Host & Stay 1 The Mount

Host & Stay 1 The Mount is in Whitby, North Yorkshire (East Crescent, Whitby, United Kingdom), close to Whitby Abbey.

Prices are set live by the hotel — check the booking page for a real rate for your dates.

Host & Stay 1 The Mount is a 4-star hotel in North Yorkshire.

York, for a first trip. Everything central — the Minster, the two miles of city walls, Jorvik, Clifford's Tower and the Shambles — is walkable, and trains reach Scarborough in about 50 minutes, Harrogate in 35 and Northallerton in 25. Expect £110–£180 for a mid-range double inside the walls, more on race days. If that is above your budget, base in Malton, Selby or Tadcaster and commute in, or choose Harrogate if you want a spa-town break rather than a heritage one.

January is the cheapest, with late November and early March close behind. Budget rooms in Scarborough, Northallerton and Selby drop to around £55–£70, and mid-range York hotels that cost £160 in August often sit near £80 midweek. The one January–February exception is the Jorvik Viking Festival around York's February half-term, which fills the city for a week. Bear in mind some Dales inns in Hawes and Grassington close for a fortnight after New Year, so check before you drive out.

Three nights minimum, five to seven if you want the city, the coast and a national park. One base cannot cover the county — Skipton to Whitby is 90 miles and over two hours by road. A good week is two nights in York, two on the coast at Whitby or Scarborough, and two or three in the Dales at Leyburn, Grassington or Hawes. If castles and abbeys are your reason for coming, replace the coast leg with Helmsley or Thirsk for Rievaulx, Byland and Mount Grace Priory.

Leeds Bradford (LBA) is the closest, about 12 miles from Harrogate and 30 from York, with no station of its own — budget £40–£55 for a taxi to Harrogate, or bus into Leeds and take the train onward. Manchester Airport has direct TransPennine trains to York in roughly two hours, which is often the easiest option from a long-haul flight. Newcastle Airport connects by Metro to Newcastle Central in about 25 minutes, then an hour by train to York or 35 minutes to Northallerton. Teesside International is handy only for Richmond, Northallerton and the northern moors, and car hire is worth taking there.

Yes for the Yorkshire Dales and most of the North York Moors, no for York itself. Places like Aysgarth Falls, Rievaulx Abbey, Bolton Castle and Sutton Bank have thin or weekend-only bus service, and DalesBus routes around Grassington run mainly at weekends. If you are staying in York, Harrogate, Knaresborough, Skipton, Scarborough or Whitby and travelling by train, you can manage without one — the Coastliner 840 and 843 buses link York, Malton and Pickering to Whitby and Scarborough. Remember that central York hotel parking typically adds £15–£25 a night, so a car you do not use is expensive.