Explore Yorkshire in Spring
In Yorkshire, as in most other places, spring begins in March. Days get longer, and although snow sometimes falls as late as April, you’ll see plenty of Yorkshire folk getting their legs out as soon as the mercury pushes 16°C. It’s the season synonymous with flower blooms on the moors, lambing in the dales, and rhubarb crumble on pub menus. Magnificent country estates pull out all the stops for Easter and St George’s Day, while quaint towns welcome droves of visitors for growing national events.
March – Markets, Flowers and Pride
Although temperatures can still be low in March, it starts to heat up in terms of activities. In Leeds, the Kirkstall Abbey Market starts running this month, featuring street food within the abbey ruins, often accompanied by some Yorkshire gins. The end of the month is marked by the Trans Pride Leeds March, launched in 2018, making it Britain’s second significant event of its kind.
Mid-March to mid-April is daffodil season, and Farndale, Yorkshire’s ‘daffodil dale,’ transforms into a sunbeam of these quintessentially British flowers. Immerse yourself in them on an easy 3.5-mile linear walk, which meanders through the valley beside the River Dove.
April – Goths, Beer, and More Flowers
The regional calendar gets busier in April, just as the weather warms. A handful of Yorkshire Dales farms open for lambing season, offering farm trails and the opportunity to see newborn lambs. Rhubarb becomes the seasonal ingredient on pub and restaurant menus. Meanwhile, goths flock to the historic seaside town of Whitby for the first of the twice-yearly Whitby Goth Weekends.
The National Trust equips thousands of kids with maps for Easter egg hunts around old manor houses and country estates. Properties such as Fountains Abbey, Nostell Priory, and the Treasurer’s House in York typically participate. St George’s Day (23 April) is also widely celebrated across Yorkshire, with several heritage houses orchestrating dragon hunts. Notably, in 2018, Lotherton Hall, a fabulous country estate and museum on the outskirts of Leeds, installed a ferocious animatronic dragon in a converted stable den.
The last week of April brings the northern version of the Chelsea Flower Show, held with great fanfare at the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate, organized by the Royal Horticultural Society. York Open Studios offers a unique opportunity to visit studios of artists and artisans that are usually not open to the public. Yorkshire also boasts numerous beer festivals; in April, two highlights include the Hull Real Ale & Cider Festival and Hop City in Leeds, an all-you-can-drink event celebrating hop bombs at Northern Monk. North Brewing Co’s weekly Eat North street food, craft beer, and DJs fest also kicks off for the season at the end of April.
May – Bikes, Food, and Hikes
Yorkshire was so enamored of hosting part of the Tour de France in 2014 that it now runs its own annual spin-off, one of the region’s most high-profile events. The Tour de Yorkshire puffs through 150 villages, towns, and cities on the early May bank holiday. The route changes each year, but villages in the Yorkshire Dales typically make for scenic viewing points. In West Yorkshire, Haworth – the quaint hometown of the Brontës – dresses up in 1940s attire for its annual vintage weekend in mid-May.
May is a significant month for food enthusiasts. Vegan-friendly Leeds hosts the Great Yorkshire Vegan Festival at Leeds Town Hall on a mid-May Sunday, presenting around 100 stalls, along with nutrition talks and cooking demonstrations. Additionally, Leeds Indie Food Fest showcases the city’s best independent cafes, restaurants, and chefs for two-and-a-half weeks of creative culinary events. During the late May bank holiday weekend, the charming town of Malton attracts approximately 30,000 visitors for the Malton Food Lovers Festival.
During the late May bank holiday, WalkFest takes place in the North York Moors National Park. The annual festival will be themed around the 50th anniversary of Yorkshire’s long-distance Cleveland Way, featuring a series of guided walks. For adventurous spirits, a local potholing club organizes the popular Gaping Gill Winch Meet, where participants can pay to descend into the incredible depths of Gaping Gill, a stunning 98-metre cave. Alternatively, for a more relaxed experience, enjoy the Swaledale Festival of music, art, and walking during the last week of the month.
