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The Yorkshire Dales and The North York Moors

artnbarb

1000+ Posts
The Yorkshire questions continue! We'll be in Yorkshire for 2 weeks this summer, based in Thirsk, which is right in the middle of the Moors and the Dales! During our 2 weeks we'll visit York, spend a day in Thirsk (combining a laundry day with relaxing at 'home' and exploring the town), spend a few days exploring the coast, then visit a few historic houses like Castle Howard, leaving several days for each park. I (mistakenly thought these parks were simply open country, and I assumed we'd find a few walks to do, but now I'm learning that there are sites within each park! Any tips/suggestions about what to see and do in each park, including any favorite walks or areas would be greatly appreciated!
 
I'll deal with the NORTH YORK MOORS this morning as there is so much to cover...

The north part of the North York Moors

MOUNT GRACE PRIORY DAY
Mount Grace Priory is just to the north of Thirsk, and a lovely setting on the edge of the North York Moors.
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The Carthusians were a silent order and the monks lived as hermits in their own little ‘house’ with garden attached. They had no contact with their fellows except when they met in the abbey building for joint prayers.
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Link this in with a visit to nearby attractive village of Osmotherley.

If you want a walk to get the heart working and and all the senses, then there is the iconic hilltop of Roseberry Topping north east of Mount Grace Priory. There is a well marked track to the top. It’s not very long but be warned it is quite steep but worth it when you get there!

Have a stop in Great Ayton, another attractive village. with a stream running down through it. From here you can walk to Captain Cook’s Monumnent, although I have to admit I’ve not done this walk.

Finally finish off at Saltburn as suggested by Veronica.

The southern Edge of the North York Moors

A DAY BASED ROUND HELMSLEY
This is probably the more visited and there is lots to do along here. HELMSLEY is a delightful small town with a good range of independently owned shops and you could easily spend a day here. It has an interesting church, with C19th wall paintings showing Helmsley at the centre of the Christian universe...
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The ruined castle is also worth visiting.
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Helmsley Walled Garden set below the castle and with good views of the ruins should be at its best when you visit.

If you like birds of prey there is the National Centre for Birds of Prey here too, set in the grounds of Duncombe Park House. This boasts the largest collection of Birds of Prey in the north of England. Plan your visit for the flying demonstrations.

If you want somewhere for lunch I can recommend the Royal Oak, which is an old fashioned pub in the centre of Helmsley. The meat pies are excellent.

AN ABBEY DAY...
Just north of Helmsley is RIEVAULX ABBEY which is one of the best preserved of the Cistercian Abbeys.
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You can walk here from Helmsley - its just over three miles up the valley but there is a good tea room at the abbey.

Set above the abbey are Rievaulx Terraces, an C18th landscaped garden complete with two 'temples' and views down through the trees to the abbey ruins.

To the south of Helmsley is BYLAND ABBEY, another ruined Cistercian Abbey. There is less of it standing and it gets fewer visitors than Rievaulx but is famous for its beautiful medieval floor tiles. It is worth finding and much much more peaceful….
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To complete the hat trick you could include Ampleforth Abbey which is just east of Byland and is still a working Abbey as well as a famous public boys school. You can wander round the grounds and go into the Abbey. There is also a small exhibition centre with information about the abbey and monastic life. The tea room is EXCELLENT with a good range of home made cakes and a good place for lunch.
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BETWEEN HELMSLEY AND PICKERING

Do a detour to find the delightful St GREGORY'S MINSTERin Kirkdale, with its 1000 year old sundial. Tucked away in a deserted valley with only birsdsong, this is a delightful church.
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Kirkby Moorside is a busy small town but probably not a lot to encourage you to stop. HUTTON
LE HOLE
, just north of the main road is North York's answer to the Cotswolds with a stream running down the centre of the village. The RYEDALE FOLK MUSEUM is here and if you enjoy social history this is well worth a visit with its reconstructed old houses.

Near by is LASTINGHAM, another attractive village. The church has a Norman crypt and is very atmospheric…
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And completely different is CHRIST CHURCH, Appleton le Moors which is French Gothic revival… You really need to see this to believe it!
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If you are beer drinkers, don't miss the NEW INN in Cropton which has its own brewery producing a wide range of excellent beers

PICKERING AREA

PICKERING is a thriving market town with a ruined castle. The Church has some beautiful medieval wall paintings. These were discovered during a Victorian restoration but covered up again as the rector took exception to them "as a work of art (they are) fairly ridiculous, would excite feelings of curiosity. And distract the congregation". They give you an idea of just how colourful medieval churches were. You can see St George killing the dragon, St Christopher carrying the Christ Child across the river, the beheading of John the Baptist and many more.
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Perhaps one of the reasons most people visit is for a ride behind a steam engine on the NORT YORK MOORS RAILWAY. This is a super run through some of the best scenery of the North York Moors. Goathland was the setting for the popular TV programme Heartbeat and was also Hogwarts station in the Harry Potter films.. Plan your trip right and you could catch a steam train to Whitby.

THORNTON THE DALE just down the road is one of the must see villages with its thatched cottages and stream running down through the village.

I know Castle Howard is on everyone's todo list, but I must admit I've been disppaointed when I've been round the house. It is described as 'one of the great Treasure Houses of England' and is certainly impressive from the outside. It is surrounded by parkland and gardens. A large part of the house was destroyed by fire in 1940 when the dome, central hall, dining room and state rooms on the east side were completely destroyed. The dome was rebuilt in 1960-1. The first floor rooms in the High South were superficially restored in 2008. Although the east wing has been restored externally, it is still a shell. The last time I visited was when the house was decorated for Christmas. The catering was expensive and I also felt let them down. It isn't on my list of places to revisit... The rooms are OK, but depending on where else you are visiting in England, I'm sure you can find better than Castle Howard. (Is Blenheim Palace on your list, or Leeds Castle or Chatsworth? Any of these knocks spots off CAstle Howard.)

WHich leds me onto the area around Ripon
Depending on when you are visiting, you could check out the dates MARKENFIELD HALL near Ripon is open - its is only open for a few weeks in the summer. This is a wonderful medieval moated manor house. It's not very big and there aren't a lot of rooms to visit and no tea room but it is wonderful...
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Tie it in with a visit to RIPON with its Prison and Police Museum and wonderful Minster complete with a Saxon crypt and wonderful carved misericords beneath the choirs stalls.
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The most famous, and the one pointed out to all visitors, is the end misericord on the north side. This has a carving of a griffin catching a rabbit who subsequently escapes down a hole. It is thought to have given Lewis Caroll, whose father was a canon here, his inspiration for the White Rabbit in Alice in Wonderland. There is even a large display in the cathedral promoting this link.
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And its not far to drive to FOUNTAINS ABBEY, another wonderful ruined Cistercian abbey. (The Cistercians knew how to pick their sites...)
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Don't miss the C12th mill and Tudor Fountains Hall. It is set in parkland and landscaped water gardens and you can easily spend hallf a day here...
 
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Thank you both again! Now it seems that 2 weeks is much too short! I especially appreciate the photos, giving me a real sense of the sites. I'm all about the 'feel' of a place, and some of those places look very, very promising! Also, thanks for including tips about food, and for giving me a heads-up about Castle Howard - it seems there are so many things to see and do, so it doesn't seem worth a stop.
 
And think there are those who want to see England, Scotland and Ireland in two weeks! I'm thinking about the Yorkshire Dales and will produce some information about them later.
 
I don’t know the Yorkshire Dales as well as the North York Moors, but there is possibly less things to do/see there and they are more about scenery. Unfortunately I don’t have as many pictures, but a google image search will give you some idea of what places are like.

RICHMOND is a lovely small market town with a lot of character, set above the River Swale with a good ruined castle. The church in the Market Place is now the Green Howards Museum.

Richmond also has a tiny Georgian Theatre, which is one of the oldest in Britain and still putting on performances. They also do tours.

Just east of Richmond is the ruined Easby Abbey but this pales into insignificance compared with Fountains, Rievaulx, Byland and Mount Grace. But if you enjoyed the medieval wall paintings in Pickering Church, you might also want to visit St Agatha’s Church next to the abbey which has some lovely C13th wall paintings including the Creation.
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From Richmond you have two choices - travel north for Teesdale or south for Wensleydale.

Going north
At Reeth, take the road north up Arkengarthdale and just after Langthwaite take the road branching off to the right (north) over Stang to the A66 and BARNARD CASTLE.
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This is another market town with a very northern feel as well as a ruined castle
overlooking the River Tees. This was one of the largest castles in England.
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On the edge of Barnard Castle is the Bowes Museum, the amazing mock French Château built in the mid 19thC by John and Josephine Bowes to hold their eclectic collection of fine art, porcelain, furniture and paintings. If it is possible, plan your visit to be there at 2pm when the silver swan is in action. Made for Marie Antoinette, it is absolutely wonderful. Do a google search for images.

The ruined Egglestone Abbey, like Easby Abbey can be missed.

Just a few miles north east of Barnard Castle is RABY CASTLE, one of the best of the medieval castles which is still live in and was once home of the powerful Neville family. There are plenty of rooms to see covering a wide range of architectural styles. The octagonal drawing room is wonderful, Sumptuous just doesn’t begin to describe it. This is up with the best of the stately homes...
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The Neville family tombs can be seen in Staindrop Church.
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AND I haven't finished yet...

To the south

Continue up Swaledale to the tiny settlements of Muker and Thwaite (the names reflect the Norse settlement of the area). The Muker Tea Room does very good cakes...

From here, take the road south over Buttertubs Pass which takes you over the top and drops down into Wensleydale. It gets its name from the limestone potholes near the summit. According to one theory, farmers used to lower butter churns down them to keep produce cool while travelling to market.

Before you reach Hawes, make a stop at Hardraw to visit Hardraw Force, in the grounds of the Green Dragon Inn. At 100ft, the largest single drop waterfall in England.

HAWES is an attractive but sprawling settlement and another market town. Wensleydale Cheese is still made here in the large creamery to the south of the town. There is a viewing window for you to watch the process and the shop sells a wide range of locally produced cheese.
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There is also a working rope maker in the town.
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Driving back down the dale, it is worth taking the minor road on the north side of the river which takes you through Askrigg. Just before Carperby take a left turn (south) for Aysgarth and Aysgarth Falls. There are three small waterfalls along the river. Call in at Aysgarth Tourist Information Centre for details of walks along the river.

You can give Bolton Castle which can be seen across the river. This looks impressive from the outside but we were terribly disappointed when we visited a few years ago. It seemed to be all empty rooms (which weren’t very clean either...)

The ruined Middleham Castle a bit further down the dale and home of Richard III is much better investment in time.
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Constable Burton Gardens near Leyburn are delightful. The house is shut and there is no cafe. There is an honesty box for your money and you can wander freely.
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I'll leave it there for tonight...
 
I hardly know how to begin to add to all this great information from Eleanor!

We spend a week in a rental cottage near Harrogate some years ago, and have also walked through this area on the Coast-to-Coast walk in 2004 and 2014. That route passes through the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales, and the North York Moors, including several of the spots mentioned by Eleanor. There so much to see and do... you won't see it all and best just to focus on what most appeals to you and maybe not spend too much time driving every day.

We stayed overnight in Ostmotherly on the C2C walk, and if the weather is good, I thought one of the prettiest stretches on the moors was from Osmotherly to Clay Bank Top. Perhaps there's a way to meet up with a taxi at the end of that walk. You might also look into having lunch at the Red Lion Inn on the Moors... it's such an isolated spot.

The C2C walk passes through Swaledale, a very beautiful area with lots of stone buildings and walls. You might get some ideas for walks in that area here.

On our long trip, we found a booklet and did a "James Herriott" driving loop, which was a lot of fun. We also enjoyed the Herriott museum in Thirsk.

We liked Fountains Abbey and Brimham Rocks very much.

Our 190-mile walk ended at Robin Hood's Bay, after a beautiful stretch along the coast on the Cleveland Way. There's quite a bit of up and down along the coast.

Sounds like you'll have a wonderful time here... glad to see you're enjoying exploring England!

Kathy
 
One of the things I like about Slow Europe is the way everyone chips in with ideas.

Walking is definitely the best way to get the feel of an area and there are loads of good walks in the Dales.as well as the link Kathy gives you may also find this one useful for short walks.
IT also gives details and map for Aysgarth Falls (was looking for this information yesterday and didn’t find it!)

It is years and years since I was in Harrogate or Knaresborough so hopefully Kathy can fill you in about the area better than I can. On the edge of Harrogate is HARLOW CARR GARDENS
which are the Royal Horticultural Society show case gardens in the north of England and a mix of parkland and formal gardens.

Two places I forgot to mention last night areNEWBY HALL, near Ripon. The house is a wonderful example of the work of the architect Robert Adams with C18th interiors. (Guided tour only.) It isn’t as large and grand as places like Chatsworth, etc but we thought iot delightful. It is also surrounded by parkland and lovely gardens. Well worth a visit.

The other place is JERVAULX ABBEY in Wensleydale and just a few miles from Middleham Castle. This is privately owned and isn’t manicured like the great abbeys already mentioned which are in the care of English Heritage. There isn’t as much of the abbey left but it is surrounded by wild flower and uncut grass. It is also usually quiet with few visitors. People either seem to love it or else come away saying ‘is that it?“ It is the kind of place where you drop out in the sunshine and enjoy the bird song... The owners also have a tea room in the village, but we’ve not used it.
 
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So far I’ve concentrated on the area to the north and west of Thirsk. I probably need to move south west now and head for SKIPTON which is often described as the Gateway to the Dales. It is a larger town and very much a regional centre with a good range of independently owned shops and a thriving market.

At the top of the town is the castle and church. The castle is reached through an imposing gatehouse and it building is almost complete still. It was built round a courtyard with a yew tree.
The family tombs of the Clifford family can be seen in the church.
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There is rather a nice short walk through Skipton Castle Woodlands which follows the canal and runs beneath the walls of the castle.
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You can also do short boat trips along the canal.

Close to Skipton is BOLTON ABBEY ESTATE with the ruins of Bolton Abbey and a lovely walk along the river through the woods to The Strid. Here the river flows rapidly through a narrow gorge. Some have been foolish enough to try and jump across but few have survived to tell the tale. This is reputedly one of the most dangerous stretches of river in the country. There are a several waymarked trails along the river. Details and a map can be found on the leaflet here.

I can’t not mention MALHAM which is probably the most well known and possibly most visited destination in the Dales. This is limestone scenery at its best.

You need to park in the car park and then walk to see the different attractions... Follow the trail detailed here. Begin by walking over the fields to the lovely and secret Janet’s Foss, (picture) a small waterfall. At point 3 on the map pick up the footpath to the bottom of Gordale Scar, a huge gorge surrounded by tall limestone cliffs. (Picture and here). It is possible to scramble up the side of the waterfalls but this is real hands and knees stuff and not for the faint hearted. But if you get to the top you’ll never get down again and it is a long walk back to Malham..

After Goredale Scar, head back across the fields to Malham Cove, (picture) the huge dry waterfall amphitheatre with the tiny Malham Beck springing out from its base. This was formed after the last ice age when the waters poured over the top. The last time in living memory that the waters flowed over the top was in 2015 after Storm Desmond.

The total walk is just over four miles. Give yourself plenty of time to enjoy it. On a sunny day it is an exhilarating experience...
 
And this is very much a snapshot And I'm aware that I have left out so much... There are so many other places you will discover for yourself once you get there.
 
It seems that we could take the train from Pickering to Whitby, and could stop in each of the towns along the way, is that correct?

I know we'll want to drive along the coast on a different day, maybe two.

I'm loving the 2 walking sites, thanks so much for sharing! One walk features FOUR waterfalls - but then I have to remind myself that a waterfall in England isn't quite as dramatic as those in Switzerland!

I also appreciate the honest assessment of which sites aren't worth a visit, which ones are less-preserved - seeing the shell of an ancient abbey is amazing, seeing scattered foundations, not as impressive - at least to us.
 
The North Yorks Railway originally ran from Pickering to Grosmont, the junction for the line to Whitby. It now runs some steam trains as far as Whitby. You can break journey along the way as long as the timetable works for you. Have a look at this website for ideas for walking from the different stations. There's not much to see in Leversham. Goathland village is a short walk from the station and is a pretty unspoilt North York Moors village set aroud a village green and beloved of the tourists. It is worth a stop. You can also do the short walk to Mallyon Spout watwerfall.

Beck Hall is tiny - a few houses and a pub which gets consistweently good reviews on Trip Advisor. It is a long time since we called in - it was always on the 'go back to list' ... From here you can extend the walk to Grosmont along the line of the original railway/tramway to Grosmont. (Do it this way as it is downhill!) There are more details and pictures here. Have a stop to look at the engine sheds and workshops just before you get to Grosmont.

I've not really explored Grosmont but from memory it isn't worth spending time here, although the station cafe used to sell good cakes! I've a feeling that may also apply to stops between Grosmont and Whitby but I could be being unfair here. You could always do a Google image search to see what they look like and then take a decision.

Another worthwhile walk is the Hole of Horcum, a massive ice formed hollow 400' deep. The mina road to Whitby runs along the top of this and there are scenic laybys to pull in and stopand footpaths round the rim. Details of a walk are here.
 
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