Former BBC Ireland correspondent James Helmtakes us to some favourite spots in his native North Yorkshire
LIVING IN IRELAND, I am often asked where I'm from. Halfway between Newcastle and York is the answer. Or, in this era of satnav, drive north from London for about four and half hours, then take a right turn.
I grew up in North Yorkshire, England's biggest county, one of its most varied and certainly one of its most beautiful. Dales and moors, picturesque coastline, rich history and the ancient city of York, base for the Heartbeat television series and the vet's stories of James Herriot. There's much to offer for a long weekend or a full-sized trip. So much, in fact, that what follows is just a small selection, an insider's guide.
The only glimpse many visitors get of North Yorkshire is of the ancient, crowded streets of York itself. Last summer I paid a return trip, and, as ever, marvelled at the towering minster. The National Railway Museum is worth at least half a day, especially if you have children.
We climbed the city walls and wandered the narrow cobbled streets, ending up, as ever, for cakes and a cuppa at Bettys Cafe Tea Rooms on St Helen's Square.
For me, though, North Yorkshire's real and rugged charms are less familiar to the outside world, and they lie beyond.
Heading west to east, from the edge of the Yorkshire Dales to the North Sea coast, the meandering journey starts in Richmond. My first trip away without my parents was a wet weekend's cycling and camping trip here as a 15-year-old, with two pals. I remember a tent that leaked when it rained, and great fish and chips, devoured on a park bench.
Avoid hungry campers and visit the town's magnificent castle. Begun in 1070, it still dominates the town. Nearby is the town of Middleham, with its own castle, and famed these days as a horse-racing town. The Yorkshire Dales spread out to the west, among them Wensleydale, home to my favourite cheese, and Swaledale, dotted with lovely villages, such as Reeth and Muker.
An optional detour would take you south, through Masham, to Ripon, with its perfectly-formed cathedral and its racecourse. Close by is the famed Fountains Abbey, a ruined Cistercian monastery founded in 1132, with landscaped gardens beside it.
The countryside around this area was the backdrop to the tales of James Herriot, the vet whose comical encounters with aggressive cattle and pooches such as Tricky Woo earned him a huge following.
Alf Wight, the real vet behind the books, who died in 1995, had his office in the handsome town of Thirsk.
Eastwards, and tucked away off the busy A19 road, are Mount Grace Priory and the pretty village of Osmotherley on the hill above. Mount Grace is a lovely spot, a simple, peaceful place where you can see up close how the monks passed their days centuries ago.
Ozzie, as we knew it, is a picture-postcard place, with good choices for eating and drinking, and hill walks fanning out on to the moor tops.
A few kilometres northeastwards, drop in on my home town, Stokesley, with its broad, elegant high street and pretty walks by the River Leven. Each September, in a tradition stretching back to the 19th century, the fair and agricultural show come to town. Thousands pack the high street for an old-fashioned evening out that keeps itself up to date with the latest gut-wrenching rides.
At the end of "show week" is one of Yorkshire's largest agricultural gatherings, Stokesley Show, complete with brass bands and livestock. I've missed it only once in my life, and hope to never again, as family and friends descend from all corners. It's the only day of the year that I spend admiring ferrets, poultry, embroidery and oversized marrows.
Here you're on the northernmost tip of North Yorkshire, not far from the industrial sprawl of Teesside, with Sunderland and Newcastle farther north, where rural soon becomes urban and accents begin to change. Football watchers take note: three Premiership sides (for now at least) are just up the road, in Middlesbrough, Sunderland and Newcastle.
Head south into the North York Moors, a large national park consisting of bleak, tough moorlands and green, pretty valleys below. Stop on the way and buy an ice cream, perhaps on Carlton Bank on the northern edge of the Cleveland Hills. Then admire the view, as I've done many times, in bright sunshine and heavy downpours. In the foreground are broad fields and hamlets, in the middle distance the smoking towers and chemical plants of Teesside, and in the far distance the industry of the English northeast. To the east are the sea and the cone of Roseberry Topping. Westwards, the dales rise up, part of England's spine.
The drive through Bilsdale towards the town of Helmsley is a joy. Off to the right, between the gentle hills, is the 12th-century Rievaulx Abbey, once one of the country's finest Cistercian abbeys. Take a picnic and relax.
A couple of kilometres away is Harome, a tiny place that has been put on the map by the Star Inn, run by Andrew and Jacquie Pern. The restaurant is known for kilometres around, and a few more beyond that, and has a Michelin star. There is accommodation at the lodge opposite and in cottages in the village.
Other local villages are wonderful: Lastingham is my favourite, with its ancient church and fine pub, the Blacksmiths Arms. Hutton-le-Hole, where sheep graze on the village green, attracts more tourists, as it is home to Ryedale Folk Museum, which offers a taste of country life in days gone by.
Swing southwards again, into softer terrain, and in the folds of the Howardian Hills is Castle Howard, a destination in itself. It is one of the UK's grandest stately homes, a gem, catapulted into the consciousness of a wider audience when it provided the setting for the TV adaptation of Brideshead Revisited.
We're on the road to Whitby now, but Pickering demands a halt en route. It's not just steam enthusiasts who flock to North Yorkshire Moors Railway. Buy a ticket for a piece of nostalgia: the 29km trip on a steam locomotive through the countryside to Grosmont is on one of the country's oldest railway lines, built by George Stephenson and opened in 1836.
On the way is Heartbeat country. And Harry Potter fans will recognise Goathland Station: it is Hogmeade Station in the films, where the Hogwarts Express arrives, my son tells me.
This journey's end is spectacular. Whitby was a childhood day out for me, and it still holds a certain magic. That view, with the fishing boats bobbing around at the foot of the cliff and the silhouette of Whitby Abbey's ruins high above, is worth the trip alone. Clambering up the 199 steps to the abbey is a must-do.
Whitby has a rich and ancient Christian heritage - the monastery was founded in 657. But there's a darker side, too. Bram Stoker followers should already know the Whitby link, and bring their black capes and fake fangs along. Dracula has plenty of Whitby references, and it was in the graveyard that the thirsty count claimed Lucy as his victim.
Capt James Cook is a more wholesome local hero, having sailed off on HMS Endeavour to discover new lands, and stumbled on Australia, before being killed on a Pacific island. He served his apprenticeship in Whitby, and some of his ships were built here.
Across the River Esk from the Old Town, with its souvenir shops selling black Whitby jet stone, the rest of the town is worth a visit. Fish is sold fresh from the boats. For a sense of Whitby from the late 19th century, visit the Sutcliffe Gallery. Frank Meadow Sutcliffe's atmospheric photographs capture the era and its characters: mischievous young lads, magnificent ships and wrinkled old sea dogs.
From here the seaside villages of Robin Hood's Bay and Staithes, which cling to the North Yorkshire coast despite the sea's best efforts, are within easy reach.
For me it's home, so it's hard to be completely objective. But by any standards North Yorkshire has spadefuls of everything: captivating scenery of hills, valleys and coast, rich history, lovely old towns and villages, and warm-hearted people to welcome you. Pay a visit and explore for yourself.
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If you prefer to take your car on the ferry, the drive from Holyhead to York can take around three hours, depending on traffic.
ESSENTIAL FOR A TRIP
Where to stay
The Star Inn. Harome, near Helmsley.
00-44-1439-770397,
www.thestaratharome.co.uk.
The Feversham Hotel. Helmsley, 00-44-1439-770766, www.prideofbritainhotels.com/feversham-arms-hotel.
The Fauconberg Arms. Coxwold, 00-44-1347-868214, www.fauconbergarms.com.
Check the excellent guide at www.sawdays.co.uk.
Also have a look at the northern England entries at www.wolseylodges.com
Where to eat
High on top of the North York Moors sits the
isolated old Lion Inn at Blakey Ridge.
www.lionblakey.co.uk.
The Three Tuns Inn and the Golden Lion both serve good food in Osmotherley, near Northallerton.
My favourite pub, with its own microbrewery, is the White Swan in Stokesley. A great little place. No piped music. Just chat. www.thecaptaincookbrewery.co.uk.
Where to go
For ideas, visit the Yorkshire Tourist Board's
website,
www.yorkshire.com.
For more about North Yorkshire Moors Railway, see www.nymr.co.uk.
Visit the Stokesley Show. This year's is on September 20th. www.stokesleyshow.co.uk.
While you're in Whitby, visit the Sutcliffe Gallery. www.sutcliffe-gallery.co.uk.
The renowned photographer Joe Cornish has galleries in Stokesley and Northallerton. www.joecornish.com.
There are racecourses at York, Ripon, Thirsk, Catterick and Redcar.
For keen walkers, the Coast to Coast Walk - a route worked out by Alfred Wainwright - starts at the Irish Sea and crosses North Yorkshire; other long-distance paths are the Cleveland Way and the Lyke Wake Walk. See www.ramblers.org.uk/INFO/ paths/coasttocoast.html for more details.