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.
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.
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...
The ruined
castle is also worth visiting.
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.
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….
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.
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.
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…
And completely different is
CHRIST CHURCH, Appleton le Moors which is French Gothic revival… You really need to see this to believe it!
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.
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...
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.
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.
And its not far to drive to
FOUNTAINS ABBEY, another wonderful ruined Cistercian abbey. (The Cistercians knew how to pick their sites...)
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...