My husband and I recently spent a week traveling through England, focusing on places that gave us a mix of history, time outdoors, good food and enough breathing room that the trip never felt rushed.

We started in York, rented a car for a few days in the Yorkshire Dales, and finished in London.

It was a simple route, but that was part of why it worked so well.

York was an easy place to settle in.

We arrived on a Sunday, which gave us an excellent excuse to begin with a proper Sunday roast.

Afterward, we met a local historian for a private tour of York Minster. Having someone explain the stained glass, architecture and long religious history gave the building much more context without turning the visit into a lecture.

That evening, we went in a completely different direction and joined a wonderfully campy ghost walk.

It was theatrical, a little ridiculous and a very fun way to hear some of the city’s folklore.

Then we went looking for James Herriot country.

The Yorkshire Dales had been on our list for years.

We are longtime fans of James Herriot’s books, so seeing the landscapes associated with All Creatures Great and Small was one of the reasons we wanted to spend time here rather than simply adding another city.

Our first hike was the loop around Malham Cove and Gordale Scar, through limestone cliffs, streams and open countryside.

We also happened to be there during lambing season, which meant baby sheep everywhere.

That did not hurt.

Grassington required tea.

Grassington stands in for the fictional town of Darrowby in the newer All Creatures Great and Small television series, so naturally we had to stop.

It is a very easy place to wander, browse a few shops and have tea.

We also made sure to spend time in a traditional pub.

Fish and chips and a cold ale in a cozy pub may not be groundbreaking travel advice, but sometimes the obvious thing is obvious for a reason.

Cheese was also part of the itinerary.

The next day took us to Hawes and the Wensleydale Creamery.

Their tour walks through the cheesemaking process and, importantly, includes samples.

Hawes also has a large open-air market, so it was easy to spend a little time there before continuing on.

From there, we stopped at Aysgarth Falls for a short walk and then drove through Swaledale.

Swaledale may have been one of my favorite stretches of the trip: stone barns, green hills and country roads that felt much quieter than the better-known parts of England.

And then back to London.

We returned by train and spent the final days of the trip in the city.

The Tower of London was every bit as worthwhile as expected, especially for the history of the fortress and, of course, the Crown Jewels.

The Churchill War Rooms were another highlight.

For anyone interested in twentieth-century history, it is one of those museums where the setting itself makes the story much more immediate.

We also made plenty of room for wandering.

Borough Market was an easy favorite for cheese, pastries and coffee, but I enjoyed it just as much for the atmosphere.

We also had afternoon tea, rode bikes through Hyde Park, spent time at the British Museum and wandered Portobello Road Market in Notting Hill looking at antiques and vintage finds.

None of those things needed to become an entire day.

They simply gave us different ways to experience London between the larger sights.

We ended with the West End.

Our final evening was a performance of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

It was beautifully staged and felt like exactly the right ending after a week that had moved from medieval York to hiking trails, small towns, cheese, museums and London streets.

Why this route worked for us

The trip had a little of everything we wanted without trying to cover too much.

York gave us history. The Yorkshire Dales gave us landscape and walking. London gave us museums, markets, theater and plenty of energy at the end.

I came home liking England even more for the contrast between those places.

Sometimes one city, one stretch of countryside and one more city is plenty.