North York Moors

Towns & Villages

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. Christ Church is distinctively French-Gothic and was described by Sir John Betjeman as “a little gem among moorland churches”. Appleton le Moors, Hutton le Hole, Spaunton, Lastingham and Rosedale are all part of the Manor of Spaunton, which has existed since the Norman Conquest.

Christ Church - Photo: Colin Grice CCL

BILSDALE

The Sun Inn, Bilsdale - Photo: Michael Graham CCL

This is a small village with a big attraction - one of the finest examples of a 300-year-old cruck-framed house. The building was originally a pub called the Sun Inn which fell into neglect after the First World War. Experts from the National Park have reconstructed it down to its tiny snug, thatched roof and witchpost. The area around Bilsdale is noted for its rock formations and among the favourites with climbers are the Wainstones and the ‘bridestones’ of Nab End Moor.

BLAKEY RIDGE

Lying at the highest point in the North Yorkshire Moors close to Rosedale Abbey, this is a sumptuous area of heather moorland punctuated by a number of ancient monastic crosses. There’s only one public house - The Blakey Inn - but it is one of the remotest in Britain. From here (clutching a pint of real ale) you can spot the grave of a Bronze Age chieftain and a Neolithic burial mound. The pub is also on the Coast-to-Coast walk.

Sheep on Blakey Moor - Photo: Rob Burke CCL

CASTLETON

View of Castleton - Photo: Mick Garratt CCL

This village in the upper Esk Valley has a passenger station on the Esk Valley rail line. Its castle has long gone but the parish church contains furniture by the wood carver Robert Thompson, known as ‘The Mouseman’. Wonderful views can be found on Castleton Rigg.

CROPTON

Outdoor activity enthusiasts from bikers to ramblers find this part of the world irresistible and Cropton Forest is no exception with its vast expanse of mainly coniferous woodland on the edge of untamed moorland. On Wheeldale Moor is the Roman road of Wade’s Causeway while in the small village of Cropton is a fine yew-lined approach to the local church.

Rose Cottage, Cropton - Photo: Colin Grice CCL

DANBY

Danby Lodge - Photo: Dave Stamp CCL

This tiny village is the home of The Moors Centre, a national park visitor centre which sits in 13 acres of land and hosts exhibitions, giving a unique insight into the moors and its people. It was originally a shooting lodge for the Dawnay family. Danby is also famous as the home of the 19th century cleric Canon Atkinson who wrote ‘Forty Years in a Moorland Parish’. He had three wives and 13 children.

Danby Castle is a 14th century edifice that was once the residence of Catherine Parr, sixth wife of Henry VIII. Close to the Moors Centre is a mediaeval packhorse bridge over the River Esk. On the parapet is the coat of arms of the Neville family. Danby Watermill, dating to the 17th century, is the only remaining watermill working on the Esk.

Duck Bridge - Photo: Colin Grice CCL

FADMOOR

Sleightholmedale Lodge, private residence - Photo: Colin Grice CCL

Surrounded by moorland countryside, this tiny village with its own green lies close to Kirkbymoorside in the Tabular Hills. The picturesque valley of Sleightholmedale is nearby.

FARNDALE

Summer visitors apart, this is a sleepy village that springs to life at Easter time when thousands of wild daffodils blossom on the banks of the River Dove.

Farndale Daffodils - Photo: Alan Walker CCL

GILLAMOOR

Gillamoor View - Photo: Gordon Hatton CCL

This hamlet with its neat village green lies in the beautiful valley of Bransdale, near Kirkbymoorside, surrounded by rich heather and babbling brooks.

GLAISDALE

The village of Glaisdale was once an important location for the mining of ironstone but it is more famous for Beggar’s Bridge, a packhorse bridge over the turbulent River Esk. The story goes that it was built by one-time beggar Tom Ferris who was unable to cross the river to go 'a-courtin’. After making his fortune in the navy he returned home to erect the bridge.

Beggars Bridge - Photo: Paul Allison CCL

GUISBOROUGH

Guisborough Priory - Photo: Alison Stamp CCL

This lovely village with a Gothic church, built around 1500, and the ruins of a 12th century priory church used to be the capital of the Cleveland district and was then part of Yorkshire’s North Riding. It also has an unusual memorial to the local de Bruce family which had links with the Scottish warrior Robert the Bruce. Carved in 1521 and known as the Brus Cenotaph, it was given to the priory church by Margaret Tudor, daughter of Henry VII. Robert the Bruce’s grandfather is buried at nearby Guisborough Priory, a magnificent ruin which looks out onto the grounds of Guisborough Hall, built by Sir Thomas Challoner. It was Challoner’s son who first began mining alum on the moors in the early 17th century. Tocketts flourmill, with a working waterwheel, is about a mile from here.

HELMSLEY

The Cleveland Way Walk starts in this busy but attractive market town, which is the administrative base for the North York Moors National Park. It lies below picturesque moorland on the River Rye and boasts the ruin of a 12th century castle once regarded as impregnable. The castle was bought in 1689 by Sir Charles Duncombe of nearby Duncombe Park, but fell into disrepair when he decided to live in a 200-room mansion in the grounds.

Helmsley Castle during battle re-enactment - Photo: Paul Allison CCL

Feeding the ducks at Helmsley - Photo: Dave Dunford CCL

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 England. Founded in 1131 it is one of the most magnificent ruins in the country, with fine views and an unusual terrace.

HOVINGHAM

Hovingham is one of Yorkshire's prettiest villages. It lies along an old Roman road to Malton, and Roman remains have been found on the site of Hovingham Hall, home of Sir Marcus Worsley. There is an unusual entrance to the Hall through the stables; the lawn is also the village cricket field! The Ebor Way long distance footpath passes through the village.

Hovingham Cottages and Church - Photo: Stephen Horncastle CCL

HUTTON-LE-HOLE

Cruck framed cottage - Photo: Humphrey Bolton CCL

Something of a showpiece village, Hutton-le-Hole provides the rural setting for the Ryedale Folk Museum, a remarkable exhibition of rescued and reconstructed period buildings including a photographer’s studio, a cruck-framed house and a row of shops. Surrounded by moors, this picturesque location is blessed with pretty stone cottages, glistening streams and a series of intriguing bridges. The oldest building here is Quaker Cottage, which dates from 1695 and is associated with John Richardson, a missionary to America who befriended William Penn, the founder of Pennsylvania.

KILDALE

An ancient village surrounded by sublime moorland scenery, Kildale is in the Esk Valley and lies on the Esk Valley railway line. In the mid-19th century a treasury of Viking relics was discovered in St Cuthbert’s Church.

Lonsdale view from Cokshaw Hill - Photo: Mick Garratt CCL

KIRKBYMOORSIDE

Kirkbymoorside Market Place - Photo: Colin Grice CCL

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 Ryedale Folk Museum at Hutton-le-Hole, a fascinating living museum.

LASTINGHAM

Lastingham 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 Lindisfarne monks built a monastery here in 655AD. Although it was destroyed Abbot Stephen of Whitby built a crypt to replace it in the 11th century and had the saint’s bones interred within it. Remarkably, the crypt – or small church - has withstood the test of time and looks much as it did when it was first constructed. Inside are pieces of ancient crosses.

Lastingham Village - Photo: Colin Grice CCL

LEALHOLM

Lealholm Station - Photo: Edward Nicholl CCL

Beautiful Lealholm nestles in the valley of the Esk and is a magnet for photographers and artists, offering picturesque scenery and a traditional village setting. Nearby is the steep gorge of 'Crunkley Gill’, not forgetting Fryup Dale and Little Fryup Dale.

MALTON

Lying on the River Derwent, this is an important market town near Pickering and was known as Deventio in Roman times. The present Malton dates mainly from the 18th century when it prospered as a river port. Old Malton is nearby. North lies the former prisoner-of-war site Eden Camp, which has been transformed into a museum of everyday life in World War Two.

Eden Camp gate guard Hurricane - Photo: Phil Catterall CCL

Castle Howerd - Photo: Paul Allison CCL
 

MARTON

Situated along the Esk Valley rail line and just four miles from Pickering’s steam railway, this tiny, fascinating village is famous as the birthplace of the great explorer Captain James Cook who entered the world in 1728.

The area’s public park now plays host to the Captain Cook Birthplace Museum which has a large collection of memorabilia. A granite urn marks the location of Cook’s old house. The man who discovered Australia was baptised at St Chuthbert’s Church which now has a stained-glass window to commemorate him.

Marton Bridge - Photo: Stephen Horncastle CCL

NUNNINGTON

Nunnington Hall - Photo: Humphrey Bolton CCL

This delightful village boasts a three-arched bridge that spans the River Rye and the impressive mansion of Nunnington Hall which partly dates to the 13th century. One of its owners was Viscount Preston, Secretary of State for Scotland to James II.

OSWALDKIRK

This moorland village which looks out onto Ampleforth Valley has ancient origins and archaeologists have uncovered earthworks showing there were settlements here early in the Bronze Age. The beautiful parish church of St Oswald - from which the village derives its name - was dedicated to the Anglo Saxon king of Northumbria, a Christian convert who died in 642 while fighting pagan King Penda of Mercia.

Church of St. Oswald - Photo: Alison Stamp CCL

PICKERING

Pickering Centre - Photo: Charles Rispin CCL

Lying just outside the National Park, this ancient market town lies at the foot of heather-clad moors and was originally a Celtic settlement dating to 270BC. Its church has medieval frescoes, discovered beneath whitewashed walls, which include a 9th century scene of King Edmund being put to death. Pickering Castle was once besieged by Robert the Bruce but is now a joyously well-preserved ruin. It was apparently used as a hunting lodge by every English monarch up to 1400. Richard II was kept prisoner here in 1399 shortly after being deposed. Beck Isle Museum has rooms devoted to different aspects of life in the past - from a barber’s shop to a public bar.

PORT MULGRAVE

Port Mulgrave lies close to the path of the Cleveland Way and was once a hectic port that shipped iron ore to the rivers Tees and Tyne, although little of this major industry survives here today.

Mudstone Nodules on the Shore at Port Mulgrave - Photo: Mick Garratt CCL

ROSEDALE ABBEY

Rosedale - Photo: Andy Beecroft CCL

Rosedale sits in one of the prettiest valleys in the North York Moors but during the 19th century it was a veritable hive of industry, its population multiplying after the discovery of high-grade iron ore sparked a mini-Klondike. Mines were pushed deep in to the bowels of the valley’s hillsides and the North Eastern Railway Company seized the opportunity to build a new line. Kilns can still be seen but stones from the walls of 12th century Rosedale Abbey were pilfered to build houses for the miners, so little remains of the original nunnery.

SALTBURN

Saltburn has the traditional charm of a Victorian seaside resort including colourful Italian gardens and walks through wooded glens. Saltburn has the oldest water balanced cliff tramway in Britain, linking the town with the pier 120 feet below. You can park at sea level where the old fishing village straddles Skelton Beck. The Old Ship Inn is the focal point, steeped in smuggling folklore. Old fashioned amusements and good play facilities for children make this an attractive family venue. The Cleveland Way passes through and follows a steep path up to Huntcliff, the site of a Roman Signal Station.

Saltburn cliff tramway - Photo: James Hearton CCL

SLINGSBY

Slingsby High Street - Photo: Roger Gilbertson CCL

This village provides the setting of the remains of Slingsby Castle, a 17th century house built for Sir Charles Cavendish who fought with Charles I at the momentous Battle of Edgehill. He apparently fled before the great house could be completed.

STAITHES

With a picturesque harbour draped with fishing nets, the neat resort of Staithes offers spectacular views of sheer cliffs.
Explorer Captain James Cook was apprenticed here as a 17-year-old draper’s assistant in 1728, although the little shop where he worked has long since been washed away by the ocean. England’s highest perpendicular cliff, Boulby (700ft), is just a couple miles away.
 

Staithes - Photo: Paul Allison CCL

UGTHORPE

Converted Windmill at Ugthorpe - Photo: Colin Grice CCL

This ancient moorland village probably dates from Saxon times and provided a base for the ill-fated Catholic clergyman Nicholas Postgate who risked his life by spreading the gospel of Catholicism during the 17th century. Even though he had grown old he was eventually arrested and hung, drawn and quartered at York. He later became known as the martyr of the moors.