North York Moors National Park
The largest expanse of heather moor in England, ringed by market towns and a steam railway, with the coast on its eastern edge.
Heather in bloom on the North York Moors under an August sky
Why people stay in North York Moors National Park
The North York Moors cover roughly 550 square miles between the Vale of York and the sea, and the thing that defines them is the heather: from mid-August into early September the high plateau above Rosedale, Farndale and Blakey Ridge turns solid purple, the single most photographed landscape in the park. You do not stay on the moor itself — there is almost nothing up there but sheep, grouse butts and the Lion Inn at Blakey. You stay in the ring of towns and villages around the edge and drive or walk up, and where you pick that base decides your whole trip.
Helmsley and Pickering are the two main southern gateways, handsome and well provisioned, with doubles at £95 to £150 and the best restaurant choice; Kirkbymoorside and Thornton-le-Dale sit between them cheaper at £80 to £110. On the northern side, Danby has the Moors National Park Centre and the Esk Valley villages — Goathland, Egton Bridge, Grosmont — trade on the steam railway and the walking, with rooms from £85. Whitby and Robin Hood's Bay hold the eastern, coastal corner and price higher in summer. The moor is the same from all of them; the drive time to the coast or the abbeys is what changes.
The North Yorkshire Moors Railway is the spine most visitors ride. Steam trains run the 18 miles from Pickering through Levisham and Goathland to Grosmont, and on to Whitby on many services, roughly late March to early November; an all-line day rover is around £40 an adult and worth it for a full day of hopping off at station walks. Goathland doubled as Hogsmeade and Aidensfield, so it fills with coaches by 11am — go early or stay for the evening after they leave. Rievaulx Abbey near Helmsley and the Hole of Horcum on the A169 are the two unmissable set-pieces.
Come between May and September and the moor is at its best, dry underfoot in a good spell and purple by late August; the honeypots — Goathland, Rievaulx, the Hole of Horcum lay-by — fill from mid-morning on any fine weekend, so start at eight or arrive at four. Winter is bleak and beautiful, but the moor-top roads close in snow and many attractions and the steam railway run reduced hours or shut. Skip the Moors if you have come for limestone scenery and drystone-wall dales — that is the western half of the county — or if you want to do it all without a car, because the bus network thins fast off the main valleys.
For a first visit, base in Helmsley or Pickering: both are proper towns with a market square, several good pubs and restaurants, and doubles at £95 to £150, and both put Rievaulx, Sutton Bank and the southern moor within twenty minutes. Pickering also gives you the steam railway from your doorstep. Kirkbymoorside and Thornton-le-Dale are quieter and £15 to £30 cheaper for much the same access. If the walking and the Esk Valley are your focus, stay at Danby, Castleton or Grosmont on the north side — smaller, plainer, £85 to £120, and closer to the heather of Rosedale and Farndale. Goathland is scenic but overrun by day; take a room there only if you want it in the evening once the coaches have gone. For the coast, Whitby and Robin Hood's Bay are covered in their own right and cost more in July and August. Avoid booking a moor-top inn without checking winter opening and road conditions from November to March.
Things to do in North York Moors National Park
Steam from Pickering station 18 miles through Newtondale to Grosmont, with many trains continuing to Whitby. An all-line day rover is around £40 an adult, and the season runs roughly late March to early November. Hop off at Levisham or Goathland for a station-to-station walk and catch a later train back.
The great natural amphitheatre on the A169 between Pickering and Whitby, with a free-to-park lay-by at Saltergate on the rim. The full circuit round the bowl and up to Levisham Moor is about 11 km and three hours; the short there-and-back to the bottom is under an hour. Exposed and boggy after rain — take boots.
Three miles north-west of Helmsley in a wooded valley, the finest Cistercian ruin in England, with the soaring presbytery arches still standing. English Heritage, around £10 an adult, generally open daily in season and weekends in winter. Combine it with the separate National Trust Rievaulx Terrace above for the classic view down onto the abbey.
On the A170 west of Helmsley, the escarpment James Herriot called the finest view in England, over Lake Gormire and the Vale of York to the Dales beyond. The National Park visitor centre has parking, maps and a café; walk north along the cliff edge to the gliding club or south to the White Horse of Kilburn cut into the slope.
From mid-August to early September the moor above Rosedale and Farndale turns solid purple. Drive the single-track road over Blakey Ridge to the isolated Lion Inn at 1,325 feet for lunch and the view both ways down the dales. Go on a weekday if you can; the ridge road is slow and passing-place-only when it is busy.
From Goathland village, a wooded path drops to Mallyan Spout, a 70-foot waterfall on the West Beck, reached beside the Mallyan Spout Hotel. Rocky and slippery for the last stretch. Combine it with the walk to Beck Hole and the old incline railway to make a two-hour loop, and see the village before the coaches arrive.
What to see
Hotels in North York Moors National Park
No hotels are listed in North York Moors National Park yet. The nearest ones are on the region page.
Getting around North York Moors National Park
A car makes the Moors work, but not the whole trip. The A170 runs along the southern edge through Helmsley, Kirkbymoorside, Pickering and Thornton-le-Dale; the A169 crosses north over the moor from Pickering to Whitby past the Hole of Horcum. On rails, the Esk Valley line runs from Middlesbrough to Whitby through Danby, Castleton, Grosmont and the northern villages a few times a day, and the North Yorkshire Moors Railway links Pickering to Grosmont and Whitby by steam in season. The Moorsbus network adds Sunday and bank-holiday links to the honeypots in summer but is thin the rest of the year. Nearest mainline stations are Malton, York, Scarborough and Middlesbrough. Check moor-top road conditions between November and March.
Questions about North York Moors National Park
Helmsley or Pickering for a first visit — both are well-served towns with good pubs and restaurants, doubles at £95 to £150, and twenty-minute access to Rievaulx, Sutton Bank and the southern moor, with Pickering adding the steam railway. For the northern heather and the Esk Valley walks, Danby, Castleton or Grosmont are closer and £15 to £30 cheaper. For the coast, sleep in Whitby or Robin Hood's Bay.
From roughly mid-August to early September, when the high moor above Rosedale, Farndale and Blakey Ridge turns solid purple. It is a short window and weather-dependent, so aim for the last two weeks of August. The Blakey Ridge road and the moor above Goathland give the best colour; go on a weekday, as the single-track roads clog on fine weekends.
Yes, especially with children or on a wet day. Steam trains cover the 18 miles from Pickering to Grosmont, many continuing to Whitby, from late March to early November. An all-line day rover is around £40 an adult; the value is in hopping off at Levisham or Goathland for a walk and catching a later train. Book ahead for peak summer and half-term dates.
Partly. The Esk Valley line and the steam railway open up the northern villages and Whitby, and the Coastliner bus links York, Malton and Pickering to the coast. But the heart of the moor — Blakey Ridge, the Hole of Horcum, Rosedale — is hard to reach on public transport outside the summer Moorsbus season. Base yourself on a rail line or accept a car for the wilder days.
