With Valentine’s Day just around the corner – I decided to give some thought as to why Love and Yorkshire go hand in hand, plus how and why our region is the perfect place to celebrate on 14th July…
With Yorkshire’s diverse landscape, including the wild Pennine moorland, the rolling Yorkshire Dales, the stunning coastline, the heather clad North York Moors and the dry valleys of the Wolds – Yorkshire has miles of footpaths for a romantic walks. Falling in love with the landscape as well as cementing true love is easy to do in our region.
For those of a less active disposition, there are hundreds of romantic locations in Yorkshire which can be visited by car or public transport. Just think the ruined abbeys, castles and waterfalls where artists such as JMW Turner came to capture the vistas and romantic poets came to take inspirations for their verse.
Perhaps some of the best known authors of Yorkshire’s impressive literary heritage are the Bronte Sisters. Their passionate style with emphasis on both strong characterisation, nature and love is pure romanticism. Just think of Heathcliffe and Cathy up on the Moors in Wuthering Heights.
“There is no love sincerer than the love of food” - George Bernard Shaw.
And for many Yorkshire folk we know that Yorkshire is fast becoming the UK’s unofficial foodie capital. Yorkshire has so many options for a Valentine’s Day dinner – from the 7 Michelin starred restaurants, high quality Gastro pubs, wide selection of multi-ethnic and international cuisine, fresh seafood restaurants along the coast, pop up restaurants and independent eateries.
Recently, Yorkshire has also started producing a range of quality sparkling wines, which compete with some of the finest French champagnes. So now there is no need for incurring air miles on champagne when you can call in at one of the many Yorkshire vineyards and pick up a bottle of fine fizz!
The box of chocolates is something which is synonymous with Valentine’s Day. Yorkshire’s chocolate history goes back over 200 years with chocolate empires such as Terry’s (makers of the chocolate orange & All Gold selection) and Rowntrees located in York - In fact they still manufacture over a billion Kit Kats in Yorkshire each year. But nowadays Yorkshire has a host of fine chocolatiers across the region making luxury handcrafted chocolates and sales are sure to boom this month as they are shared between loved ones.
But perhaps the most romantic location in Yorkshire, which helps make the area the most romantic place to celebrate Valentine’s Day is the gothic marvel of York Minster. At the West End can be found the iconic “Heart of Yorkshire” window – a stunning decorated gothic masterpiece with delicate curvilinear tracery in the shape of a heart.
This has been a popular location with love struck couples for centuries in what has become England’s answer to the Blarney Stone. Legend has it that those couples who pucker up and kiss their loved one beneath the Heart of Yorkshire window will stay together forever.
So we believe that Yorkshire ticks all the boxes when it comes to romance - being the perfect place for a romantic break, romantic walk or romantic meal. But as well as recognising your loved one on Valentine’s Day, spare some thought for your love of Yorkshire too!
We’d love to hear where you think the most romantic place in Yorkshire is? Why not comment and let us know your thoughts?