Some Brilliant Things to See and Do in Yorkshire in Your Motorhome

You’ve found your favourite campervan dealer in Yorkshire (Thanks! We love you, too) and got yourself sorted with the vehicle of your dreams. Now you’re looking for an area to explore as the focus of your forthcoming motorhome holiday, and you have a few options in mind or up for discussion, but you can’t quite decide between them. Really, as anyone from Yorkshire will be happy to tell you, the answer is very very simple... Come to Yorkshire and have a reet good time!

There’s plenty to do in God’s own county – that earthy place where people say what they like and like what they say! We’ve put together a list of potential things to do and places to visit, and some interesting facts that may spark your imagination enough to explore your own ideas. Some of our suggestions may already be familiar names to you (though one or two are ‘off the beaten track’, as it were). Places you might not expect to go or might not expect to find interesting as somewhere for your brand new or used motorhome to visit in Yorkshire.

All of our suggestions are accessible as part of a motorhome holiday, whether that’s by driving to them or by staying parked up at your caravan site and adventuring off for a day out. And all of them are well worth some of your precious leisure time. So, take a browse of the caravans, campervans and motorhomes available from Wandahome, plan your trip, and off you go!

1.   National Railway Museum

This award-winning museum dedicated to locomotive life features an unrivalled collection of engineering brilliance - including the legendary Mallard steam engine. Perfect for your eye-catching Instagram moments. The NRM is not just picture-worthy, it’s also interesting as it tells the story of rail transport in our country and its huge impact on society. The Museum is located within easy walking distance of York city centre - which you will also love exploring, if you enjoy your history...

2.   York

There’s so much heritage in York, it’s one of those cities that oozes history. Take York Minster, for example – a truly magnificent cathedral built between 1230 and 1472. Just a few ancient streets away is the Jorvik centre – a museum dedicated to Viking life in the city. In fact, the name York derives from the Old Norse name Jorvik (derived from the Saxon name Eoforwic, which translates into modern English as “wild boar settlement”). Famous people to have sprung from York include philanthropist chocolatier Joseph Rowntree (you can visit York’s Chocolate Story to learn more), indie band Shed Seven, Gunpowder plotter Guy Fawkes (there is a tour around sites of interest related to him), classic poet WH Auden, actors Judi Dench and David Bradley (Argus Filch in the Harry Potter films and Rickey Gervais’s dad in After Life) and comedian Frankie Howerd. In truth, it’s too difficult to pack everything good about York into a single paragraph. Just go – you won’t regret it!

3.   Castle Howard

This is a great one for film fans! Around 15 miles outside of York is Castle Howard, a spectacular country house built around 300 years ago. It was made famous for new generations because of its inclusion in the influential and hugely popular TV adaptation of Evelyn Waugh’s book Brideshead Revisited, in the early 1980s. Earlier, it had featured in Peter Ustinov's 1965 film Lady L and doubled for the Kremlin in 1966 film The Spy with a Cold Nose, and it was also used in the TV series Victoria (2016) and Bridgerton (2020). Maverick filmmaker Stanley Kubrick used it as an exterior set in his 1975 film Barry Lyndon, and indie band Arctic Monkeys also filmed the promo video for one of their singles here in 2018. That’s a lot of film, TV and music connections for you to explore – but if you want to know more about the history of this magnificent house itself, you should visit!

4.   Headingley

Amidst housing and municipal features in Leeds is legendary cricket ground Headingley, the home of Yorkshire County Cricket Club. It’s possible to go on a tour of the ground, looking behind the scenes at the most successful club in English history, seeing areas not usually open to the public, such as the player dining and dressing rooms. Really, though, to experience this ground at maximum effect you need to visit on a day England are playing a Test Match here. Tickets would likely be required in advance – hardly surprising when you consider the wealth of history in the sport which has taken place here. Notable events include the so-called Botham’s Ashes in 1981, Ben Stokes’ efforts in the 2019 Ashes series, and Jonny Bairstow’s heroics earlier in 2022. But there have been so many more…

5.   National Coal Mining Museum

Large parts of Yorkshire relied heavily on the coal industry to provide the livelihoods of families, until things changed around 40 years ago. This museum (based at an old Wakefield colliery, which closed in 1985) is dedicated to telling the story of the miners and the history oof the industry. There are plenty of ‘above ground’ things to keep you engaged, but the ‘crowning glory’ is the underground trip, during which visitors can experience the conditions miners worked in and see the tools and machines they used. It's a real eye-opener…

6.   Hull and The Deep

Well, these aren’t too far away from us at Wandahome! Celebrating its 20^th anniversary this year – yet still as popular as ever – is The Deep in Hull. This is an impressive living ‘submarium’ featuring a stunning variety of sea creatures on public view in a variety of huge tanks – and some pretty cute but smelly penguins, too! The Deep is also a landmark centre for marine research. It’s not too far from Hull City Centre, so let’s pop into town and visit the Museums quarter. There we’ll find Hull Maritime Museum (exploring the seafaring heritage of the city), the Streetlife Museum, the Hull and East Riding Museum and Wilberforce house Museum as well as the Ferens Art Gallery. That’s a lot of interesting exhibitions to fill your time!

Famous people from Hull who might set you off on a “he lived here!” trail (if you’re into that) include David Bowie-connected musical legends Mick Ronson, Trevor Bolder and Woody Woodmansey, as well as The Housemartins and The Beautiful South frontman Paul Heaton (though he was born in Sheffield). Cult legend singer-songwriter Nick Drake only played a handful of gigs – and one of them was in a function room above a pub in the city! Poet Philip Larkin lived in Hull for most of his life, former Deputy PM John Prescott has lived there since 1970 and William Wilberforce (leader of the movement to abolish slavery in the UK) was born there. Actors John Alderton (Please, Sir), Tom Courtenay (Bill Liar himself) and Reece Shearsmith (Inside No9 and The League Of Gentlemen).

7.   Flamborough / Flamborough Head

Flamborough Head is a great ‘untamed’ spot for nature lovers, as you’ll find a plethora of birds and colonies of seals inhabiting some of the most beautiful coastline the north has to offer. You can hike along rugged paths and sea canoe around the bay (only if you’re experience, of course), and the two old lighthouses are picturesque spots to pause for a picnic.

8.   RAF Holmpton Nuclear Bunker

Under an hour’s drive from Hull is the incredible RAF Holmpton. Seemingly unremarkable from ground level – little more than a couple of small buildings and a bungalow, what lays beneath is a stunning slice of very recent military history. It’s a superbly preserved nuclear facility – essentially the emergency HQ for the north-east, in the case of a nuclear attack. You’ll descend underground and walk through atmospheric tunnels, control rooms, radio rooms, attack rooms, meeting rooms, ‘living’ quarters etc - and even encounter a nuclear warhead (thankfully disarmed). There’s loads of info which tells the story of not just the bunker but the Cold Wars. It may initially appear to be a bit of a morbid day out, this - but you should just go. By the end of your visit you’re likely to have found RAF Holmpton life affirming – because it’s a wonderful place to be reminded of the value of life itself and the determination and power of the human spirit.

That looks like it’s the end of the Wandahome list – but, to be honest, there actually is no end to any list which details brilliant places you can visit when you’re having a break in a new or used campervan in Yorkshire. It’s the country that keeps on giving! There are so many other places we could have mentioned or things to do that we could have suggested. Remember, not all of the places mentioned here are directly accessible in your used motorhomes - Yorkshire isn’t just empty fields or tightly cobbled streets! You’ll need to find appropriate places to park up (camp sites, motorhome parks, city car parks which allow larger vehicles etc) and then go off exploring, using your vehicle as your base.

So, once you’ve chosen a vehicle from Wandahome, get going in your motorhome or campervan and explore a bit more o’ this stunning part of the north!