The Moors Boasts Some Of
The Most Picturesque Villages In The
Making
A typical moorland village which is noted for the
two bridges that carry traffic over the river Derwent as it whispers through
the valley, the main attraction being the old stone built bridge, in and around
Ayton you can still find the remains of the 14th century Ayton
castle.
River
Derwent
EBBERSTON
Ebberston is well known for the Rosedale ironstone
mines & treatment plants which can still be seen here, however the village
is better known for having the smallest stately home in
Above the village in the hills of the national park
is an ironstone burial ground.
Ebberston
Hall
THORNTON-LE-DALE
Just 2 miles before
A stream runs through the village & the village
plays host to the most photographed thatched cottage in history, there’s a chocolate
factory & shop for the chocoholics.
A vintage car showroom,
Thatched Cottage the Beck
The Forge
Post Office
The Village Is
a Bustling Centre of Attractions with Shop’s, Flee Markets, Eateries, Hotel’s
& Public Houses.
On Mondays the
whole centre springs to life with the arrival of the weekly market.
Not forgetting
the world famous Pickering Antiques Centre with some 45 dealers, 3,500 sq feet
of showroom, free parking & disabled access this is a must visit for all
your antiques & collectables at reasonable prices
Ryedale
swimming pool is located next to the towns football pitch & the Traction
Engine & Steam Rally is held here at the beginning of August, well worth a
visit. There is an impressive display of machinery & the fair comes to
town.
The line was
originally planed by George Stephenson in 1832 to connect
It started
running in 1836 by horse drawn carriages as the
The line
changed names & owners over the years until 1973 when it was taken over by
the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, This is the second longest steam railway in
the country covering some 18 miles & including stations at Levisham, Newton
Dale Halt, Goathland, Grosmont & Whitby with plans for extensions to
Malton, taking in further stops at Rillington, Marishes Rd & Kirby stations,
both steam & diesel trains are run for public business & pleasure.
The Nymr often
put on themed weekends throughout the April to December season lists of which
can be found here along with timetables & costs.
Pickering
castle is a superb example of Motte-&-Bailey structure constructed by the
Normans, this fine building is now a ruin as during the civil war lead, wood
& iron were all removed to strengthen Scarborough castle, it is however
still considered one of the best examples in Yorkshire & the ruins rise
dramatically above Pickering beck & the Trout Farm.
The castle is located
¼ mile from the main street.
It is believed
the parish
St Peter & Pauls Church
Beck Isle
Museum This fascinating museum is housed in a fine example of a Regency
residence, situated adjacent to Pickering beck a stream that flows through the
town under a four arched road bridge of which one arch is reputedly or Medieval
origin, it is widely believed that William Marshall planed the 1st
English Agricultural Institute here in the early 1800’s.
The museum
contains a large amount of bygones relating to the everyday rural life style
over the past 200 years in Ryedale & it also boasts a large collection of
the world famous Sydney Smith photographs.
The ‘Pickering
Trout Farm’ provides hours of fun for all generations whether it’s catching
their first fish or just practice to the more experienced fisherman.
There is a
cafeteria on site, tuition is available & both fly & float fishing are
accepted
Bed &
Breakfasts, Guest Houses & Hotels are all located in historic Georgian
market town, or if self catering is your choice, there are many cosy holiday
cottages to choose from.
Driving or cycling
both on & off road.
Maybe you are
just an enthusiastic
The idyllic North
York Moors National Park offers it all & is a pleasure to be upon it offers
in excess of 1,000 miles of public footpaths running through the wild moors,
sprawling forests, imposing ridges & pastoral dales.
LEVISHAM
Travelling from
The steam train
enthusiast can rent carriage accommodation here starting from as little as £350
per week & including free use of the nymr, the carriages are maintained to
very high standards.
Coach Camping
North is the
spectacular
Once arriving
at Tumuli-Rich visitors stare in wonder at the natural amphitheatre known as
the Hole of Horcum.
Levisham Beck
LOCKTON
Lockton sited just 2 miles
from Levisham is a delightful village cast in a beautiful location & has
one of the few remaining village duck ponds in the national park.
Along with Levisham Lockton
is one of the 1st places where early iron smelting has been
discovered
GOATHLAND
Goathland would
be your next stop & is famously known as Aidensfield the home of TV’s Heartbeat, visitors come here everyday
to see if they can catch a glimpse of one of the stars. The pub, garage/funeral
directors and village shop are instantaneously recognisable.
Village Store
Cripps garage
Goathland Steam Railway Aidensfield Arms
Goathland is a
stop on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway www.nymr.co.uk.
The steam &
diesel trains begin at
The steam
railway station is your third stop on the line & has been used in ‘Harry
Potter and the Philosopher's Stone’.
Here you can
also rent carriage accommodation for as little as £350 per week
Coach Camping
Being a central
point in the North York Moors, there are stunning walks in any direction you
turn. Waterfalls are here in abundance, the most well known being the Mallyan
Spout, Water
Mallyan Spout
Country houses,
farms, and cottages all providing accommodation, most offer bed and breakfast
while some offer half & full board, self-catering holiday cottages are also
available.
GROSSMONT
The terminus for the North Yorkshire Moors Railway
is a hive of activity during the season.
The home of the build sheds which is well worth a look,
here you can see former steam trains being restored to there natural glory the
most famous possibly being the Sir Nigel Gresley.
The steam
railway station is you’re forth stop on the line & links up with British
rail mainline from
Here you can
also rent carriage accommodation for as little as £350 per week
Station House Self Catering
A small but bustling village with great walks, superb
views & a small amount of village shops, pubs & accommodations.
Grosmont also has a castle which remarkably well
preserved & was founded by Earl William Fitz Osbern during his invasion of
THE
The
Mining was
once a major industry of the North East of England and there are many deserted
mines throughout the
There are
many historic and beautiful towns and villages which make up the
WESTERDALE
The most westerly point of
the Esk valley, the river rises here in several small becks known as Esklets
& combine to form the river Esk.
Westerdale itself is a
pretty village surrounded by moorland.
CASTLETON
Nestling against Castleton
Rigg this pretty village offers a rest bite for the weary traveller.
The village has a small but
vibrant community which offers shops, bank, hotels, pubs, tea rooms & even
a local garage.
A pretty hamlet Castleton
is worth a stop as it relies mainly on tourism today.
DANBY
Danby nestles in a hollow
& its focus is the village green were the sheep make lawn mowers redundant,
there is a pretty stroll down by the river were you can cross using the
The village offers a
village pub, bakery & café, village store & bed & breakfast accommodations.
HOULSYKE
Houlsyke is a small hamlet
on the road between Danby & Lealholm blink & you may miss it.
LEALHOLM
The River Esk forces it's
way through a steep gorge called 'Crunkley Gill' and emerges in the village of
Lealholm, with stone cottages, a village green, and stepping stones over the
river it is not surprising that this is a spot that is popular with photographers
and artists alike.
Lealholm
GLAISDALE
Glaisdale village is an
ironstone mining village of the 19th Century.
You can view attractive
terraces of slate-roofed cottages.
Wide verges and greens that
cling to the hillside on the western side of the dale just south of the River
Esk
Amenities include a post
office, pub & a church.
Glaisdale Cottages
EGTON
Egton & Egton Bridge are picturesque villages
deep in the Esk valley famed for the Postgate inn which was aptly named after
the martyr the blessed Nicholas Postgate who was hung drawn & quartered in
York in 1679 at the age of 82.
Under the railway bridge is the superb St Hedda’s
church often known as the cathedral of the moors.
St Hedda’s Church Esk at
SLEIGHTS
This picturesque village inhabits hillsides on
either side of the river Esk & takes it fame from infamous Flint Jack who
was born here one of Yorkshire’s great characters.
The Salmon Leap hotel offers good food a friendly
welcome & super selection of beers it is sited on the river Esk and fishing
for both Salmon & Trout is available.
Sleights also has a super garden centre that nestles
on the banks of the Esk with a lovely tea room, you can hire rowing boats 7 a
miniature railway, children’s soft play area & ice cream farm are all
within walking distance.
Country lanes branch of from Sleights to other small
intriguing hamlets such as Ugglebarnby, Littlebeck & Eskerdaleside.
Garden
Centre
Salmon Leap Hotel
Sleights Station River Esk
The River Esk has gouged its
path to the
Together these natural features have created
the estuary of the River Esk.
Here lies the town of
There is an abundance of
activities to see & do in
The East Bank with it's
maze of alleyways, narrow idyllic cobbled streets and ancient buildings is
overlooked by the cliff top St Hilda's Abbey and the Anglo Saxon church of St
Mary, both of which can be accessed by walking up the famous 199 steps,
fortunately for those less energetic (like myself) you can take a bus or drive
as well
The
At the seaward end of the quay is the
Whalebone arch which stands
as a reminder that
Visitors will be rewarded
for their climb with panoramic views over the town of
After the
19th Century thanks to Queen Victoria Whitby fast became a popular tourist
destination.
Queen
The novel
‘Dracula’ was set in
The
Along the way there are stunning views and
picturesque landscapes not to be missed.
During the
summer months the North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR) operate steam trains
several days a week between
Please click the above link for information on
Tourism is
now one of the main industries in the Esk Valley and there is much to offer
visitors including; museums, attractions, activities, music, modern
entertainment and an abundance of restaurants, hotels, cafes, B&B’s,
caravan sites and self catering accommodation.
You can fish
for salmon, brown trout and sea trout at various places along the River Esk,
and
About
5 miles south of
Its
history began long before any association with the mythical figure from
There
is written record, dating back from 1536, of a "fishing townlet of 20
boats", by which time there were about 50 houses.
For
many years smuggling was an organised activity in the bay.
Any
visitor to the village today can well imagine the difficulties the excise men
and dragoons from
In
fact there is a local legend regarding the tunnels and passage that once linked
many of the houses in the village: it has been said that a bail of silk could
pass from the bottom of the village to the top without seeing daylight.
The village also depended on more legitimate activities: Fishing remained the
main livelihood and in the late 1820’s there were 130 fishermen working here.
The
shipping activities of Robin Hood’s Bay declined in the late 19th century, but
the completion of a massive sea wall in 1975 ensures the preservation of this
particularly atmospheric and idiosyncratic coastal village.
Today
the village is a tourist trap & is often awarded the international best
village in bloom certificate, it offers shops, pubs, café’s, antiques shops
& all you would expect from a village made of quirky ally’s & passages.
There
is also a safe sandy beach.
BOGLE HOLE
Boggle Hole is a small gap
in the cliffs where a small stream, Mill Beck, runs down to meet the sea and
'Boggle' is the local name for a hobgoblin.
Boggle
Hole was once a notorious smugglers’ haunt. Nowadays all ages will love
beachcombing and searching for fossils and rock pool life on its shore. Stunning
views.
STAINTONDALE & RAVENSCAR
Staintondale and Ravenscar have a long and
unusual history. Dinosaurs left their footprints along the coast. Neolithic,
Bronze Age and Iron Age man erected barrows and standing stones in profusion on
what is now moorland.
The Romans were here, and built a Signal
Station as part of their East Coast defenses on the site of Raven Hall Hotel.
From soon after the Conquest until the Reformation the land at the heart of the
village was granted by Royal Charter to the Knights Hospitallers.
The area was a centre both of Quakerism and
of Methodism in their early years, and indeed did not possess an Anglican
church as such until the beginning of the 20th century.
Ravenscar boasted a large and intermittently
successful alum works from the early 17th until the late 19th centuries,
supporting workers, managers and owners all resident in the area. Raven Hall,
now an excellent hotel, developed into a fine residence over the years, one of
its 19th century owners erecting
Today the area is delightfully unspoilt. It
boasts around 300 inhabitants, many of whom are still involved with farming.
Not only is it a tranquil holiday location; it has the added advantage of being
within easy reach of Scarborough,
SCALBY
Scalby is a lovely,
traditional English village nestling on the boundary of the
Scalby has retained much of its old world charm and
possesses many features of the traditional English village. There are two
friendly pubs serving local beers, a cozy restaurant, a few small shops, a
quiet park with tennis courts and lawn bowls, and behind the church some large
playing fields where you can often see teams enjoying the English game of
cricket!
The village stretches to the coast, providing for
beautiful cliff-top walking along tranquil, unspoilt coastline. The beaches of
Scalby have become famous for their fossils and more remarkably the discovery
of clearly visible dinosaur footprints dating from the Jurassic era. The area
has deservedly earned the title of ‘
HACKNESS
Lying at the point where Lowdale Beck merges into
the River Derwent, this superbly-placed village has an 11th century church
built on top of a nunnery established by St Hilda in the 7th century and an
18th century Hall, the seat of Lord Derwent, which is not open to the public.
The area has remarkable variety and the delightful
Stop at the start point the junction of the A171
& A170 at
RYDALE in the
Continuing into the central zone along the A170 from
CROPTON
Outdoor activity
enthusiasts from bikers to ramblers find this part of the world irresistible
and
Rose
Cottage Cropton
LASTINGHAM
Following the small roads
within the moors you come to Lastingham this is one of the most fascinating
villages in the North York Moors and holds a unique place in the hearts of
Christians who have been coming here for centuries. The reason is that the
HUTTON-LE-HOLE
Coming back down from
Cruck Framed Cottage
Hutton-Le-Hole
Following the road back towards the A171 brings you
to Appleton Le Moors; this
medieval village is unusual in having one of the few surviving commons. The
street verges form part of it and sheep roam freely here.
KIRKBYMOORSIDE
Following the road back
onto the A171 towards Helmsley the next village you come across is
Kirkbymoorside, this quiet moorland town comes alive on market days and from
Vivers Hill there are splendid views over the Vale of Pickering.
The town’s Market Hall dates from 1700 while the Black Swan inn is a
half-timbered building dating from 1634. The town has fine countryside around
it and a short drive will take visitors to nearby
Village Square
Kings Head
HELMSLEY
The Cleveland Way Walk
starts in this busy but attractive market town, which is the administrative
base for the
The castle was probably
built by Walter L’Espec who also founded nearby Rievaulx Abbey - the first
Cistercian house to be built in the north of
SPROXTON
The one street peaceful
St.
Sproxton Hamlet
OSWALDKIRK
Carrying on along the A170 the next village is
Oswaldkirk, the
parish of Oswaldkirk is in the district of Ryedale in the
Earthworks provide the
earliest evidence of settlements in the area. Early Bronze Age round
barrows and a Bronze Age ring ditch are visible in the north of the parish just
south of Dropping Gill Plantation. Later medieval field systems can be seen to
the south of Oswaldkirk Hall along with the medieval parish boundary-bank on
the Oswaldkirk-Gilling border.
The first recorded
reference to Oswaldkirk is in the Doomsday Book in which it is referred to
as Oswaldecherca or Oswaldecherce. The main land tenants are
recorded as the Count of Mortain and Berenger de Tosny. Robert, Count of
Mortain, was the largest land holder in the country after the king, with
holdings in nineteen counties. Berenger de Tosny was the second son of Robert
de Tosny (founder of
The
Malt Shovel.
The exact date of the Hall
is not known but Michael Hanson (1986) of Country Life Magazine writes that his
colleague at Country Life, Giles Worsley, puts it at around 1683.
Oswaldkirk
Hall.
The 1600s were troubled
times, with the Civil War and the associated disruptions of church life. Much
of the ancient stained glass in the region was destroyed at the time, probably
by Parliamentarian troops involved in the siege of Helmsley castle. There is no
record of any direct involvement at Oswaldkirk, but Rector John Denton had
become a Presbyterian minister in 1658 at a time when the Anglican Prayer book
was banned. He was a friend of the future Archbishop Tillotson who is said to
have preached his first sermon at Oswaldkirk in
In 1768 the York-Oswaldkirk
Turnpike Trust was created under an act for amending and widening the road from
the city of
The Manor of Oswaldkirk
passed from William Moore to his daughter and then to the Banner family. Upon
the marriage of Mary Banner to Richard Oakley in April 1811 the title deeds
show that the manor has more than doubled in size since the earlier description
of 1566. The manor is described as consisting of 20 messuages, 15 cottages, 35
gardens, 35 orchards and around 1900 acres of land. The land is described as:
800 acres of land, 500 acres of meadows, 500 acres of pasture, 100 acres of
wood along with unspecified acreage of common. (Sumner Marriner, undated).
The Rectory was extended in
a more gracious style in 1836 by Rector Thomas Comber, for the princely sum
of £1245 10s.
The
Rectory.
Until the parish boundaries
were tidied up in 1856, a substantial part of Oswaldkirk parish was in detached
sections, mainly in what is now Ampleforth parish. These included the fields
between Beacon Farm and Studfold Farm and 'The Royalty' near Tom Smith's Cross.
Other sections lay between Mill Farm, Ampleforth and
The last lord of the manor
to own the whole village was Colonel Musgrave Benson who bought it in 1907 from
the Trustees of the Page Henderson family.
Newton Grange is also
mentioned in the Doomsday Book and at this time was part of the Parish of
Sproxton rather than Oswaldkirk. Around 1200 AD Robert, Lord of Sproxton, gave
around 1000 acres at Newton Grange to Rievaulx Abbey who held the land until
the dissolution. Medieval field systems are still visible to the north of
Newton Grange.
It is not clear at what
time
Painting
of chapel at Newton Grange in the 1800s.
The chapel stopped being
used for public worship around 1820 and by 1859 was little more than a barn. In
1879 it was decided to move the chapel. It was then moved stone by stone
to its present position beside the Helmsley road in Sproxton. (Goodall and
Laver, 1949)
This
concludes the central zone 2.
Continuing on the A170 from
Oswaldkirk you enter the West Zone 1 & are almost immediately signed to
AMPLEFORTH
This
is the location of the magnificent Ampleforth Abbey,
which was built in the early 19th century and still has a community of more
than 90 monks. A private Catholic boys’ public school was also established here
and is known as the ‘Catholic
Ampleforth
Abbey
KILBURN
Kilburn is best known as
the home of the late Robert Thompson, one of
Behind the village is the figure of a 300ft white horse dug into the hillside
of Sutton Bank. It was the work of a local schoolmaster and his pupils in 1857.
Sutton Bank is the base of the Yorkshire Gliding Club.
Kilburn
White Horse
HAWNBY
Cutting back across the
A170 you pass by both Thirlby & Boltby before coming across your next stop at Hawnby this a great place for walking and from Hawnby you can head over moorland to the picturesque Hambleton Hills. An old drovers’ road leads to the summit
of Black Hambleton. At 1,257ft this offers marvellous
views over the Vale of York and towards the
Hawnby Hill
behind the Village
OSMOTHERLEY
Taking its name from the
Saxon prince Osmund, Osmotherley
lies just a few miles from the Cleveland Hills of the A172 and the picturesque Osmotherley Moor. It stands at the start of the challenging
40-mile Lyke Wake Walk to Ravenscar.
John Wesley preached here by the town’s cross. Nearby is the ruin of Mount
Grace Priory, probably the best-preserved Carthusian
house in
Osmotherley
Mount Grace Priory
CHOP GATE
Heading Back East Across
the moors & surrounded by the glorious Hambleton
Hills, Chop Gate is a picturesque moorland village that offers the traveller
spectacular views as well as unrivalled opportunities for rambling, cycling and
sightseeing.
Chop
Gate & Cold Moor
SWAINBY
Swainby is located on
the edge of the
Swainby
INGLEBY GREENHOW
A picturesque moorland
village located a few miles from Guisborough, Ingleby Greenhow dates from at least the 11th century,
although only the local parish church carries evidence of those early days.
Above the village in the magnificent Cleveland Hills is rugged Battersby Moor where there is a round cairn.
GREAT AYTON
This is undoubtedly one of
the prettiest villages in the region and it was where the great explorer
Captain James Cook was taught at
River
Leven at Great Ayton
Although this concludes the
fascinating experience of the north Yorkshire moors there are more villages to
take in just outside the moors boundary the better ones include the large town
of
THIRSK
Thirsk is situated on
the junction of the A170 & the A19, this larger of the Moors market town is
known for its James Herriot fame, it boast one of the larger shopping centres
of the moors towns there is a Museum Housed in the 18th century birthplace of
cricketer Thomas Lord, Thirsk Museum features the
life of the ancient market town made famous by James Herriot. There is the magnificent
perpendicular 15th century church. Fine examples of medieval
glass and woodwork. James and Helen Herriot (Alf and Joan Wight) married
here in November 1941. A visit is never complete without a Visit to the 1940s
home of author and veterinary surgeon, James Herrriot.
An award winning, all weather museum and attraction. Lots of
fun and completely accessible.
