North York Moors National Park

Shop

Get even more with a Lonely Planet guide.

Pocket London

$14.99

Shop Book

View from Sutton Bank, where road climbs to a steep 140 metres.

Andrew Montgomery

LONELY PLANET’S RECOMMENDED eSIM

Stay connected in North York Moors National Park

with

Saily is an affordable eSIM service that helps you stay connected and secure, anywhere in the world.

Get your eSIM

Overview

Inland from the North Yorkshire coast, the wild and windswept North York Moors rise in desolate splendour. Three-quarters of all the world's heather moorland is found in Britain, and this is the largest expanse in England. Ridge-top roads climb up from lush green valleys to the bleak open moors, where weather-beaten stone crosses mark the lines of ancient roadways. In summer, heather blooms in billowing drifts of purple haze.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

Whitby Abbey

Whitby

There are ruined abbeys, and there are picturesque ruined abbeys. And then there's Whitby Abbey, dominating the skyline above the East Cliff like a great…

Rievaulx Abbey

North York Moors National Park

In the secluded valley of the River Rye about 3 miles west of Helmsley, amid fields and woods loud with birdsong, stand the magnificent ruins of Rievaulx…

Captain Cook Memorial Museum

Whitby

This fascinating museum occupies the house of the ship owner with whom Cook began his seafaring career. Highlights include the attic where Cook lodged as…

North Yorkshire Moors Railway

North York Moors National Park

This privately owned railway runs for 18 miles through beautiful countryside from Pickering to Whitby. Lovingly restored steam locos pull period carriages…

Endeavour Experience Whitby

Whitby

In 2018, a full-size replica of Captain Cook’s HM Bark Endeavour became a permanent fixture in Whitby harbour and opened to the public as a visitor…

Whitby Jet Heritage Centre

Whitby

A museum housing the remains of Whitby's last Victorian jet workshop lies at the bottom of the 199 steps, with original tools rescued from a derelict…

Whitby Sands

Whitby

Whitby Sands, stretching west from the harbour mouth, offers donkey rides, ice-cream vendors and bucket-and-spade escapades, though the sand is mostly…

Museum of Whitby Jet

Whitby

Housed inside a 1901 chapel, this small museum has created a temple to Whitby jet – one of the town’s most prized exports, a gothic icon, and a favourite…

View more attractions