UK STAYCATION #4
YORKSHIRE
When to go: in autumn, when the moorland is tawny and walks along the beach are brisk and wind-whipped.
How long to go for: four or five days should do it.
The windswept North York Moors contains one of the largest heather moorlands in England. It’s a stark landscape, which makes it all the more beautiful. Walking routes are plotted throughout, dotted with vibrant wildflowers, and there are boundless views of the seemingly never-ending surrounding countryside.
Depending on where you start and how much time you want to spend exploring the moors would determine your route. You may want to do a loop from York, or say start in Middlesbrough and go south from there.. So, we are leaving your starting point to you and will guide you from Whitby.
Driving through the national park towards the coast leads to a string of nostalgic Victorian and Edwardian seaside towns running along the shoreline.
Scarborough is a seriously old-school spot for fish and chips on the South Bay promenade.
Fishing port Whitby Harbour is dominated by the ruins of Whitby Abbey which sits on a cliff overlooking the village. The Abbey dates back to the 13th century but it was where Christian missionaries gathered to decide on a formula to celebrate Easter back in the 7th century when the building was a monastery.
Driving inland once more, a stop in Malton reveals a Yorkshire market town undergoing an artisanal regeneration, with independent bakeries, cheese makers and coffee roasteries cropping up throughout its cobbled streets.
Malton is doing an excellent job of putting itself on the map as a foodie destination – hopefully the food market will be open when you visit – the homemade pastries and cakes along with all the fresh fruit and veg look delicious.
Stay overnight at The Talbot, a 17th Century coaching inn that had a makeover in 2019 that turned it into a smart hotel with river views and an excellent restaurant.
Finish up in York, the historic centre of the region where you can visit York Minster, one of the largest cathedrals in Northern Europe and one of the most beautiful gothic cathedrals in the world.
York also has their own version of Sally Lunn’s with Betty’s Café Tea Rooms which is a famous Yorkshire institution and a must to sample tea and delicious pastries. Betty’s was decked out by the same craftsmen who fitted out the Queen Mary ship … not many people know that!
York was once the capital of Viking Territory and was called Jorvik, be sure to visit the Jorvik Viking Centre to learn more about it.
source: cntraveller.com
