Literary Derbyshire Yorkshire Tour

TOUR HIGHLIGHTS

Haddon Hall, most beautiful medieval manor houses in the whole of England
Explore Bolton Abbey
Shopping in Market Towns: Bakewell, Haworth and Helmsley
Brontë Country, visit the Brontë Museum and places inspired Wuthering Heights
Explore Castleton and the Peak District
Grassington and Thirsk, All Creatures Great and Small
Shidben Hall, medieval home to 19th century diarist, Anne Lister
Day trip to Whitby along the North Yorkshire coast
Visit Helmsley Walled Garden and Castle
Explore York, The Shambles and more
Time to visit bookshops and antique shops
Daily writing prompts
Free time throughout the tour

TOUR PRICE $4495.00

A Journey from Northern England to the Scottish Highlands

Some landscapes don’t just surround you. They meet you. The Peak District and the Scottish Highlands are not backgrounds. They shape the experience. They ask you to notice your breath, your footing, your place in the world.

This journey begins in Derbyshire. The moors are open, unbounded. Stone walls thread through fields like memory made visible. The air holds the weight of time. In Castleton, you descend beneath the earth, tasting ale and cheese in the cool dark. Even silence has texture here.

We walk through estates like Chatsworth and Haddon Hall. They are not relics. They are environments. Light moves across their walls in slow rhythm. You become aware of stillness, of space shaped by intention and history.

Then north. Through York and into Scotland. The Highlands are less a destination than a state of attention. In Glencoe, the land feels wounded and alive. You walk with a storyteller who draws the past into the present.

There is fire. There is music. There is sea against stone.

This is not a tour.
It is a way of moving through landscape.
It is a study in how place becomes feeling.
And how, in the presence of land that remembers, you begin to remember too.

12 SPOTS

TRIP OVERVIEW

TOUR PRICE: $4495.00 Double Occupancy

WHAT’S INCLUDED

Beautiful, centrally located accommodations double occupancy; $995 Single supplement fee - ONLY 2 SINGLE ROOMS AVAILABLE
Most meals (8 Breakfast, 5 Dinners)
Sudden Journeys Tour Director
Small, friendly group of 8-10 people
Ground transportation (pickup in Sheffield/drop off in York)
All sightseeing, events, and visits as noted in the itinerary
All entrance fees, service charges, and standard taxes
Coach Driver and Restaurant gratuities
Special dinner and welcome drinks
Custom designed literary inspired gifts for your travels and inspiration.
Fine print: You are responsible for the cost of your drinks and free-time sightseeing. See our Tour Conditions for important details regarding everything listed above.

Arrival Airports: You can fly into Manchester (MAN) or London (LHR) Both are fabulous cities but Manchester is smaller if it makes you feel more comfortable.

Departure Airports: You could depart London (LHR) or Edinburgh (EDI)

Note: The itinerary is descriptive, not definitive and is subject to change. There also may be modifications due to weather, restoration works taking place are historic sites and availability of local activities and guides.

“Kyle constructed a beautiful frame, gave it to us, and allowed us to paint the picture of our own journey. This wasn’t a cookie-cutter tour. This was an experience through Kyle’s lenses: masterful in thoughtfulness, care, and detail - but never heavy-handed. Maybe the thing I enjoyed most was Kyle trusting us with her vision, her hope, and her wonder and giving us the gift of rediscovering magic. That’s exactly what this felt like. I remember inhaling the air to smell it...try to determine what scents I could find. Touching things, listening; tasting...being fully present, and feeling more alive than I had in a long time.”
”

— TOUR PARTICIPANT

ACCOMMODATIONS

2 NIGHTS BAKEWELL

This 19th-century coaching inn is situated between Matlock and Buxton in the heart of the Peak District. Set in a stone-built house dating from 1804 and an adjacent courtyard building, this historic Georgian hotel is reputedly where Jane Austen stayed, while writing ‘Pride and Prejudice'

3 NIGHTS HAWORTH

Thoughtfully renovated; celebrating the past but with a nod to the future, Weavers offers a stylish and snug place to stay in the heart of Haworth.

3 NIGHTS YORK

Set in a Regency townhouse, this genteel hotel is a 5-minute walk to the heart of the city enter. Featuring antique furniture, record players and local art, the polished, airy rooms offer smart TVs and Wi-Fi, as well as tea and coffeemaking equipment, and minibars. Upgraded rooms add 4-poster beds, while suites have balconies, high ceilings and/or living rooms.

Cari Powell is a passionate traveler who believes in the transformative power of shared experiences when traveling. With a decade of homeschooling under her belt and many years living in the UK, she is skilled in connecting with people and crafting journeys that feel deeply personal. Whether hosting a themed dinner or curating a UK adventure, Cari delights in inviting others to not just see the world, but to become part of its story.

Day 1 – Into the Peaks & Underground Delights

Welcome to England. From Sheffield, the tour begins in the Peak District, where ancient moors, misty escarpments, and limestone caves hint at stories long buried. Begin with a tasting of local cheese and ale in an underground chamber, then ease into the gentle comfort of Baslow and the Cavendish Hotel.

Highlights:

Arrival in Sheffield, scenic drive to the Peak District
Cheese & Ale Tasting in a Peak Cavern or Treak Cliff Cave
Stop at Curbar Edge
Welcome drinks and dinner at hotel

Light walking: 2-4 miles throughout the afternoon, some hills and steps. Bus 1 hour. Sleep in Bakewell.

Jane AustEn, Pride and Prejudice

Day 2 – Gritstone Escapes & Lantern Light

Take a breath. The morning is yours to stroll the garden paths of Baslow or simply watch the wind on the hills. Afternoon tea awaits at the hotel, followed by a drive into the wild edges of Stanage Edge and Padley Gorge. As night falls, return to Curbar—but this time, by lantern.

Highlights:

Leisurely morning in Baslow
Afternoon Tea at The Cavendish Hotel
Scenic stops: Stanage Edge & Padley Gorge
Dinner at Fischer’s Baslow Hall
🕯️ Twilight Lantern Walk at Curbar Edge

Light walking: 3-5 miles throughout the afternoon, hills and steps. Bus 90 mins. Sleep in Bakewell.

Day 3 – Noble Homes & Derbyshire Delights

Wander through centuries at Chatsworth House and Haddon Hall—one regal, the other romantic, both echoing with ghostly grandeur. In Bakewell, taste the town’s namesake pudding and explore cobbled streets where history drifts like morning mist.

Highlights:

Guided visit to Chatsworth House & Gardens
Visit to Chatsworth Farm Shop
Free time in Bakewell
Tour of Haddon Hall
Dinner at The Peacock at Rowsley

Light walking: 2-4 miles throughout the afternoon, some hills and steps. Bus 1 hour 45 mins. Sleep in Haworth.

Films locations featured in Jane Eyre, Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth, The Princess Bride and The Other Boleyn Girl

Day 4 – York’s Echoes & Highland Welcome

Trace the spine of England northward. Spend the morning wandering York, a medieval city filled with secrets. Then board a train for Edinburgh, where your private driver whisks you into the Highlands and the tranquil embrace of Loch Voil. That night: whisky by firelight.

Highlights:

Transfer from Baslow to York
Independent exploration in York
First-class train to Edinburgh
Private transfer to Monachyle Mhor Hotel
Lochside Whisky Tasting by Firelight

Wordsworth, James Herriot, All Creatures Great and Small, Grassington was transformed into the fictional market town of Darrowby

DAY FIVE WED SEPT 3RD | HAWORTH & YORKSHIRE MOORS Free Day. Spend the day in Haworth and the surrounding area. Known for producing British literature’s most famous female writing siblings, the Brontë sisters, it’s no surprise that the spot – pretty but weather-beaten with wild and rugged edges – has inspired some stirring literature. In the morning, visit the Brontë Parsonage Museum. Discover more about the contributions Charlotte, Emily and Anne made to literature via exhibitions inside their imposing former home. The atmospheric house is where the sisters penned their famous novels. But there’s more to Haworth with it’s a postcard-perfect high street and vintage village life vibes with its cobbled streets, antique stores and old-school shop fronts, you might feel as if you’ve wandered on to a 1940s film set. If you desire, hike on the moody moorlands surrounding Haworth (flowing dress and cape optional). Follow footpaths out of the village across wild and rocky terrain in search of the Brontë Waterfall and ruined farmhouse Top Withens, which is said to have inspired the gothic setting for Emily Brontë’s ‘Wuthering Heights’. Dinner together in Haworth.

Morning visit to Bronte House Museum
Afternoon free time in Haworth
Dinner together

Light walking: 3-4 miles throughout the day, some hills and steps. No bus. Sleep in Haworth.

The Brontës, Wuthering Heights

DAY SIX THUR SEPT 4TH | THIRSK & HELMSLEY Depart the Yorkshire Dales and make your way across toward North Yorkshire. First stop will be in to visit Thirsk, a Yorkshire market town, also the home of renowned fictional vet, James Herriot (real name Alf White, whose veterinary practice was in the town). Boasting the spectacular backdrops of the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors, it’s no wonder this much-loved author was so inspired living and working here. After lunch, picturesque market town of Helmsley. The town is straight off a box of fudge, all honeyed stone and pansies waving from prize-winning hanging baskets. The entire town is delight! Laid out beneath the imposing walls of Helmsley Castle is a real life Secret Garden — truly is a utopia for all things nature, with its patchwork of small, intimate gardens, and beautiful displays of flowers, fruit trees and a vegetable patch. Full of color and corners to explore. By late afternoon, journey to York where you’ll check into a fabulous guesthouse in a restored Georgian house just outside the city walls. Take an evening stroll around York by night. There is something deeply evocative and spellbinding about the city by night. Dinner on your own.

Morning visit Thirsk and James Herriott home
Afternoon visit Helmsley Walled Garden
Free time to explore Helmsley
Dinner together

Light walking: 3 - 5 miles throughout the day, some hills and steps. Bus 2 hours 15 mins. Sleep in York.

Frances Hodgson Burnett’s Secret Garden & james herriott all creatures great and small

DAY SEVEN FRI SEPT 5TH |YORK Free Day: Small and mighty – York is the medieval walled city that really packs a punch. Its backdrop of medieval lanes, snickelways, and even a shopping street that dates back to the Domesday book. With more attractions per square mile than any other destination in the UK, there’s always something exciting just around the corner in York. Visit York Minster, a Gothic beauty and the largest medieval cathedral in Northern Europe. Want to imbibe some culture at the same time as you walk? Enjoy on of four self-guided walks – Literary York, Artistic York, Scientific York and Radical York. Another thrill, The Jorvik Viking Centre's olfactory experiences (some more pleasant than others) have always brought to life what was an important and thriving ninth-century Viking city. And of course, wander through the famous Shambles. One your final night, gather together with your fellow travelers for a lavish feast to celebrate this time together.

Free day in York
Dinner on your own

Light walking: 3 - 5 miles throughout the day, some hills and steps. No bus. Sleep in York.

DAY EIGHT SAT SEPT 6TH | WHITBY & NORTH YORKSHIRE COAST . Today you’ll travel to the North Yorkshire coast. Spend the morning exploring the charming seaside fishing village known as The Staithes. Staithes boasts a long proud history as the one-time home of famous Royal Navy captain and explorer, Captain James Cook. The village is also a magnet for artists who come to admire the beautiful coastal scenery, traditional fishing scenes and village ambience, and immortalize them on canvas. The advent of the railway in 1883 brought a host of artists to Staithes including Hannah Hoyland, Fred Mayor and Harold Knight. After a leisurely morning, travel south along the coast to Whitby. Whitby is an ancient port with a fascinating history, a ruined abbey which inspired Bram Stoker’s Dracula and a working harbor. It also has sandy beaches, donkey rides and rock pools, not to mention the town boasts some of the best fish and chips in the world. After visiting the abbey together, you’ll have the afternoon free to explore on your own. Make a stop to view Robin Hood’s Bay before returning across the moors to York for your final dinner together.

Morning visit to The Staithes
Afternoon in Whitby, visit the abbey and free time to explore
Stop to view Robin Hood’s Bay
Farewell Feast

Moderate walking: 3 - 5 miles throughout the day, some hills and steps. 2 1/2 hrs coach. Sleep in York.

BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA IN WHITBY

DAY NINE SUN SEPT 7TH | DEPARTURE DAY After an inspiring week together it’s time to return home! Depart York by train.

TOUR FAQS

Sudden Journeys hotels are often lux-boutique, independently owned. A lot of time in placed on finding beautiful, comfortable and safe hotels. This is a high priority! We make every effort to find centrally located hotels when in cities or towns. Being that often the hotels are in century old building, some accommodations don't have elevators, no (or weak) air conditioning, and spotty Wi-Fi at times. Private bathrooms are always ensuite.
While on tour you'll eat like a local. Cuisine is typical of the region and can vary widely from country to country. Local beer and wine are optional at group meals, and at your own expense unless noted it is included on tour.
We cannot take responsibility for guests with special dietary needs or allergies. Guests with dietary restrictions usually manage fine with a little flexibility and willingness to supplement meals as needed at their own expense. Please let SJ know of any particular restrictions prior to the tour so the restaurants can be notified ahead of time. With that said, Europe/UK are all very considerate when it comes to being flexible and assisting any food issues.
Our tours are physically active but never very strenuous.! Expect to be on your feet, walking and standing, for up to several hours, indoors and outdoors, and in all weather conditions. The itinerary notes each day the level of activity.
You'll also need to carry your own luggage, often up several flights of stairs if staying at a small hotel.
Depending on your tour, some hotels have accessibility to laundry services once or twice during the tour, and your guide will give you tips on when and where you can do laundry. This is at your own cost.
No: You're not allowed to smoke or vape on the bus, in the hotel, or where other tour members are present. Nonsmokers, be aware that we can't isolate you from Europeans who smoke in public areas or hotels.
Your tour includes tips for local guides, coach driver, group meals, and housekeeping.
Your tour leader tip is not included.
When you're out on your own it's customary to round up, or add a pound/euro or two, rather than tip a percentage.