I only know the Welsh tourism set-up, but I imagine that there are English equivalents so ... get in touch with both the Tourist Board AND the regional tourism company (or association) which is more locally focussed than the Tourist Board. It also plugs you into to local similar businesses. In the world of B&B, operators here work an informal network of passing customers on to other establishments if they get booked up. Also, you can club together when group promotions need to be undertaken - the best example of this was the mop-up operation after Foot and Mouth a few years ago. Check to see if there's a regional B&B Tourist transport initiative which carries walkers' luggage to the next destination so they can walk without packs.   

Both the TB and Regional Tourism Company should be able to provide figures on what your expectations should be re: occupancy rates. (You know of www.staruk.org.uk?) I'm assuming the sellers have also provided figures but these should be checked against industry figures. You should also try to find out from the current owners what the break-down is between tourists and commercial travellers. The latter tend to be forgotten when doing up business plans but they are, in fact, a large, dependable section of the market, and don't tend to be seasonal.

For the tourist, think about investing in a large commercial dryer. There was some work done on climate change and tourism some years back which reported that tourists don't mind getting wet as long as they can get their stuff - including boots - dry by next morning. I would have thought that this was relevant in your area. Also think about bicycle lock-ups.

In Wales, the Tourist Board are pushing their "Sense of Place" toolkit - a collection of leaflets which guide tourism operators through ways to give their establishments the maximum local flavour and tie in with the local community. They also do one specifically for local food but I don't think that one is quite so good. The idea is sound, though. The visitor should remember your place as something unique and firmly rooted in the 'Yorkshire Holiday Experience'. (And, on the food front, decent local bacon and sausages PLEASE!)

siân