Whitby is a coastal town with a fishing, whaling and ship-building history. The ruined Abbey of St Hilda dominates the eastern approach to the town. There is much to see on the ‘east side’ – shops, restaurants, pubs, St Mary’s Church, and St Hilda’s Abbey (the Abbey is about 30 mins pleasant walk from the town itself). Whitby was the home of Frank Meadow Sutcliffe (1853-1941), photographer of the period. The town also has association with the real Captain Cook, and the mythical Count Dracula. On the ‘west side’ is the more recent shopping and commercial activity of the town, of interest here is the Pannal Park Museum with Jurassic marine reptile fossils, and shipping, domestic and art exhibits. Coach journey about 2 hr each way, find your own dinner in the town. Returning to Leeds by 2300. Cost £20. Further info.
Malham is a small village at the heart of one of the most interesting parts of the Dales National Park. It houses some very pleasant pubs and tea rooms, and there is a National Park Visitor Centre. The chief attraction is country walking: bring stout shoes or boots and light waterproof clothing, aiming to get out onto the limestone pavement of the Dales uplands. Journey time about 90 minutes one way, find your own dinner in the local pubs. Returning to Leeds by 2300. Cost £16. Further info.
A world heritage site, Fountains is one of the most splendid of the ruined Cistercian monasteries. Founded in 1132, by a breakaway group of monks in revolt at the worldliness of their Benedictine house in York, it eventually became powerful and worldly in its turn. Perceived as a political threat by Henry VIII, Fountains was one of the many monasteries suppressed by him in the 1540. It now constitutes a beautiful and imposing ruin maintained by the National Trust, with a large Visitor Centre and tea room as well as the abbey itself. The Abbey closes at 1800, we will finish this excursion by visiting the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Gardens at Harlow Carr, cost includes entrance to Fountains abbey, and the RHS gardens and dinner at Harlow Carr. Returning to Leeds by 2300. Cost £45. Further info.
Yorkshire Sculpture Park is one of Europe’s leading open-air art organisations showing modern and contemporary work by leading UK and international artists. A vibrant, changing programme of exhibitions, displays and projects is held throughout 500 acres of eighteenth century landscaped grounds and in two indoor galleries. A huge range of British and world sculpture and a large permanent exhibition of works by local boy Henry Moore are set in the grounds of a typical English country house. Free admission, journey time about 45 minutes each way. Returning in time to find your own dinner in Leeds. Cost £14. Further info.
Haworth was the home of the Brontë family ('Jane Eyre', 'Wuthering Heights').
Offspring of the rector, they grew up in the parsonage, and there is now a Parsonage
Museum (admission, adults £4.80, children under 16 £1.50, under
5 free). The town also houses a variety of souvenir shops, tea rooms and small
restaurants. If you want to get the ‘feel’ of a rural pennine village,
Haworth will do it for you. Journey time about 45 minutes one way, Returning
in time to find your own dinner in Leeds. Cost £14. Further
info.
Visits for that afternoon, or any other time, for you to plan yourself:
York is one of the principal attractions of England, being a mediaeval to modern
city with lots of history and archaeology. It has Roman walls, ancient streets,
shopping for antiques, second hand books, and several fascinating museums. The
highlight has to be York Minster,
regarded as one of the finest mediaeval cathedrals in Europe, but other attractions
include, an archaeological and palaeontological museum,
a reconstruction of a Viking
town and the National Railway Museum.
You can visit by train from Leeds, trains are frequent and the journey time
is about 25 mins. Further
info.
Titus Salt was a Victorian textile industrialist and philanthropist. He set
his mill building and model village for the work force in the Aire valley northwards
of Bradford, itself (like Leeds) a major textile town. Now Saltaire preserves
much of its original architecture, while the erstwhile mill is a textile shop
and art centre featuring work by
David Hockney, and any number of books on art, materials and interior design
must-haves. Visit by train from Leeds, about 20 mins. Admission to the mill
is free, but you may want to spend money inside!
Our aim here is to give a thumbnail sketch of the locations selected for organized
excursions in mid-conference, as well as to make a couple of suggestions for
do-it-yourself escapes if you feel that way inclined. In the unlikely event
that a venue for an organised tour attracts very few bookings, we may (regretfully!)
withdraw it and ask you to choose an alternative. So please do not leave booking
until the last minute and book before the first deadline.
Where admission charges are quoted above, they are 2002 rates, and may be slightly
higher in August 2003.
One final word in case you are intimidated by the word ‘organized’,
in fact we intend this to be with a rather light touch. We are happy to take
you to the selected venue and turn you loose to wander, if this is what you
want to do, but at each venue we will have a couple of conference associates
who know the location and will be happy to give advice on the ground, and/or
to lead a party or parties away to chosen attractions.
Times: for the organized excursions to Whitby, Malham, Fountains, the Yorkshire
Sculpture Park, and Haworth, coaches will leave the Parkinson Steps of the main
campus at 1400, and return you to Leeds at the times suggested from each venue.
We will aim to get you back to the ‘official’ residence you are
staying in (Bodington or Devonshire halls), but those who have made individual
arrangements in hotels will be asked to arrange a taxi from the Parkinson Steps
to their residence.