Whitby & North York Moors Guide - Days Out Leaflets

A National Park...
undisturbed natural beauty
5 great...
views in the north
York moors
✓ Ravenscar towards Robin Hood’s Bay.
from the town that never was look across the
sweep of robin Hood’s Bay to Baytown itself.
Lots of information in the ravenscar Visitor
Centre nearby.
✓ Danby Beacon Panorama. Head up to one
of the highest points north of the esk Valley,
with views in all directions. more information
in the moors national park moors Centre near
danby village (1 mile).
✓ Captain Cook Monument on Easby Moor,
Great Ayton. Start from Gribgate car park,
near where young James Cook was a boy,
then walk less than 1 mile to the huge stone
pillar on the moortop.
✓ Lord’s Stone View, Carlton Bank. park
above the village of Carlton. Walk from the
café for about 250 metres to the edge of the
escarpment overlooking the Tees Valley.
✓ Sutton Bank, between Helmsley and
Thirsk. The vet James Herriot’s favourite view.
Walk about 200 metres from the Sutton Bank
national park Centre onto the Cleveland Way
and look across the Vale of York.
A rich & diverse
landscape
Sixty years ago, the North York Moors
became the UK’s sixth national park making
2012 its diamond anniversary. National
parks, of which there are now 15, are
beautiful areas of protected countryside.
Each has its own distinct special qualities
but all are crammed full of spectacular
scenery, wildlife, heritage and plenty of
recreational activities.
The North York Moors is a place where
nature and history inspire each other. Its
diverse landscape rises and falls around
the signs of times past from ruined abbeys
and ancient churches to traces of a once
bustling industrial heritage.
As the name suggests, moorland plays
a big part in the make-up of this special
place. Stroll through the heather on the
moor tops and you’ll find yourself walking
through a habitat that on a global scale is
rarer than rainforests! Three quarters of the
world’s heather moorlands are located in
the UK and England’s largest expanse can
be found in the North York Moors.
The moorland is a haven for all sorts of
wildlife but in particular ground-nesting
birds such as golden-plover, curlew and
lapwing. It also provides breathtaking
views from its relatively flat tops with big
skies and an incredible feeling of space.
It’s not all moorland though, there’s also a
cracking heritage coastline with majestic
cliffs, wide sandy beaches and secluded
coves. Dotted throughout the North York
Moors are picturesque villages with warm
welcomes and intriguing local tales from
smugglers to industrious monks. You’ll
also find large swathes of woodland, some
carpeted in wild flowers and others with
great recreational activities from mountainbiking
to treetop walkways and zip wires.
Lots to see and do
An extensive network of tracks, trails and
rolling moorland roads not only makes
the North York Moors very accessible but
also offers plenty of opportunities for
fun and excitement in some of the most
breathtaking and varied scenery there is.
You can walk, cycle, glide, ride a horse,
climb, surf, sail, hop on a steam train or just
sit back and take it all in.
For the perfect start to any visit, head to
one of two National Park Centres. The
Moors National Park Centre in Danby has
plenty to entertain all ages including play
areas, interactive exhibitions, woodland
and riverside trails and a beautiful
exhibition space for visiting arts and crafts
people. From spring 2012, visitors to Sutton
Bank National Park Centre can find out
more about how the fascinating and iconic
landscape in this corner of the national
park was shaped by lime, ice and man in
a brand new exhibition which will include
a mix of audio visual, interactives and an
innovative virtual reality landscape feature.
A place for all seasons
The North York Moors is a place for all
seasons offering something for everyone
from thrill-seekers to culture vultures and
those who just want to kick back and relax.
Check out www.northyorkmoors.org.uk
for more inspiration or request a copy of
the free Out and About Guide to the North
York Moors by calling 01439 770657 or
email info@northyorkmoors.org.uk
main image: Walkers on the Cleveland Way at Hasty Bank.
Left inset: The moors national park Centre (danby).
right inset: Hutton-le-Hole.