LATEST FROM THE WHITE SHIRE

Mick and I visited the York Food & Drink Festival on Sunday 20th September, and with the sun shining we couldn’t really have picked a better day for it. The festival runs until 27th September, so if you’re looking for something to do in York over the next few days, there is still time to visit.

We took our 10-year-old grandson Ally, a keen aircraft enthusiast, to the Yorkshire Air Museum at Elvington near York. From the impressive Halifax bomber and the history of RAF Elvington to Ally getting inside his favourite aircraft, the Dakota, we had a brilliant afternoon discovering this fascinating Yorkshire attraction.

The Calder Valley stretches west from Halifax through a dramatic landscape shaped by steep hillsides, gritstone terraces, riverside mills and wooded slopes. The River Calder, the Rochdale Canal and the railway run together through the valley, linking historic towns, independent shops, traditional pubs and some of West Yorkshire’s most recognisable walking routes.

The Worth Valley sits in the heart of West Yorkshire, running west from Keighley through a chain of hillside villages shaped by the Industrial Revolution. The landscape is a mix of steep moorland, stone-built settlements and the winding River Worth, creating a setting that feels unmistakably Yorkshire.

Pontefract Castle is one of the most important historic attractions in West Yorkshire. Standing above the historic market town of Pontefract, its dramatic ruins tell the story of almost 1,000 years of Yorkshire and English history.

Sandal Castle is one of the most atmospheric historic attractions in West Yorkshire. Standing high above the River Calder near Wakefield, the dramatic ruins of this medieval castle offer a combination of Yorkshire history, open countryside and impressive views across the Calder Valley. The castle is particularly famous for its connection with the Wars of the Roses and the Battle of Wakefield in 1460, when Richard, Duke of York was defeated and killed.