Yorkshire

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Scroll down this page to get up to date with what is going on in Yorkshire and some of the newest additions to Yorkshire.guide

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If you’re new to Yorkshire see what it has to offer on our  Introduction  page.

We have now added more than 1,000 places to our A to Y  Gazetteer  of Yorkshire. We've listed the cities and towns and now many of the villages, with links to pages providing more information or to pinpoint villages on our unique Yorkshire map.

The  Home  button links you to many other parts of Yorkshire.guide

And look below for our frequently updated page with some of our newest items about Yorkshire issues and events in more detail .......

Summer Festival at Yorkshire racecourses

York Racecourse hosts the final day of the Go Racing in Yorkshire FestivalThe Summer Festival started in PontefractEvening racing at  Pontefract  Races on Friday (July 17) started this year's Go Racing in Yorkshire Summer Festival when races are held on eight of the following nine days at eight of Yorkshire's nine racecourses.

After racing at  Ripon  in North Yorkshire and  Doncaster  in South Yorkshire on Saturday and a Circus Family Day at  Redcar  on Sunday, the racing continues through this week as  Beverley  in the East Riding has evening racing on Monday July 20.  Catterick  in North Yorkshire holds a Family Fun Day on Wednesday July 22 and  Doncaster  combines the festival with an Autism in Racing raceday on Thursday July 23.  Thirsk  in North Yorkshire holds a Family Fun Day on Friday July 24 and on the same day there will also be evening racing at  York  on the first day of its Music Showcase Weekend. The final day of the festival on Saturday July 25 will also be at  York , where Tom Grennan takes to the stage after the racing.

  Racecourses   

Flowerpots to make you smile in Settle

Pots of fun at the 2026 festivalThe 2026 Flowerpot Festival in  Settle  in  North Yorkshire  begins this Saturday (July 11) and has dozens of cute and quirky characters created from flower pots with the theme simply to "Make people smile".

The festival is held each year with nearly 80 displays in and around the town at the edge of the  Yorkshire Dales . There's the chance to see the displays up until Sunday September 6. The flowerpot characters can be explored via three trails 1.4 miles, 2.4 miles and 3.1 miles in length. There are also pre-bookable flowerpot workshops for children on Tuesday, Friday and Saturday mornings during August.

Find out more at the  Settle Flowerpot Festival  website.

  Settle   
Yorkshire.guide/Settle

Scarborough celebrates 400 years as spa town

Scarborough Spa is on the deckchair trail Scarborough  is celebrating 400 years as a spa town this year and as part of the celebrations it has launched a giant deckchair trail around the town.

The tourist trail around the resort runs from Saturday June 27 until Sunday September 6 and features 10 giant deckchairs.

It is among events throughout the year celebrating the anniversary of the discovery in 1626 of the spa waters which became one of the reasons for the town's success as a seaside resort.

Find out more at this  Giant Deckchair Trail  page of the Visit North Yorkshire website of North Yorkshire Council.

  Scarborough   
Yorkshire.guide/Scarborough

When British and American navies clashed off the Yorkshire coast

British, American and French sailors died in a naval battle off the coast of Flamborough Head in 1779As the USA celebrates 250 years since its first formation from 13 eastern United Colonies through a Declaration of Independence in 1776, we are reminded that its war with Britain continued initially for a further seven years and even reached the coast of Yorkshire.

The US Navy was originally formed as the Continental Navy, around nine months before that independence declaration on July 4, 1776. The aim was to support war efforts by raiding British merchant ships, overseas territories and, indeed, Great Britain itself.

It was on September 23 in 1779 that the war of independence from Britain reached the coast off Flamborough Head in the East Riding of Yorkshire where two Royal Navy vessels, one hired, were guarding a convoy of around 40 merchant ships which had crossed from Baltic ports via the Norwegian coast.

The two British naval vessels encountered the four ships under the command of Scottish-born American naval officer John Paul Jones, whose ships were seeking to wreak havoc around the British coast after setting sail from France.

The result of a battle lasting around four hours off Flamborough Head was seen by the Americans as a resounding victory after the eventual capture and surrender of the damaged British ships, HMS Serapis and Countess of Scarborough. Nevertheless, it was not without result for the British as the convoy had been successfully defended despite Britain's military vessels being outnumbered. The encounter also resulted in Jones’ flagship, the Bonhomme Richard, sinking from the battle damage it sustained.

  Flamborough   
Yorkshire.guide/Flamborough

Tour de France Grand Départ in Yorkshire in 2027

The Tour de France heads towards Holme Moss in West Yorkshire in 2014More route details for the women's races have been announced as the Tour de France Grand Départ returns to Yorkshire in 2027.

The prestigious event boosted a massive interest in cycling in Yorkshire when the men's race Grand Départ was held in Yorkshire in 2014.

The Tour returns with the first two days of the women's race next year while the men's Scotland to Wales Grand Départ also reaches into historic Yorkshire.

The first day for the Tour de France Femmes will start at The Headrow in  Leeds  on Friday July 30, 2027, to head via  Birstall ,  Heckmondwike ,  Mirfield  and a hill climb to  Kirkheaton  before reaching  Huddersfield .

Day 1 of the women's racing will cross the Pennines above the Dove Stone Reservoir near GreenfieldThe race then heads out towards the Pennines towards  Meltham  with a climb to Wessenden Head to cross the Pennines, passing the Dove Stone Reservoir to reach  Greenfield  and  Uppermill . The third hill climb stage will be at  Delph  on the way to a finish at Deansgate in Manchester.

The following day the race will head back from Manchester through the  Peak District  on a winding and hilly route through Derbyshire, including Buxton, Hope, Castleton and Glossop before climbing the Snake Pass to the Ladybower Reservoir, climbing back into Yorkshire for a route via  Low Bradfield  and  Worrall  before ending at Attercliffe Common in  Sheffield .

The third day of the women's race will be in London before the cyclists head off to France.

WaddingtonNewton-in-BowlandDunsop BridgeThe earlier men's Grand Départ will also be in Britain and briefly dips into historic Yorkshire on its second day on Saturday July 3 as it heads through the  Forest of Bowland  National Landscape via the historic West Riding villages of  Dunsop Bridge ,  Newton-in-Bowland  and  Waddington , a route along which there will hopefully have been some road repairs by the now-responsible Lancashire County Council.

The men's Tour de France 2027 enters historic Yorkshire at the Trough of Bowland boundary stoneThe Yorkshire section begins with the descent from the Trough of Bowland after the second of five mountain stages on the Tour de France ride through England on Day 2. It also includes the highest point of the day, the third King of the Mountains climb up the "Côte de Waddington Fell" to 347 metres at around the mid-point of the race. After Waddington, cyclists cross the River Ribble to the Lancashire town of Clitheroe.

Day 1 of the men's race heads from Scotland to England with a stage from Edinburgh to Carlisle. The short stretch of historic Yorkshire is on the Keswick to Liverpool stage on Day 2. The third day is in Wales with a stage from Welshpool to Cardiff.

  Peak District     Forest of Bowland   

Discover Yorkshire castles

Richmond Castle, North YorkshireYorkshire is a region of fine stone castles, though much of this grand architecture has been reduced to ruins during turbulent times in the region's past.

The castles are rich in their history as homes in times of peace and strongholds in times of civil war. Some still dominate the landscape while in some locations there is now little evidence of their darkest days.

Our  Castles  page tells you more about their history, which castles have open access and those with an admissions policy. You can follow our links to the castle managers' own websites to check which sites are open in winter, admission prices and if you need to book before your visit.

Richmond Castle in North Yorkshire (featured in our picture) is one of the finest and most complete Norman castles in Britain, around which the town of  Richmond  developed. Its vast square keep, 100ft (30 metres) high, is a dominant feature of the town with magnificent views.

  Castles   
Yorkshire.guide/castles

Yorkshire mixture

Here are links to a few of the most popular pages at Yorkshire.guide:

  Cities    Largest towns and cities    Population    Gazetteer    Abbeys    Castles    Film locations    Forest of Bowland    Heritage Coast    Heritage railways    Highest mountains    Historic Houses    Howardian Hills    Museums    Nidderdale    North Pennines    North York Moors    Peak District    Racecourses    Seaside    York    Yorkshire Dales    Yorkshire football    Railway stations 

On Ilkla Moor Baht ’at

If you’re from Yorkshire you will probably recognise our background picture as the Cow and Calf Rocks on Ilkley Moor, famous as the location of the Yorkshire dialect anthem "On Ilkla Moor Baht ’at". More on  Ilkley .

Yorkshire news topics

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 News archive 2023 : News from 2023.

 News archive 2022 : News from 2022.

 News archive 2021 : News from 2021.

 News archive 2020 : News from 2020.

 News archive 2019 : News from 2019.

 News archive 2018 : News from 2018.

 News archive 2017 : News from 2017.

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