The heather doesn't bloom until the autumn so you will be too early (not too late) in August.
We also have a Bank Holiday weekend over here at the end of August which means everywhere is very busy that weekend especially if the weather is good.
The Moors cover a large area - was there anything specific you wanted to see? The countryside or specific villages, abbeys etc?? If I knew what you had in mind I could draw a driving route up for you.
You'd need to have a Plan B of places to visit if the weather is foul (Castle Howard for instance, or Eden Camp) - we get days up here even in August when it rains and rains and you won't see much from a car window!

If you are looking at the Yorkshire Moors this might prove entertaining http://www.nymr.co.uk/ we have taken the day trip which is fine but the evening dining is sort of amateur with the best spirit of the British with better wine. Well worth the experience but you need to book as they get full early on.

Thanks for your replies - the railway looks very interesting; will have to investigate this further.

We will be in Scarborough 28 August, then on to York for the evening of 29 August. So perhaps we'll avoid the worst of the weekend crowds?

We enjoy countryside and little villages - it's details about these that I'm specifically looking for. Our only 'knowledge' of the Moors is the James Herriot TV series.

Perhaps some of those villages mentioned on the railways site are what I should be checking out? Di

We enjoy countryside and little villages - it's details about these that I'm specifically looking for. Our only 'knowledge' of the Moors is the James Herriot TV series.>>

our fodorite friend Aduchamps is there now, getting up close and personal with some cows' rear ends, to judge by his posts!

he may be able to help once he surfaces!

any reason why you want the Moors, not the Dales? the latter are [IMHO] somewhat prettier and more friendly looking.

To reply to your comment about the Herriot TV series - this was filmed in the DALES not the Moors and the landscape of these two National Parks is very different. Filming was mainly in Wensleydale (where I live).
Herriot's 'real life' surgery was in Thirsk which is a small market town in the Vale of Mowbray close to the Dales and the Moors. It has a Herriot museum in the town which is popular with tourists.
The Dales are beautiful but are further inland and landlocked, and your post indicates your route is close to the coast.
The NYMR is a great day out, however some of the route is in a cutting with trees close by so you don't get a good view all along the route. However you can get on and off as you please and do short walks from the stops.
And yes, you will miss the worst of the weekend crowds although schoolchildren will still be on their summer holidays - they return at the beginning of September.

Yes, we are also covering the Dales on our way from Liverpool to Newcastle. Our entire touring loop starts in Portsmouth, then north as far as Newcastle, then back to Cambridge.

I look forward to hearing what Aduchamps may have to add.
Many thanks, Di

Our entire touring loop starts in Portsmouth, then north as far as Newcastle, then back to Cambridge.>>

do tell us that you're taking longer than a week for that!

We passed Thirsk the other day when we spent the day traveling in and through Whitby, Scarborough, and Robin Hood's Bay.

Our hosts thinks the motor club could give chapter and verse for a proper tour.

Our hosts also think the lavender will in bloom in late August and September. Right now we just see yellow fields of rape, which is used for cooking oil. In this age of PC they should change the name to meadows of child molesters.

If I have time tonight I will write in greater detail.

Our hosts thinks the motor club could give chapter and verse for a proper tour.>>

that would be the AA [Automobile Association] and the RAC [Royal Automobile Club] then.

I don't think that they offer that sort of bespoke service any more, but here are the links anyway:

http://www.theaa.com/route-planner/index.jsp

http://www.rac.co.uk/route-planner/

yes, we get lots of rape [fields] round here too.

Bilboburger, I really loved that video of the North Yorkshire Moors Railroad. Looks like fun!


Annhig, I will have to check out that James Herriot series, not familiar with it.

Di2315, to you and others interested in Yorkshire, I would suggest watching SOUTH RIDING, a Masterpiece Theater production based on a novel by Winifred Holtby. The story depicts the poverty and problems of social change in the 1930s in the area – somber but riveting.

Film contains magnificent views of Yorkshire coast. I get my DVDs in the local library. Many of you may have seen SOUTH RIDING last year.

lateday - i think it was Adu mentioned it first. it was a very popular series in the ?70s. love and animals in the Dales -what with that and the scenery, how could it fail?

you're looking for "All creatures great and small" BTW.

Thank you, Annhig, now I recognize the program.

Morgana – you and I must have posted at the same time! I did have my Dales and Moors befuddled – hope I now have that one sorted out.
I’m curious about Wensleydale – googlemaps shows this name as being in Newcastle; not located in the Dales.
I have our route planned to travel through Thirsk on the way to York, so at least we won’t miss this area.

Annhig – not we’re not quite that batty! We have almost two weeks to do this trip. Touring is a first for us; usually we spend a week or two in the one place, then move on. The family history sites are in Portsmouth and Newcastle, so this is a way of enjoying the journey between the two, and getting a taste of places we might like to return to and see in more detail. Thanks too for the car club details – will check these out soon.

Thanks, Aduchamp – sounds as though we will see some pretty scenery.

ldt – I’ll follow up on the South Riding DVD – finding out part of the history of the area will be of great interest before we travel. Di

I can promise you that Wensleydale (Upper and Lower) is nowhere near Newcastle!

Here's some info about Wensleydale - hope this will clear up any confusion about its whereabouts.
http://www.yorkshire-dales.com/wensleydale.html
As far as films of the area go -
1) Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves opens up with shots of Aysgarth Falls in Wensleydale.
2) Calendar Girls has lots of scenic shots of the Dales but this is mainly in Wharfedale.
If you enjoy reading I would recommend The Plot by Madeleine Bunting- a very good read and lots of local info about the North Yorks Moors which I think will enhance your visit.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Plot-Biography-English-Acre/dp/1847080855

You may also need to watch various Wallace and Gromit movies to see how good the local cheese is http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wallace_and_Gromit

Further south Last of the summer wine country may also interest
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_of_the_Summer_Wine

In between we have Emmerdale in Wharfedale http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emmerdale

there are others but they generally get more and more drippy.

Though the whole of Frost http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Touch_of_Frost_%28TV_series%29 is based in Leeds but with any obvious identifying features removed.

"I’m curious about Wensleydale – googlemaps shows this name as being in Newcastle; not located in the Dales."

You must be careful when using google/google maps. Just because something pops up in a search doesn't mean it is what you are looking for. There is a Wensleydale Drive in Newcastle - and it is a good 2 hours from Wensleydale.

(Just like Pennsylvania Avenue is in Washington DC )

Annhig – not we’re not quite that batty! We have almost two weeks to do this trip. >>

thank goodness for that. I hope you didn't mind my asking - we have some weird and wacky itineraries posted here as you probably know.

But thank goodness for Janis who can 'sanity check' the wildest itinerary with precision and tact!