Thornton Lodge Country Retreats

This part of Yorkshire is rich in history and culture. Within 10 minutes’ drive is Coxwold with its tiptop 12th-century church and Shandy Hall, a museum in the old home of writer Laurence Sterne. Veer slightly outside the village for Newburgh Priory Estate, a Grade 1-listed Tudor building, or branch out a little further (15 minutes' drive) to Byland Abbey and wander around the ruins. If religious structures of note strike a chord, don’t miss Rievaulx Abbey – set in a remote valley in the North York Moors National Park, it’s one of the most impressive landmarks of its kind in England. Castle Howard (half an hour) is yet another of the area’s historical highlights. This stately home is topped with a grand domed roof and surrounded by gardens lined in ornate fountains. Navigate towards another manor house too, the National Trust’s Beningbrough Hall, a huge Georgian mansion with a baroque interior, cantilevered stairs and wood carvings.