Authority maintains an up-to-date website full of current contact information, events information and a comprehensive wealth of notes that go well beyond the scope of this guidebook. Be sure to check it in advance of any visit at www.northyorkmoors.org.uk
Getting to the North York Moors
By air and sea
The nearest practical airports to the North York Moors are Leeds/Bradford and Teeside, although good rail connections allow ready access from the London airports and Manchester Airport. The nearest practical ferry ports are Hull and Newcastle.
By rail
Good rail connections from around the country serve the busy tourist resort of Scarborough throughout the day. To a lesser extent, Whitby can be reached by direct rail services from Middlesbrough, which would suit most travellers from the north-east. Other railway stations to consider include Malton, on account of its summer weekend Moorsbus services, and Saltburn, which connects with regular Arriva bus services. Check the National Rail website to plan journeys to and from the area, www.nationalrail.co.uk tel 03457 484950.
By bus
Daily National Express buses run to Scarborough and Whitby – www.nationalexpress.com. Daily Yorkshire Coastliner buses run from Leeds and York to Scarborough and Whitby – www.yorkbus.co.uk. Daily Arriva bus services from the north-east run to Guisborough, Whitby and Scarborough – www.arrivabus.co.uk/north-east. Daily East Yorkshire Motor Services buses run from Hull and the surrounding area to Scarborough – www.eyms.co.uk.
Getting around the North York Moors
Moorsbus
The Moorsbus is a network of special low-cost bus services, often tying in with other bus and rail services to link some of the more popular little towns and villages with some of the more remote parts of the national park. Walkers who wish to make use of Moorsbus services should obtain a current timetable either from the national park authority or from tourist information centres. Timetables and places served tend to change each year, but as a general rule, services operate on summer Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays. It is essential to obtain up-to-date information, starting with the Moorsbus website, www.moorsbus.org
Moorsbus services link the towns with dales and remote moors
Buses
Other bus services are also available in the national park. Arriva buses run excellent regular daily services around the northern part of the North York Moors, as well as along the coast from Staithes to Whitby and Scarborough – www.arrivabus.co.uk/north-east. Scarborough & District buses cover the southern parts of the North York Moors, between Scarborough and Helmsley, and along the coast from Scarborough to Ravenscar, www.eyms.co.uk. Other operators include Transdev, which serves Helmsley from York, www.yorkbus.co.uk; Abbotts, which serves Osmotherley and Stokesley, www.abbottscoaches.co.uk; and Ryecat, which provides community transport to villages in the south of the national park, ryedalect.org.
Rail
Following the closure of the coastal line in 1965, rail services have drastically reduced in the North York Moors. However, daily Northern trains run along the Eskdale line from Middlesbrough to Whitby, providing access to a series of fine walks in the northern part of the national park, www.northernrailway.co.uk. Seasonal steam-hauled services on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, between Pickering and Goathland, catch the attention of walkers who want to enjoy a nostalgic railway journey to their walks, www.nymr.co.uk. All was not lost with the closure of the coastal railway, since the entire line between Scarborough and Whitby is now part of the National Cycle Route 1.
The North Yorkshire Moors Railway provides nostalgic steam-hauled services
Accommodation
Accommodation options around the North York Moors National Park are abundant, but bear in mind that during the peak summer season it can still be difficult to secure lodgings, and in the depths of winter some places are not open. At the budget end there are plenty of campsites, although youth hostels are rather thin on the ground. Following closures in recent years there is now only Whitby, Boggle Hole, Scarborough, Lockton, Helmsley and Osmotherley.
Walkers looking for B&B, guest house or hotel accommodation will find plenty of choice in some areas, especially the coastal resorts, but little or nothing in some of the less-frequented dales further inland. However, every standard is available, from homely B&Bs and basic farmhouse accommodation, to luxury hotels with every facility and full meals services. On the whole, serviced accommodation in the North York Moors tends to be a little pricey, but with careful research reasonably priced options can be found, especially with Airbnb, www.airbnb.co.uk. The tourist information centres at Scarborough and Whitby may be aware of last-minute vacancies during busy periods.
Food and drink
Most of the walking routes in this guidebook start and finish at places where food and drink is available. The starting point may be a town with plenty of pubs, restaurants and cafés, or it may be a village with a pub and a tearoom. There may be places en route that offer food and drink, such as wayside pubs and cafés, or there may be nothing at all. A note about the availability of refreshments is given in the information box at the beginning of each walk, although there is no guarantee that the places will be open when you need them! When booking accommodation be sure to enquire about meals, or to let your hosts know if you have any special dietary requirements. It goes without saying that you should be self-sufficient for food and drink for the duration of your walks.
When to walk
Most visitors – and indeed too many visitors – explore the North York Moors during the summer months, and when the moors are flushed purple with heather and the air is sweetened with its scent, this can be a delightful time. But be warned that when the sun beats down on the moors there may be little shade, and the longer a heatwave lasts, the more the air tends to turn hazy, so that colour and depth are lost from the views. The spring and autumn months offer good walking conditions, with plenty of cool, clear days – often cool enough to ensure that you keep striding briskly! There is also less pressure on accommodation and easier access to attractions along the way. In the winter months accommodation and transport are much reduced, and foul weather can sweep across the moors, which offer little shelter from wind or rain. However, there can be some exceptionally bright, clear days, and a dusting of snow on the landscape transforms the scene into something quite magical.
The heathery expanse of Spaunton Moor from above Lastingham (Walk 29)
Maps of the routes
Extracts
