Often known as 'God's Own County', the original Yorkshire county boundary was made up of Ridings (East, North and West) which originates from the Anglo-Saxon period. It is the largest historic county in the UK with a mix of industrial, urban and rural landscapes. There are two National Parks, a wealth of history, famed seaside resorts and a wealth of market towns.
Parts of Yorkshire have featured in numerous television programmes and films, such as 'Heartbeat', 'Emmerdale', 'Last of the Summer Wine', 'The Full Monty' and 'The Railway Children'. 'God's Own County' is a popular choice for TV and film producers as well as tourists. You can see why as you take the A169 or a steam train through the North Yorkshire Moors; or a bus through Halifax or Sheffield to see terraced houses and reminders of past industries. Or you walk through the centre of Leeds and see a booming post-industrial city.
It is no small wonder as to why Yorkshire has a superb range of hotels and conference venues. Leeds and Harrogate are perfectly placed for inter-city rail services and trunk roads from the length and breadth of Great Britain. Harrogate has an internationally renowned conference centre, which was used for the 1982 Eurovision Song Contest. Leeds is one of the stages for the 2014 Tour de France, and Hull is 2017's City of Culture.
Sheffield is ideally located for the Peak District, just off the M1 motorway and well served by heavy rail and light rail. The city centre has a number of suitable conference venues from former railway hotels to arenas. The city's steel making heritage can be seen at Kelham Island Museum (also available for hire).
To the north of Yorkshire, Middlesbrough is a suitable gateway for both the North Yorkshire Moors and County Durham, being off the A1(M) and A19. The town, noted for its iron and Transporter Bridge, has seen some regeneration with a state of the art college and Mima, the Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art.
As well as its industrial setting, it is famed for its seaside resorts, from Redcar to Withernsea, including Whitby, Scarborough and Bridlington. You may wish to follow in the footsteps of Dracula and climb the 199 steps up to Whitby Abbey. Take a trip to Scarborough Castle, or watch a show in the Spa and Stephen Joseph theatres. Last but not least, don't forget to try the Fish and Chips! They say the best fish comes from the Yorkshire Coast; neither Whitby nor Scarborough nor even Bridlington is short of sublime chippies. Both Scarborough and Bridlington Spa complexes are available for hire, and both resorts are blessed with a wide range of hotels.
Further inland, God's Own County is blessed with a number of delightful and historic market towns. To the north is Richmond, Pickering and Skipton. All three also have castles as well as indoor and outdoor markets. Lovers of the Bronte Sisters' works would be foolish to miss the joys of Haworth village. There is also a great number of stately homes such as Castle Howard (as seen of Granada Television's adaptation of 'Brideshead Revisited') and Bolton Abbey.
It would be amiss to forget about its county town. No trip to Yorkshire is complete without a visit to the city of York. There is a host of things to do and places to visit, such as Clifford's Tower, The Castle Museum, Jorvik Heritage Centre, its famous Minster and the National Railway Museum.
With its mix of industrial landscape and excellent road and rail links, you'll be impressed with what Yorkshire has to offer.