Following our ‘Team on Tour’ review of a weekend in York, here are a few more suggestions for groups wanting to delve further into the city and county’s past.

JORVIK VIKING CENTRE

Located in the Coppergate Shopping Centre, in the very heart of York, is something a little older than the modern shops which surround it. Between the years 1976-81, archaeologists from York Archaeological Trust revealed the houses, workshops and backyards of the Viking-age city of ‘Jorvik’ as it stood 1,000 years ago. The JORVIK Viking Centre was built on the very site where excavations had taken place, and is now a hugely popular tourist attraction with visitors from the UK and beyond. The centre gives visitors a chance to experience typical life in Viking-age York, including the sights and the smells of a recreated Viking settlement and up close and personal encounters with its residents. Viking guides can take groups on a 45 minute tour during which visitors actually walk on the set of JORVIK and personal Viking hosts can be booked to guide groups from the coach park to JORVIK Viking Centre, giving an overview of York’s history along the way.

Group visitors to JORVIK Viking Centre can expect discounted admission prices for parties of 15 or more and guaranteed entry times into the attraction. Complimentary familiarisation visits for the group organiser are available, as well as free admission for the group leader and coach driver.

Info: 01904 615505    groups@yorkat.co.uk       www.jorvik-viking-centre.co.uk/groups

KEIGHLEY & WORTH VALLEY RAILWAY

Running like a ribbon though Brontë country, through dramatic windswept landscapes of heather and wild moorland, Keighley & Worth Valley Railway takes visitors back in time to explore and learn something of the history of the area and the railway’s past. This restored heritage railway runs for five miles between Keighley and Oxenhope.

Visitors can choose to hop off the line at Ingrow West station, home to two award-winning transport museums. The Ingrow Museum of Rail Travel is full of restored carriages, vintage artefacts and sound and video presentations bringing the past to life, while the Loco Museum boasts several locomotives as well as displays, exhibits and archive film footage.

Keighley & Worth Valley Railway has appeared in many TV and film productions, including Sherlock Holmes, Where the Heart Is and A Touch of Frost. Perhaps most famously of all, the railway, and in particular the charming station at Oakworth, were used as the location for the classic 1970 film The Railway Children.

For those who like the great outdoors, the railway is surrounded by lots of spectacular walks and nature trails. The railway also hosts a number of special events throughout the year. Group fares are available.

Info:  01535 645214     admin@kwvr.co.uk     www.kwvr.co.uk

HAREWOOD HOUSE

Built by John Carr of York, furnished by master cabinet maker Thomas Chippendale, interiors by the much-celebrated Robert Adam, all in the setting of one of Capability Brown's finest landscapes … Harewood House has much to offer visitors wanting to take a look into Yorkshire’s past.

Edwin Lascelles commissioned the building of Harewood House in the mid-18th century and it has been home to the Lascelles family ever since, reflecting the changing tastes and styles of the past 250 years. Many visitors go to marvel at the Robert Adam interiors, including fabulous ceilings, ornate fireplaces and original carpets, or to view the Chippendale furniture, which was the largest commission of Thomas Chippendale’s life. Other highlights include spectacular Chinese wallpaper, a gallery of paintings by masters of the Italian Renaissance, and family portraits by Reynolds, Hoppner and Lawrence. Outside, there are over 100 acres of gardens to explore, including a walled garden, lakeside garden and a bird garden with species from all over the world.

Group visitors are welcomed and there is a 2013 group visits brochure available to download from the website. Pre-booked groups can take advantage of special ticket prices and the chance to visit at any time of year, not just in the main public season. Group organisers with parties of 15 or more get free admission, there is free coach parking, free admission and a complimentary meal for the coach driver, and a ‘meet and greet’ service.

Info: 0113 2181017  info@harewood.org     www.harewood.org