UPDATED FEBRUARY 2021! The North York Moors National Park is one of my favorite places in Yorkshire, in England, and in fact in all of the UK. It’s just under an hour’s drive from where I live in York, and somewhere that I’ve spent so many days and weekends exploring. There are some fantastic hikes in the area, too! The National Park is big though, and there’s a lot to see! What should you see when visiting the North York Moors and where should you go? Here are 21 of the BEST places to visit in the North York Moors!

1) Roseberry Topping

They don’t call Roseberry Topping “the Yorkshire Matterhorn” for nothing! This is the highest point in the North York Moors, at 320 meters. You’ve got lots of options for how to get to the top, but the most straightforward is from the parking right below on the A173. The lot can fill up on the weekend, and there is a charge for parking. The walk is short (just under 2 hours up and down) and it’s easy to follow. The views of the surrounding area are stunning though, and well worth the climb! You can also walk out along Newton Moor to the Captain Cook Monument.

Read More: Hiking Roseberry Topping and Newton Moor

2) Sutton Bank and Kilburn White Horse

One of the main National Park Centers is at Sutton Bank, with fantastic views over the moors and beyond. The sunset views are meant to be amazing! There is an easy walk down to see one of the big attractions in this area: the Kilburn White Horse. The Kilburn White Horse was made from limestone. It was created in 1857 and can be seen from several different views across Yorkshire. The loop walk from Sutton Bank is just under 2 miles, and took me about an hour and a half. There is a huge parking lot at Sutton Bank, but there is a charge (£2.50 for 2 hours, £4 for all-day parking). The lot at the bottom of the White Horse is free! Some of the best views of Kilburn White Horse are from the village of Kilburn itself, just a few minutes drive away.

Read More: The Best Hikes in the North York Moors

 

3) Mount Grace Priory

This priory is the best-preserved Carthusian Priory in England, and definitely one place you must visit in the North York Moors. There is a lot more to explore here than you might think! Mount Grace House has a few different exhibits on the history of the priory, as well as the people who lived in the house. The main highlight of the property is seeing a recreation of a Carthusian monks’ cell—complete with their own personal garden! There are lots of ruins to see and various remaining parts of the priory to explore. Don’t miss the gardens down by the pond! Mount Grace Priory is owned by National Trust, but operated by English Heritage.

4) Osmotherley

You can’t miss Osmotherley on a trip to the North York Moors. This is another stunning village, with a few shops, pubs, hotels/B&Bs, two churches, and a gorgeous village green with a unique stone table on the market cross. It’s on the Cleveland Way, and there are some great walks from the village. My favorite part was seeing Osmotherley’s village shop with all the Christmas decorations up—how festive and quaint does it look?!

5) Cod Beck Reservoir

Just outside of Osmotherley is Cod Beck Reservoir. This is a really popular place for walks, as you can do a short loop around the reservoir which is about 1.5 miles. Parking can be a huge issue here, as there’s just one car park and it fills up really fast. I recommend walking from Osmotherley, which is about 1 mile. Even better, combine both with a walk from Osmotherley along the Cleveland Way to Sheepwash for great views!

6) Rievaulx Abbey

Yorkshire is home to some of the best abbey ruins in the entire country. And one of the absolute best ruined abbeys is located inside the North York Moors itself! Rievaulx Abbey used to be one of the main ecclesiastical centers in the north, and was unfortunately damaged during the Dissolution of the Monasteries under Henry VIII. Rievaulx Abbey today is run by English Heritage. There’s a charge for parking, but if you visit the abbey (and buy a ticket) they refund the parking costs.

Read More: Visiting Rievaulx Abbey and Helmsley in North Yorkshire

7) Helmsley

Only 3 miles away from Rievaulx Abbey is Helmsley, a charming little market town. Dominated by the ruins of Helmsley Castle (also run by English Heritage), this village perfectly complements a visit to Rievaulx Abbey. I’d definitely suggest visiting both in one day! The castle grounds and ruins are great for exploring, and if you’re looking for something more grand you can visit Duncombe Park. Make sure to pop by Hunters of Helmsley, which was voted one of the best village shops in the country!

8) Byland Abbey

Byland Abbey is one of the smaller abbey ruins to visit in the North York Moors. But it’s still definitely worth a visit! A former Cistercian monastery, it was also closed during the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1538. One of the abbey’s best features are the beautiful colored medieval floor tiles, in what would have been the remains of the church. The site is run by English Heritage, but there’s free entry. While you’re in the area, make sure to pop by the charming village of Coxwold! Just a few streets long, Coxwold has some gorgeous village architecture, as well as a really nice pub in the Fauconberg Arms.

9) Farndale

Farndale is a quiet area of the North York Moors, but comes alive in the springtime when the flowers bloom. The walk along the River Dove is one of the best places to see daffodils bloom in Yorkshire, and you can extend it by taking the alternate route back along the ridge. Make sure you visit the church in Church Houses—it’s full of daffodils in the spring. Up to 40,000 people visit Farndale during the daffodil season, so be prepared for the riverside walk to be fairly busy especially on weekends!

Read More: Farndale Daffodils: An Easy Spring Walk in the North York Moors

10) Chop Gate and the Wainstones

The Wainstones are the largest sandstone crags in the North York Moors National Park. There is a fantastic hike from the tiny village of Chop Gate that takes you in a loop out to the Wainstones, and back along Urra Moor (which is the highest part of the North York Moors). The views from the Wainstones are stunning, and it’s really popular with climbers!

Read More: North York Moors Hikes: Chop Gate to the Wainstones

11) Hutton-le-Hole

Hutton-le-Hole is another gorgeous little village in the Moors. It’s small, with a museum, a parish church, a babbling brook running through the village green, and an excellent pub. I’d highly recommend the the Crown for food or drinks or both—if you eat there, you also get free parking in the lot behind the pub! This is a great place to stop for an hour or two. There’s a nice 4-mile loop to Lastingham and back, too.

12) Rosedale and Rosedale Abbey

The area of Rosedale in the North York Moors is beautiful. Rosedale Abbey is a charming, beautiful village, with a café and a village shop. Funnily enough, there was never an actual abbey in Rosedale Abbey, but there was a Cistercian priory! I definitely recommend hiking out to see some of the industrial heritage around Rosedale. You can see the ironstone mines, kilns, and cottages, from the area’s mining heyday between the 1850s and the 1920s. Part of the hike follows the old mining railway line, and the views are stunning. Don’t miss this part of the North York Moors!

Read More: Hiking Around Rosedale in the North York Moors

Right before you turn to take the Chimney Bank road down to Rosedale Abbey, you can pull over and go explore the kilns at Rosedale Bank Top—leftover from the days when ironstone mining was prominent in the area. There are some pretty phenomenal views from the top! This isn’t far from Hutton-le-Hole.

13) Castleton Rigg

Castleton Rigg, along the road from Hutton-le-Hole to Castleton (Stepin Turn/Blakely Road), is a beautiful area in the heart of the North York Moors. This is definitely one of the best roads to drive in the Moors, and home to the Lion Inn pub. The Seated Man of Castleton, a giant statue of a man on the moors, used to be here, but unfortunately it was moved the other year to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park.

14) Danby and Danby Beacon

The village of Danby is home to one of the two North York Moors National Park Centers (the other is at Sutton Bank), quaint houses, and an ivy-covered pub that looks spectacular in the fall. But it’s really the views from Danby Beacon that are worth the visit here. You can see for miles once you’re at the top of Beacon Hill—while you can drive to Danby Beacon, it’s an easy walk from Danby and the park center. There was even an RAF radar station at Danby Beacon during World War II!

15) Lealholm

The North York Moors is full of charming villages, and Lealholm is another one to put on your list. There’s a pub, a few cafes and shops, and free parking—although I’d also recommend hiking here from Danby and Danby Beacon. As a bonus, Lealholm also has a picture-perfect set of stepping stones across the River Esk. I stayed at a really cozy Airbnb not far from Lealholm—and it really was like getting away from everything. We went out on short walks and drove around the Moors during the day, and then had a pub meal before going back and having a fire in the wood-burning stove every night. The perfect relaxing getaway!

16) Goathland

Another charming village in the North York Moors, Goathland is famous as a film location for two main things: Heartbeat, and as Hogsmeade train station in Harry Potter. It’s a small place, with a few pubs, a handful of shops and hotels, and (of course) the train station. One of the really popular walks is the 3-mile walk along the old railway track to Grosmont. You can also visit Mallyn Spout, a waterfall not far from the (aptly named) Mallyn Spout hotel. Goathland is also one of the main stops on the North York Moors Railway, which is definitely one of the top experiences in the North York Moors!

Read More: Goathland to Grosmont: A Classic Hike in the North York Moors

17) Thornton-le-Dale

Thornton-le-Dale is a popular place to visit in the region for the picturesque and beautiful Thatched Cottage and beck that run through the village. There’s a couple of pubs, lots of shops, cafes, tea rooms, and a few places to get ice cream as well. There are also loads of gorgeous houses here—I had so much fun running around photographing them, pretending I’d be buying one of them! When the weather is nice, everyone flocks to the beck to wade in the cool water. I did a short walk from Thornton-le-Dale to Ellerburn and Dalby Forest, which was just perfect!

Read More: Thornton-le-Dale: Why You Need to Visit This Charming Yorkshire Village

 

18) Hole of Horcum

The Hole of Horcum circular walk is one of my favorite walks in the North York Moors, and possibly even in the entire country. This gorgeous feat of nature was gradually formed over the years by “spring sapping,” where water would well up on the hills and then slope down. I definitely recommend starting the walk in the village of Levisham, where there’s free parking behind the pub (the Horseshoe Inn). Not only that, but you can have a well-deserved pint at the end of the hike! The full loop (starting and ending in Levisham) takes about 3 hours. Go at the end of August to see the gorgeous purple heather blanketing the Moors.

Read More: Hiking the Hole of Horcum in the North York Moors

19) Staithes

I visited Staithes for the first time in December 2018, and it was so gorgeous I couldn’t help but fall in love with it immediately. A charming fishing village, Staithes is located on the edge of the North York Moors along the coast. The viewpoint from the top of the hill is one of those classic Yorkshire shots, and the main street through town is beautiful (and blissfully quiet when I went!). I had amazing ice cream at Cobbles, and the Cod and Lobster is a very popular pub for (you guessed it) seafood. Parking is located at the top of the hill—there is no visitor parking at the bottom, so you’ll need to walk up and down!

20) Whitby

One of Yorkshire’s most popular seaside towns, Whitby is one of my favorite places along the coast. It was also one of the first places in Yorkshire (and the North York Moors) that I visited when I moved to York over 4 years ago! There’s so much to see in Whitby. But you have to see the Whalebone Arch, the 199 Steps, and the magnificent Whitby Abbey. There’s also no better place to enjoy fish and chips than the seaside! Whitby can get busy in the summer months (especially on weekends) but it is definitely one of the best places to visit in the North York Moors. (And yes, it is technically located outside the national park limits but hey—my blog post, I can write what I like!)

Read More: A Perfect Day in Whitby

21) Robin Hood’s Bay

The last place in this post, and another gorgeous seaside location: Robin Hood’s Bay. The village used to be a smuggling haven, with everyone in town involved in the illegal trade. Now, it’s a charming village with beautiful views of the sea, quaint cottages, and a few nice pubs. The Bay Hotel is the traditional endpoint of the Coast to Coast hike—but I especially liked the walk from Whitby to Robin Hood’s Bay! Robin Hood’s Bay is also located down a steep hill, with parking at the top—so again, be prepared to walk. This is definitely one of my favorite places in the North York Moors!

Read More: Walking From Whitby to Robin Hood’s Bay: One of My Favorite Walks in Yorkshire

How To Get Around the North York Moors

There’s no way around it: a rural area like the North York Moors requires a car. With your own transportation, simply put you can get to see more places. You may drive on lots of very narrow, single-lane roads. I always recommend to drive very cautiously, especially around corners and up/down blind hills. There are passing places on these roads where cars can safely pass one another, but keep in mind you might need to reverse into one!

While you do need a car to really get the most of the national park and this area, there are quite a few places accessible by public transport if you’re based around York. Whitby, Grosmont, Lealholm, Danby, Castleton, and others can be accessed by train through the Esk Valley railway (running from Middlesborough to Whitby). I always use Trainline for booking my trains. Goathland is a great stop if you’re taking the North York Moors Railway from Pickering to Whitby or vice versa. The 31X bus runs from York through Coxwold and Byland Abbey to Helmsley. Hutton-le-Hole is serviced by the 174 and 176 buses going from Pickering to Kirkbymoorside. Whitby can be easily accessed from Leeds or York by the Coastliner buses, and it’s easy to get from Whitby to Robin Hood’s Bay by bus X93. Looking for a day tour? Check out the options below!

If you’re flying to the UK, the nearest airports for the North York Moors National Park are Leeds-Bradford, Newcastle, and Doncaster Sheffield. Manchester is the largest nearby airport (and best for international flight options), with direct trains running to York and Middlesborough from the airport. I recommend using Skyscanner to book flights!

Where to Stay in the North York Moors

There is so much of the North York Moors to see. Where you want to stay and what kind of experience you want to have is really up to you! If you don’t have your own transportation, I’d strongly recommend visiting somewhere with good transport links, like Whitby. If you’re looking for a beachy seaside getaway, Staithes, Whitby, and Robin Hood’s Bay have huge numbers of holiday cottages you can rent for a weekend or a week! I loved staying in this rural Airbnb not far from Lealholm in Great Fryupdale. There are lots of YHA locations throughout the Moors which have both dorms and private rooms. You can find country hotels and B&Bs too. Basically, you’ve got lots of options! You can search for hostels on Hostelworld here, or look for hotels and apartments on Booking.com here! You can also sign up to and search for accommodation on Airbnb here.

Booking.com

 

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The North York Moors is one of my favorite national parks in the country, and has so much to see. I have loved exploring this amazing place, and can’t wait to see even more as time goes on! I hope you enjoy these best places to visit in the North York Moors!

Have you ever visited the North York Moors? Where were your favorite places?!

You might also like my posts on other places in Yorkshire:

The Ultimate Yorkshire Guide: 88 Incredible Places to Visit in Yorkshire

The Best Hikes in the North York Moors

Quintessential Yorkshire: The Best 4 Daytrips From York

The Best Walks In and Around York, England

The BEST Places to Visit in the Yorkshire Dales

18 Hidden Gems to See in York

All my Yorkshire posts and York posts!

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