside to Hill Top, the Beatrix Potter home where the beloved children’s author lived during the early 1900s. See the garden and rooms left as she would have known them and learn about her life here.

Visit to the quaint village of Hawkshead, where poet William Wordsworth attended school; and Dove Cottage & Wordsworth Museum where you will find original works by major artists such as John Constable and J.M.W. Turner.

Brantwood, the historic home of John Ruskin

Brantwood is a historic house located on the eastern shore of Coniston Water in the Lake District. It was the former home of John Ruskin, a famous Victorian writer, artist, and social reformer, and is now open to the public as a museum, showcasing Ruskin’s life and work.

Arrive in style

Brantwood’s gardens stretch as far as the lake shore, to the harbour Ruskin built, from which you can catch a Steam Yacht Gondola. This has to be one of the best ways to arrive at Brantwood.

Float back in time and enjoy Coniston Water as the wealthy Victorians once did, travelling in style in Gondola’s opulent saloons or relaxing on her open air decks and taking in the spectacular scenery. What better way to get to Brantwood. Gondola has a luxurious ambience recreating the atmosphere of a bygone era. The interior of the boat is divided into two saloons reflecting Victorian trains from the Furness Railway: a first class saloon with luxuriously upholstered seating and a ‘third’ class saloon with a rich mahogany ceiling and leather upholstery.

Hadrian's Wall

Hadrian’s Wall is an epic World Heritage Site, marching 73 miles from sea to sea across some of the wildest and most dramatic country in England.

It was was the north-west frontier of the Roman empire for nearly 300 years. It was built by the Roman army on the orders of the emperor Hadrian following his visit to Britain in AD 122. At 73 miles (80 Roman miles) long, it crossed northern Britain from Wallsend on the River Tyne in the east to Bowness-on-Solway in the west. The most famous of all the frontiers of the Roman empire, Hadrian’s Wall was made a World Heritage Site in 1987.

Haworth and the Brontë Sisters

The Brontë Parsonage Museum is the inspirational former home of the Brontë family, located in the beautiful village of Haworth. It was home to the Brontë family from 1820 to 1861, and is the place where Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë wrote some of the greatest novels in the English language: Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. The museum houses the world’s largest and most significant collection of Brontë manuscripts, artworks, household and personal items, and also holds a vibrant contemporary arts programme featuring major artists and writers, supported by Arts Council England.

Manchester with expert art guide

Manchester Art Gallery has been at the centre of city life for 200 years. From its origins in the Royal Manchester Institution for the Promotion of Literature, Science and the Arts, founded in 1823, it’s been proudly part of Manchester City Council since 1882. The gallery is open to all as a place of civic thinking and public imagination, and promotes art as a means to achieve positive social change.

The Whitworth is proudly part of the University of Manchester and serves as a bridge between the University and the people of the city; a place to meet, play and learn in public. Its mission is to use art for social change; founded in 1889 as The Whitworth Institute and Park in memory of the industrialist Sir Joseph Whitworth for “the perpetual gratification of the people of Manchester”. State-of-the-art facilities that house the collection of over 55,000 works of art. The gallery was awarded Art Fund Museum of Year 2015, nominated for the prestigious Stirling Prize and named Best Emerging Cultural Destination in Europe.

Bury Art Museum is a distinctive Edwardian building which opened in 1901 was built to house the Wrigley Collection of Art of over 200 oil paintings, watercolours, prints and ceramics which was donated to the city by the local paper manufacturer Thomas Wrigley in 1897. Bury Art Museum has a strong collection of 19th-century work, including notable landscape paintings by Turner, Landseer, Constable and Clausen. Bury’s main focus is on 19th-century work however there are memorable modern works by John Armstong, Edward Burra, Victor Pasmore, Edward Burra and Patrick Procktor.

Departure day

Private transfer to Manchester Airport and depart