The YHA guide to North Yorkshire 

Welcome to England’s largest county. Covering 3,480 mostly rural square miles — and packing in everything from rolling dales to towering sea cliffs — North Yorkshire is a gift for adventure-seekers. Whether you’re looking for moorland walks or market towns, spooky ruins or seaside fun, traditional pubs or towering hills, it’s a destination to be visited time and time again. And with a fantastic selection of YHA properties sprinkled across the map, you won’t have to search far for accommodation.

Exploring the landscape  

The sweeping scale of the region means you’re never far away from first-rate outdoor scenery. The Howardian Hills and Nidderdale — two of the UK’s finest National Landscapes — are both within easy reach of York, offering big fells, meandering rivers and sheep-dotted farmland.

Top billing, however, goes to the county’s spectacular duo of national parks. The first, the North York Moors, is a glorious, super-sized swathe of heather moorland, ideal for cycling, walking and horse-riding. Dalby Forest, in the heart of the park, offers biking options for everyone from first-time families to downhill experts. In terms of fantastic day-walks, meanwhile, the three-mile countryside wander from the market town of Helmsley to the dramatic remains of Rievaulx Abbey is both memorable and manageable.

Something longer? Adventurous bikers can take on the 150-mile Moor to Sea Cycling Network or the quieter 171-mile North York Moors Cycleway, while long-distance hikers can tackle the superb, 109-mile Cleveland Way National Trail, which not only incorporates the park’s horizon-wide moorland but traces its romping, roller-coaster coastline, too.

The region’s other national park is, of course, the wonderful Yorkshire Dales. Dotted with picture-book villages and proper pubs, it’s also somewhere with oodles of options for outdoor-lovers. The Tour de France passed right through the park in 2024, so you’ll find all manner of tough climbs and hulking scenery. The Swale Trail is an easy-ish 12-mile mountain-biking route, and at the other end of the cycling spectrum, the steep Rosedale Chimney is a notorious uphill challenge for experienced riders.

On foot, meanwhile, the Dales come into their own. Try the 4.5-mile Malham Tarn circular for a straightforward walk, make an ascent to the handsome heights of Ingleborough for wraparound views of the surrounding valleys, or opt for the classic all-day Three Peaks hike for more of a test. And don’t forget the much-loved Pennine Way, which stretches right through the park.

Both North York Moors national park and Yorkshire Dales national park also list various ‘miles without stiles’ accessible walks on their websites.

Rail adventure 

The 73-mile-long train journey between Settle and Carlisle is one to send rail-lovers weak at the pistons. The town of Settle lies among some of the mightiest and most remote scenery in the Dales, which makes it all the more remarkable that this line was ever built at all — let alone 150 years ago in the 1870s. To adapt to the contours of the land, it passes through 14 tunnels and crosses no less than 22 viaducts, most notably the iconic, 24-arch Ribblehead Viaduct. The service takes around 1 hour 40 minutes end to end, with the views barely letting up, and the regularity of the timetable makes it simple to do a return journey in a day.      

Enjoying the coast 

There’s far more to North Yorkshire than those quintessential views of green fells and drystone walls. The county also has a magnificent coastline, with the 36-mile section stretching south from Saltburn-by-the-Sea to Scalby defined as a Heritage Coast by Natural England. 

This is largely to do with its natural beauty. You can expect towering pink cliffs — including the highest on the country’s east coast, at Boulby — as well as fossil-rich beaches, bobbing seals and picturesque coves. Factor an assortment of historic port villages into the mix, plus some frankly outrageously good fish and chips, and you’re left with somewhere that ticks all the right sort of bucket-and-spade boxes. 

The broad sandy beach at Robin Hood’s Bay is a dream for families, not least because it’s also a fruitful spot for finding ammonites and other prehistoric fossils. It also happens to be on the front doorstep of the ever-wonderful YHA Boggle Hole, which in turn sits just a few miles south of YHA Whitby. The half-day coastal walk between the two is a joy, while the chance to see Whitby Abbey — which stands a mere flick of a vampire’s cloak away from the hostel — is an enticement in itself.      

Time in the city 

North Yorkshire is scattered with all manner of large, character-rich settlements, but topping the pile is surely the cathedral city of York. Founded by the ancient Romans — and still boasting the 2,000-year-old walls that evidence the fact — it’s somewhere that manages to blend a heady sense of history with a distinctly 21st-century urban buzz. 

Head to the Jorvik Viking Centre for a battleaxe-wielding look at the city’s Viking past, visit the soaring York Minster to be wowed by its Gothic architecture, then lick your lips for a trip to York’s Chocolate Story, this being the hometown of both Terry’s and Rowntree’s. Elsewhere, you can wander the medieval laneways of the Shambles, while away a few hours at the excellent National Railway Museum or even take a ghost tour to uncover some of York’s grislier secrets. And with YHA York as a base — within walking distance of both the station and the city centre — you’re well placed to explore.      

National Park Fact File 

Did you know? If Yorkshire were a country, it would have placed 12th in the medal table at the 2012 Olympics! 

Dog-friendly days out 

Read the full edition of The Journey: summer 24