Large holiday houses to rent in Yorkshire

Afordable holiday accommodation for a large groups

Yorkshire is one of those rare counties where there is so much to do that it would take thousands of words to mention everything – and even then there's no guaranteeing something wouldn't be missed out. It may be a very hackneyed saying, but there really is so much to see and so much to do. And there’s a sense of pride that accompanies stories of its history and times gone by. There are numerable abbeys, castles and stately homes, museums and heritage centres to enable you to dip into the county’s colourful and eventful past.

Is it your job to find accommodation for a re-union or to celebrate a special occasion, a 'big' birthday, a group of bird watchers or for a walking holiday? Simply search for a large self catering holiday house to accommodate all your guests together, or you can rent several cottages on the same site where you can have your own space and a bit more privacy, this often works well for families with young children who want to holiday together.

Quaint villages and small market towns are popular and tourists search for places to stay in Bedale, Filey, Harrogate, Leeds, Liversedge, Masham, Nidderdale, Northallerton, Scarborough, Sheffield, Stokesley York and Whitby. Facilities in luxury big houses often include hot tubs, private pools, cinemas, tennis courts and by the time you split the cost per person per night, you will be amazed how affordable it can be for a large group of guests! Depending on the occasion - caterers or local restaurants offering outside catering services could be be brought in for the special celebration meal, giving you an unique tailored event whilst keeping the costs down. For walkers and reunions, there are farmhouses, barn conversions, and bunkhouses starting with 4 bedrooms sleeping 8 guests and going up to ten bedrooms sleeping 20 guests plus. It's not always possible to organise lots of people at the last minute - but you will be offered any discounted deals with each property that you view.

Yorkshire holiday houses

Large holiday property in Yorkshire near Danby with 5 bedrooms, sleeps 10, Pet friendly, Barbecue, Cot Available.

View Warren Farmhouse

Large holiday house in Yorkshire near Whitby with 5 bedrooms, sleeps 10, Pet friendly, Pub within 1 mile, Cot Available.

View Fern Lea

Group accommodation in Yorkshire near Skipton with 5 bedrooms, sleeps 10, No pets, Cot Available.

View Delph House

Holiday house in Yorkshire near Driffield with 4 bedrooms, sleeps 10, No pets, Barbecue, Pub within 1 mile, Cot Available, Swimming Pool, Gym.

View Wold House Cottage

Self-catering accommodation in Yorkshire near Pickering with 5 bedrooms, sleeps 10, Pet friendly, Barbecue, Ground Floor Facilities, Pub within 1 mile, Cot Available.

View Hungate Garden Cottage

Big party house in Yorkshire near Pickering with 5 bedrooms, sleeps 10, No pets, Barbecue, Pub within 1 mile, Cot Available.

View Hallgarth House

Touring in Yorkshire

With so much to see and so much to do in Yorkshire, the best way of getting a flavour of the culture, heritage and history of the county is to take a guided tour or two. Tours also help you gain an overview of the local attractions that might need further investigation!

It makes no difference whether you’re visiting Yorkshire to see the historic towns and cities, or whether you want to test if you can walk Ilkley Moor Ba’t ‘At for yourself, you will find tours to suit all ages and all interests.

If you have the intention of touring, by far the best option is to take self-catering accommodation in a central part of the county. Many people opt for a rural setting off the A1 or M62 corridor where you’re never far from the major cities and towns. It also puts you in a central position for exploring the National Parks and smaller market towns and quaint villages. And it means you are totally free to come and go as you please.

When it comes to history, York is acknowledged as one of the county’s most historic cities. It rises to the challenge by providing bus tours, river tours, ghost tours and Viking tours, amongst others. An open top bus, with accompanying commentary, is a superb method of seeing the city, allowing you to ‘hop’ on and off as you want. It also gives a great picture of the other attractions in the city. There are also various organised tours available in the other major cities in the county.

If you want a really relaxing tour during your stay in Yorkshire, the county’s waterways are a must. You will find some 270 miles of inland canals and navigable rivers that pass through Skipton, Leeds and Sowerby Bridge (near to Halifax) where you can enjoy a relaxing cruise through the fabulous unspoilt countryside. Many cruises offer refreshments and light meals.

The more energetic will find that cycling, horse and walking tours are great ways to enjoy the Yorkshire countryside. You can either opt to follow your own route (plenty are available from local tourist offices throughout Yorkshire) or take one of the may professionally guided tours available. The Pennine Bridleway is popular with horse riders and Regional Route 52 (stretching from Whitby to Cumbria) is enjoyed by cyclists and walkers alike.

Self-catering and eating out in Yorkshire

Whether you chose self-cater meals in the comfort of your cottage, lodge or apartment, or decide to eat out, you will never be far from either a shop selling top-quality, home-grown produce or a restaurant making best and creative use of Yorkshire-grown food. The seasoned self-caterer will understandably want to take a break from their stove at some stage during their holiday, and there’s no better place than Yorkshire to do so! Yorkshire is enviable in this respect, as there are plenty of fresh local ingredients available on the doorstep that is the green, fertile Yorkshire countryside.

The range and choice of restaurants is Yorkshire outstanding. You will find Michelin starred and other award-winning restaurants, all-day breakfast cafés, diners, take-aways, brasseries, inviting French bistros, colourful Italian Trattorias, traditional British gastropubs and even the original world’s most famous fish and chip emporium, complete with chandeliers (now with branches now all over the world) still based today at its original location in Guiseley near Leeds.

The selection is infinite and is limited only by your taste in food. Some of the country’s top chefs are based in Yorkshire. Marco Pierre White was born and bred in the suburbs of north Leeds, while Andrew Penn, Anthony Flynn, Richard Smith and Rosemary Schrager all tread the ranges in the county.

The full range of world cuisines can be found in cities and towns throughout Yorkshire, all within close proximity to each other. Larger cities such as Leeds and Sheffield, because of their size and their diverse student populations, offer a particularly unrivalled choice, although the smaller towns throughout Yorkshire all now present a diverse range of quality foods from across all continents.

Bradford has, over the years, established itself as a major centre for fine Asian cuisine. It was crowned the UK's Curry Capital in 2004, a title it has justifiably held on to unofficially ever since! While restaurants in the city have a good reputation for excellent Asian cuisine, there is an incredible selection of foods from throughout the world.

Many of the county’s restaurants now have the reputation for serving only regionally produced food. Much of what the county grows is organic, and there is a surprisingly good selection of restaurants throughout the count catering for vegetarians and vegans. In fact, the increasing number of farmers’ markets and food festivals held throughout the county demonstrates its total commitment to serving great, wholesome British food.

Yorkshire truly caters for every taste, whether you choose an authentic Chinese or Indian or menu, or perhaps you may care to try Vietnamese, Indonesian or Thai. And if you want to stick with an Italian, French, American or English menu, you find an equally unrivalled choice. And of course, if it’s speed you’re after, there is also fast food from the four corners of the world, including popular national franchises to independent family-run concerns.

And as you visit the region’s top attractions, you’ll never be far from either a quick refreshing bite to eat or a full, three-course lunch. And many an early-bird makes best use of the day by starting off with a hearty Yorkshire breakfast in one of the many cafés and restaurants that open early to offer the gastronome the opportunity for some hearty, home-cooked food.

Of course pubs have come a long way since Roman times when as inns they provided the weary traveller with refreshments. It was during the Saxon period that local houses transformed themselves into alehouses and the precursor of the modern day pub came into being.

The traditional rural pub is very much a valuable social meeting place. With some of the country’s best self-catering accommodation being rurally located, you’ll never be far away from a traditional and welcoming local pub. And the same applies in Yorkshire.

During the day, most pubs are children-friendly and welcome the younger members of the family. They offer special family and children’s menus, and many of them have high chairs available for the youngest member of the family. And during the summer months when many beer gardens come to life, you’ll often find a dog bowl and somewhere for your favourite four-legged member of the family to enjoy some refreshment of their own.

Many pubs now offer entertainment and themed evenings. You will be able to enjoy comedy evenings, quiz nights, table-sports such as darts and pool and music events from pop to folk. And many pubs now regularly hold gastronomic evenings featuring great guest beers and themed menus to enjoy.

The castles, Statley homes and gardens of Yorkshire

There are great castles and inspirational ruins brimming with history all over the county. For example Conisborough Castle, located between Rotherham and Doncaster, is the oldest of its type in the country and dates all the way back to 1180 AD. Ripley and Skipton Castles in North Yorkshire are exceptionally well preserved examples of their type, while Middleham Castle (one time home of Richard III) is of one of the largest in Britain.

By their nature, castles were predominantly built in strategic positions for defence purposes. However, the 19th century did see landowners and well to do industrialists building them as monuments to themselves.

Many of Yorkshire's stately homes are world famous for their architecture, furniture, art and garden designs and two of the most famous stately homes in the country are in Yorkshire. Her Majesty the Queen’s cousin Lord Harewood owns Harewood House, just outside Leeds, with its Capability Brown designed gardens and magnificent bird garden.

And the most famous of them all, Castle Howard, on the A64 outside York, sates back to the 18th century and has been featured in so many films and television programmes, the most famous of which was undoubtedly Brideshead Revisited.

Both English Heritage and the National Trust are prominent among organisations which maintain the upkeep of many of the county’s stately homes and gardens.