The area is peppered with smaller market towns each with its own creaking coaching inn offering local ales, tearoom, interesting parish church and the traditional market place of shops and characters. Driffield, Howden, Hedon, Pocklington and Market Weighton deserve a visit .

Folklore and chatter is rife here, or it could be something in the water - after all, the elixir of life flows from an Artesian spring and is now bottled as Blue Keld mineral water. Take a sip, you never know what might happen.

Drawing rooms of fine furniture, tapestries, paintings and sculpture, and libraries lined with thousands of books. Acres of deer parkland and lakes, woodland dotted with follies and statues, and afternoon tea and picnics on the lawn. Powerful ancestors, eccentric characters, welcoming families and a ghost or two.

Tremendous backdrops for a calendar of events, from vintage car rallies and country fairs to open-air Shakespeare and Oscar Wilde. Gardens are the county's oases. Picture chrysanthemum bursts beside the sea at Bridlington and Hornsea, crocuses crowding the verges of Flamborough, spring time daffodiles at Farndale and the pots of sweet williams and freesias of villages in bloom.

Stately homes are engulfed with expertly crafted parklands, within which are cherished flower beds, topiaries and herbaceous borders. Summer garden fairs and brass bands on the lawns, and cream teas and potted plants for sale make for a gloriously English day out.

The East Yorkshire coastline ranges from the golden splendour of some of Britain's finest beaches to the wave pounded rocks of the East Coast's highest cliffs at Flamborough Head. Visit the resorts of Filey, Bridlington, Scarborough, Whitby, Hornsea and Withernsea for the traditional English seaside.

The lovely Yorkshire Wolds are the scenic background to the coastline with rolling hills, picturesque country towns and historic houses. Enjoy the Georgian charm of Beverley and Howden. Visit Great Driffield, 'capital of the Wolds', and further west Selby, with its massive abbey. You will find pretty villages and unspoilt market towns such as Beverley, Driffield, Howden, Market Weighton and Pocklington.

Ancient churches include the landmark of Beverley Minster, Howden Minster and the massive Patrington church.

Visit historic houses such as Burton Agnes, Burton Constable and Sledmere, and gardens at Burnby and Sewerby. The flowering lanes and unspoilt villages of the Yorkshire Wolds and Howardian Hills are quiet corners of deepest rural England. Come in, cross over the threshold to our treasured area of the world.

The historic City of York is a few minutes drive away, with Park & Ride on route. Visit the stunning York Minster, the largest Medieval Gothic cathedral north of the Alps and a treasure house of 800 years of stained glass. Explore the history beneath your feet in the Undercroft and enjoy magnificent views from the tower top. Wander along peaceful pedestrianised cobbled streets steeped in medieval magic and lined with endless unique shops guaranteeing a fantastic shopping experience, Stonegate and Shambles to name a couple.

Live the York history at the JORVIK Viking Centre, National Railway Museum and York Castle Museum. Cruise along the River Ouse with York Boat enjoying the stunning views with a drink from the bar of coffee lounge. Take a ride on Yorks own Yorkshire Wheel, enjoying the magnificent views across the city and beyond. Enjoy the walled riverside city and choose your favourite world-class attractions, museums and galleries to visit.