North Yorkshire is England's largest county. In the west of North Yorkshire there are many destinations and attractions, such as
Harrogate a beautiful spa town and its attractions, the Royal Pump Room Museum, the Mercer Art Gallery and nearby RHS Garden Harlow Carr, a few miles north is 14th century Ripley Castle. At the gateway to the Yorkshire Dales is the market town
Skipton, home to one of the best preserved medieval castles in England, Skipton Castle. The area of North Yorkshire known as Hambleton takes the name from the Hambleton Hills, it is otherwise known as Herriot Country. The veterinary surgeon Alf Wight lived and worked in Thirsk and drew stimulation from the surrounding countryside and its characters for his novels. The county's greatest advantage is its wonderful landscape, whether it is the North York fastens, to be enjoyed on foot, by car or steam railway or the beauty and tranquility of the Yorkshire Dales. The more adventurous can explore the demanding environment of remote uplands, impressive limestone and gritstone crags and the secrets of the limestone potholes or the drama of its seaboard with narrow streeted villages clinging to its spectacular sea cliffs.