Things to Do

Things to Do

There are a wealth of activities in the national park, here's just a few:

With short Nature trails, heritage, outdoor events and a wealth of information on what to see and where to go, you'll certainly not run out of things to do on your holiday! This is the best place to start when on holiday amongst the moors.

Farndale Daffodils

Farndale is a sparsely populated valley, but home to a large proportion of daffodils. Over 35,000 people come to see the displays during the spring. A three mile walk will take you alongside the River Dove. A recommended starting point is the hamlet of Low Mill at the Southern end of the valley which has a large car park. Once you reach the top of the valley there's a warm welcome at the Feversham Arms, home to some of Yorkshire's finest ales from the Black Sheep Brewery and a delicious lunchtime menu before you work it back off on your journey back to Low Mill.

Cleveland Way
110 miles may be quite a long walk, but there's plenty of short sections along the Cleveland Way that make an ideal day out combining dales, rich moorland and coast. It runs from Helmsley in the south-west of the National Park, heading due west before following the edge of the park North past Osmotherley and the Cleveland Hills. It then runs North-East passing Guisborough before reaching the coast at Saltburn, where it hugs the cliff edges along the disused WRMU (Whitby Redcar and Middlesbrough Railway) line to Whitby. Crossing over the imposing brick stricture of Larpool Viaduct it continues along the disused Whitby - Scarborough line all the way down to Filey.

Goathland Station and the line to Pickering on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway featured in the first Harry Potter film as Hogsmeade, though you'll have to have a good imagination to spot the great castle of Hogwarts in the distance as that is added by special effects! The Hogwarts Express usually resides at Scarborough when filming is not taking place.

HEARTBEAT

Goathland - less than 30 minutes drive from Whitby is home for the Yorkshire TV series Heartbeat. Although filming has finished on the final series, many of the signs have been left in place, so there's a good chance you'll see The Aidensfield Arms, Scripps Garage and the village green. You won't spot the Police House, that's near Leeds, a bit of a trek for the bobby if a robbery's taking place! Goathland station is also used as Aidensfield station in the series.

James Herriot Country

Thirsk, a small market town to the west of the National Park was home to Alf Wright, a veterinary surgeon famous for his books on life in the Yorkshire Dales published under the name of James Herriot and made all the more popular by a film starring Anthony Hopkins and the celebrated BBC TV series "All Creatures Great and Small". A visit to the town would not be complete without popping in to the World of James Herriot at the actual Skeldale House in the town.

Fountain's Abbey and Studley Royal, Nr Ripon

There are many historic sites across the region from castles and gardens through to abbeys and churches. Many monks made their home in the peaceful valleys of Yorkshire and all are in easy reach of travellers to the region - Whitby Abbey, Pickering Castle, Helmsley Castle, Mount Grace Priory, Rievaux Abbey, Byland Abbey and Scarborough Castle or slightly further a field - gardens of Studley Royal and Fountains Abbey, Richmond Castle, Middleham Castle, Clifford's Tower in York, Stanwick Iron Age Fortifications, Aldborough Roman Site and Piercebridge Roman Bridge.

From Great Halls, to acres of outstanding countryside, Yorkshire National Trust sites offer something for everyone and as with English Heritage sites you don't have to be a member.

See if you can spot the ghost in Beningbrough or enjoy the Palladian delights of Ormesby Hall; View their Yorkshire website.

North Yorkshire Moors Railway

Running from Pickering to Grosmont - some 18 miles through some of the most windswept and scenic country in the UK, the North Yorkshire Moors Railway is one of the biggest steam railway lines in England and has been running since 1974. Goathland station is used for filming of Heartbeat and Harry Potter. The line has also made appearances in Casualty, Brideshead Revisited, Sherlock Holmes and Poirot. There's more to the railway than just riding a steam train, you can learn how to drive the engines, see the workshops in action or simply enjoy the first class service of the dining car.

Scaling Dam

If you're into water sports Scaling Dam on the border with Cleveland is the ideal place to take part. From Lazers and Toppers through to Windsurfing and Albacores the sailing club offers a wide choice of activities. Membership is required, however visitors to the area can join for as little as 30 days. Scailing also has a large nature reserve and is very popular for bird watching. There are a number of good footpaths in the area for hiking and sightseeing over the moors, with car parking at the East end of the dam.