Activities

Whitby combines a traditional British seaside resort, with sandy beach, arcades and promenade with a lively harbour full of fishing boats and pleasure craft. It’s also famous for its fish and chips. Whitby Abbey dating back to AD657 is perched on a cliff top looking over the bay. The dramatic ruins are well worth a visit, and can be accompanied by an audio tour. The town is also rather fond of the explorer Captain Cook, who began his seafaring career here. You’ll notice a number of establishments named after one of Britain’s most famous explorers.

Robin Hoods Bay, 6 miles to the south of Whitby is one of the most picturesque fishing villages in Britain, and was notorious for smugglers in the past.  The village has tearooms, pubs and craft shops a plenty along the narrow winding streets that come down the cliffside.

The North Yorkshire Moors Railway is a steam adventure taking you from Whitby to Pickering through the stunning countryside of the National park stopping at charming stations along the way including Goathland railway station, which was used for the location of Hogsmeade railway station in the Harry Potter films.   

Pickering, an ancient market town and is known as the gateway to the national park. As well as being the terminus for the North York Moors Railway, its other main attraction is its Norman castle.

Helmsley is another picturesque market town situated at the south-west side of the national park. Like Pickering it has a Norman Castle but also a very interesting walled garden which blends history and agriculture. 3 miles from the town of Helmsley is Rievaulx Abbey one of the most complete, and atmospheric, of England’s abbey ruins.

Hutton-le-Hole is home to the Ryedale Folk Museum, which records the daily life of North Yorkshire people from the earliest inhabitants to 1953.  The village of Hutton-le-Hole is also a tranquil village worth a visit in its own right.

The Coast to Coast Route is popular among walkers. The entire route of 192 miles takes you west across the Moors, through the Yorkshire Dales and ends up on the edge of the Lake District. Of course you don’t have to complete the entire route!