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You are in: North Yorkshire > Places > Free Stuff > North York Moors - guide to cheap days out

View from Sutton Bank

North York Moors - guide to cheap days out

"You don't get 'owt for nowt" at least that's according to the old Yorkshire saying, but bearing in mind the rising cost of a day out, we thought we'd let you into a few of our secrets for a great day out - on the cheap - in North Yorkshire.

There's so much to see and do in North Yorkshire and it doesn't have to cost you a fortune. With a few carefully chosen ideas on where to go and what to do, we hope we can help you enjoy some great days out for next to nothing in North Yorkshire. If we're going to let you into the secrets of our favourite days out, we do want something in return, we want you to share your secrets with us. Where do you go in North Yorkshire for a great day out? We want suggestions of places which won't cost a kings ransom.

First things first, sort out your food - a couple of rounds of sandwiches and a flask of tea should just about do! So, where is there to go...?

North York Moors:

There are loads of wonderful little villages dotted about all over the North York Moors. It's easy to enjoy a grand day out touring round places like Helmsley, Kirbymoorside, Hutton-le-Hole, Rosedale Abbey, Grosmont, Goathland and Pickering - as well as all points in between.

Rainbow over North York Moors

Rainbow over Rosedale Abbey

Helmsley, Kirbymoorside and Pickering are all traditional North Yorkshire market towns and are all great places for a gentle meander round the shops in the market place. In Pickering, there are ducks to feed and steam trains to watch. If you like shiny chrome and leather, Helmsley is a good place to watch the comings and goings of the motorbikes and their riders!

One little used road which is worth a trip out is the unclassified road from Pickering through Newton on Rawcliffe and Stape, over Wheeldale Moor, to Grosmont. It runs pretty much parallel to much more popular A169. There are places to stop for a picnic and shallow moorland streams for the children to play in!

If it's spectacular scenery you're after - try the drive over the moors from Hutton-le-Hole to Castleton, or the one from Helmsley to Stokesley.听

Sutton Bank & Danby:

The views from the top of Sutton Bank are unrivalled. On a good day you can see right across the Vale of York to the Yorkshire Dales and as far south as the power stations like Drax and Eggborough which are south of Selby.

Sutton Bank visitor centre

Sutton Bank visitor centre

There's a nice gentle walk along the top of the escarpment to the White Horse of Kilburn. On the way, watch out for the gliders taking off and landing at the Yorkshire Gliding Club.

Once you get to the white horse, a steep flight of steps take you down to the car park where there's often an ice cream van! The car park at the bottom is a great place for a picnic, it's also free to park.

North York Moors National Park visitor centre

National Park visitor centre in Danby

The visitors centre at the top of Sutton Bank is one of two run by the North York Moors National Park authority, the other is at Danby. The car parks for both of these centres are pay and display, but admission to the centres is free and there are displays and exhibitions which change on a regular basis听 as well as a number of activities organised by the National Park.

Dalby Forest:

Dalby Forest, near Pickering, offers miles and miles of tree lined walks and mountain bike trails. There are picnic sites, children's play areas, viewing points and a state of the art visitor centre. The downside to a day out here is that if you arrive by car you've got to pay to use the toll road through the forest and that costs 拢7 but the upside is that once you're there, there's little else you need to pay for. If you arrive on foot, by bike or on a horse it's even better, because admission is completely free!

Mountain biking in Dalby Forest

Mountain biking in Dalby Forest

The mountain bike trails are free and open to all and they're among the best in the country. The trails offer something for riders of all ability and there's also a bike park at Adderstone Field where you can put your skills to the test.

There are plenty of different places to park and have a picnic along the forest drive as well as well signed walks. Some of the walks are virtually on the flat and are classed as pushchair/wheelchair friendly, whilst others are for the more adventurous.

Dalby Forest visitor centre

Visitor centre, Dalby Forest

The Bridestones - owned by the National Trust but maintained by the Forestry Commission - are similar to parts of Brimham Rocks. A variety of paths lead to and around the amazing natural sculptures of the Bridestones. Some paths are reasonably smooth but there are gradients, steep in places and some paths have lots of stone steps.

The forest drive opens up the forest to even the most unadventurous visitor. The visitor centre is just beyond the village of Low Dalby and includes an information point where you can get maps and booklets about the various walks and cycle trails. There's also a shop as well as toilets and caf茅. Although the cost of using the toll road is 拢7 per car, you can buy a seven day pass for 拢10 or an annual pass for 拢35.

North Yorkshire Moors Railway:

Enjoying the sights and sounds of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway doesn't have to hit your wallet. Whilst there can't be many better ways to spend a day than travelling on the trains between Pickering and Whitby, you can get a feel for it by visiting the stations along the line.

Steam trains at Goathland station

Steam trains at Goathland

There's always a nice atmosphere at the stations as the trains arrive and depart. There's a buffet at the stations like Pickering, Goathland and Grosmont. At Grosmont you can walk through the tunnel to the engine shed, where there's a shop with a free viewing area over the workshop. If you've got a couple of hours to spare there's a fairly gentle walk from Grosmont up an earlier trackbed to Goathland.

Goathland:

Goathland is the village made famous by Heartbeat. It's one of the most picturesque on the moors, made all the more special by the regular arrival and departure of steam trains on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. It's the kind of place you can spend a couple of hours meandering from one end of the village to the other and back. From the station at one end, it鈥檚 a gentle stroll up to the shops.

If you really fancy stretching your legs, you could walk up to the roman road on Wheeldale Moor, or walk down to the waterfall at Malyan Spout. The path leading down to the waterfall is by the side of the Malyan Spout Hotel, at the opposite end of the village to the railway station.

last updated: 20/05/2008 at 15:31
created: 23/08/2007

Have Your Say

We've shared our secrets for cheap days out on the Moors, now it's your turn. Tell us where you go, if we agree we'll include it in this section!

The 大象传媒 reserves the right to edit comments submitted.

Bryan Lambert
Newburgh Priory..During ww2 I went to school there. I believe you can now go there on certain days. I now live in the U.S. I loved my childhood on the yorkshire moors

Judy Popley
The River Rye, Duncombe Park Estate, Helmsley.One of the loveliest walks in Yorkshire! Start in Helmsley and if you drive around you can find free parking too! Walk into the park, passing the magical Castle on your right. Follow the footpath signs along the River ... look out for kingfishers at the Cascades (recently repaired after that awful flood). The park is absolutely full of wild life, deer, buzzards, rabbits, squirrels, pheasants, wild birds but principally one of the best places in the North to find wild flowers. Carry on right the way to Rievaulx Abbey, then cross the river and the valley and walk back on the other side. Take one of Hunter's fabulous sandwiches with you (you'll never want to buy from anyone else after one of their's! Hunters - Helmsley), some binoculars and just drink it the beauty of Ryedale. Certainly one of God's special places.Enjoy!

Anne Backhouse
one of our favourite cheap days out is to have a picnic on the Moors, then park at Egton Bridge and follow the old toll road to Grosmont where we stop for tea & cakes and watch steam trains, on the way back (same route) a detour to the ford near Grosmont for the children to paddle (depending on water levels and keeping an eye out for traffic) We've done this at least once a year for the past 14 yrs and it's always a pleasurable walk even in inclement weather because a lot of the rout is sheltered although it can be muddy in places. Being a low level route we've managed it with buggies and wheelchairs and the children love to take their bikes

Steve Lee
The "Helmsley Walled Garden" behind Helmsley Castle. It is an ongoing restoration project of a 19thC walled garden. Well worth the entry fee and they make their own cakes !!

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