'Ecky thump! Yorkshire's grand
By KEVIN JONES
 It
is the most lampooned place in the whole of Britain. It is,
after London, the
most recognisable place in the whole of the UK, courtesy of
countless movies and television shows.
Its people are the most stereotyped crew in the country
yet take it all in their stride with a stereotypical shrug
of shoulders that, stereotypically, have chips on both sides.
It is the most lampooned place in the whole of Britain. It
is, after London,
the most recognisable place in the whole of the UK, courtesy
of countless movies and television shows.
Its people are the most stereotyped crew in the country
yet take it all in their stride with a stereotypical shrug
of shoulders that, stereotypically, have chips on both sides.
It is Yorkshire: the straight-faced land of eee-bah-goom
and 'ecky thump; the self-appointed cricket capital of England;
the largest county in the British Isles and, if its inhabitants
could only build a moat between it and Lancashire, Northumberland,
Cumbria and Lincolnshire, a land apart.
Yorkshire is not just the biggest English county, it is also
one of England's most diverse. Tourists in Yorkshire can take
in ancient history in York;
experience big-city life in Leeds,
Sheffield,
Hull
or Bradford;
bask in rural splendour in the Yorkshire Dales or Yorkshire
Moors; or delight in the quaint surroundings of centuries-old
centres like Harrogate
or seaside towns like Whitby or Scarborough.
England is renowned for its comedy and Yorkshiremen have
been a favourite target for everyone from stand-up comedians
to television producers and movie-makers for years. Whether
it's the natural comic twang of the accent, or the famous
dourness of the demeanour, Yorkies have always made the rest
of England laugh and cry, whether they intend to or not.
Get a dinner party conversation on to Monty
Python's Flying Circus and it is only a matter of time
before someone will begin quoting large chunks of the famous
Four
Yorkshiremen sketch.
Before you know it, they'll be telling you about how they
'ad it tuff, living in't shoebox in't middle o' t' road and
how their dad would slice 'em in two wi' t' breadknife to
get them to sleep at nights.
The Python Yorkshireman is no different to any number of
Ronnie Barker characterisations over the years and there is
seemingly a never-ending supply of Yorkshire-based sitcoms
and dramas, such as Last of the Summer Wine, The Darling
Buds of May, Emmerdale, A Touch of Frost, All Creatures Great
and Small and Heartbeat.
In the TV and movie world, it's easy to spot Yorkshire in
such diverse yarns as Brideshead Revisited, The
Full Monty, Jane Eyre, Kes, The Railway Children and,
of course, Wuthering Heights. For a fuller list of
Yorkshire's TV and film "credits", click
here.
So, how far from the stereotype is Yorkshire? Paradoxically,
Yorkshire slips into its public image as frequently as it
discards it. You will find examples of the eccentric villager
like Compo from Summer Wine or Greengrass from Heartbeat
in any number of small Yorkshire townships, but you will
be hard-pressed to find one in a big, fast city like Leeds
or a centre of sophistication like York.
The one thing that doesn't change from celluloid to real
life in Yorkshire is the scenery.
Those beautiful rolling hills and dales that TV audiences
the world over fell for in the James
Herriott All Creatures Great and Small shows are
even better in real life.
The moody atmosphere of the moors will have you imagining
that Cathy and Heathcliff are going to appear over the next
rise at any moment. Yes, Yorkshire is Bronte
Country.
The history-savvy tourist will want to make a beeline for
York,
once the capital of the north and the second city of the English
realm after London.
York began as a fortress, built in AD71 by the Roman 9th
Legion for a campaign against the Brigantes tribe. It grew
into an important city, then known as Eboracum.
 Here,
Constantine the Great, who later founded Constantinople, was
made Roman Emperor in AD306. It was the Vikings, who, during
their brief reign, gave York its name, derived from Jorvik
or Yorwik.
Norman rule was to last longer and it was the Normans who
made the city a vital centre of government, commerce and religion
for the north of England. Their work prepared it for its role
in the reigns of the Plantaganet Kings, and, in 1485 when
this era ended and the Tudor age began, York was at its zenith.
Central to York's allure is the magnificent Minster, which
took a lazy 250 years to build. It is, simply, a must-see
for any tourist.
In the 18th Century, York enjoyed a new era of fashionability.
Like Bath in the south, it boasted
a Georgian elegance.
This new-found prosperity was locked in by the Industrial
Revolution and the coming of the railway network.
Today, York houses Britain's National
Railway Museum, which is the largest railway museum in
the world.
The Yorkshire
Dales National Park lies at the northern end of the county
and is, comparatively speaking, not as easily accessible as
other Yorkshire attractions, but it is well worth the effort
to get to.
Take a drive either due north of Leeds or due west of York
to the charming town of Harrogate then take any of several
routes into the heart of the Dales and lose yourself.
This is unspoilt Pennines country and is breathtakingly beautiful,
although perhaps not quite as spectacular as the Lake
District, which sits to its north-west in all its splendour.
The Yorkshire coast might not be a term that rolls off the
tongue like the Cote d'Azur or the Costa Brava, but it is
well worth a look for totally different reasons.
You don't hit the beach in Yorkshire for the surf or the
rays; there is a different allure to the seaside in this neck
of the woods. There are scores of delightful coastal towns
staring out over the steely North Sea, but two stand out -
Whitby
and Scarborough.
Whitby is one of the most picturesque ports in England. Set
in a ravine at the mouth of the River Esk, Whitby and its
harbour are dominated by the clifftop ruined Abbey.
Narrow alleys and quaint streets climb down to the busy quayside,
with its harbourside houses and small shops filled with crafts,
curios, and antiques. Australians take note: this is Captain
Cook country.
Scarborough is known the world over for the song Scarborough
Fair ("Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme…..").
It has other claims to fame. Top of the list would be its
claim to be the world's first-ever seaside resort. Scarborough
has two splendid bays, separated by the mighty castle headland
and the town is reached by Victorian Cliff Lifts.
 It
has attracted visitors for almost 400 years and has some fine
architecture to complement its naturally beautiful surroundings.
Yorkshire and cricket are inextricably linked. Forget Lord's
being the spiritual home to cricket and the Marylebone Cricket
Club being the sport's high priests. A Yorkshireman can see
no further than Headingley
in Leeds.
Yorkshiremen, of course, have often been known to rush their
pregnant wives back across the county border at breakneck
speeds (risking a birth in the car) in order to guarantee
their offspring's right, as a born and bred Yorkie, to play
for the county. Shame if they turn out to be girls.
Yorkshiremen fancy themselves as a football force too. Ask
any Leeds United, Bradford City, Sheffield Wednesday, Sheffield
United, Rotherham, Hull City, Halifax Town, Barnsley, Huddersfield
Town, York City or Doncaster supporter and give yourself a
couple of hours for their reply, especially if its over a
pint or several of one of Yorkshire's excellent beers, such
as Tetley Bitter or Samuel Smith's..
Yorkshire is easily reached by road and rail. It is a three
or four-hour drive up the M1 from London (roadworks willing)
and is easily reached by Liverpool and Manchester to its west
along the M62.
PS: One tip when you go into a Yorkshireman's house (Well,
he calls it an 'ouse; it might be a paper bag in't septic
tank). Whatever, put wood in th'ole, otherwise he'll think
you were born in't bluddy field.
Links
City
of York
York
Minster
Bronte
Country
Home
of Captain Cook
Leeds
Today
SheffNet
Whitby
Online
Yorkshire
Dales
Yorkshire
Coast
Harrogate
Bradford
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