Question-- York & North York Moors
 

Just about have my England itinerary finalized, all accommodations booked (except one). Here's the dilemma: I'm realizing one night is not enough for the North York Moors (or so the B&B tells me). I'm booked 2 nights in York, and I'm wondering if I should change that to 1. I was in York 25 years ago as a day trip -- visited the Minster and walked around the wall. Maybe one night would be sufficient. Any thoughts on this?

I'd keep the 2 nights in York and one night in the Moors. I've been in/trough the Moors several times -- all but one were day trips from York or Thirsk or Sutton-under-Whitestonecliffe, etc - and the other was a 4 day stay in the Moors. Having the one night and maybe 1.5 days in the Moors will be a nice taste IMO.

As Janisj says, York is the diamond in the velvet that is the the North York Moors, lovely but not wonderful.

However if you have a special interest in say Steam Trains, or Daffodils in April, or gliding then the other keys possible sites are

Fountains Abbey
Jervaulx Abbey
Rievaulx Abbey
Ripon Cathedral
Bolton Abbey

Thanks, janisj. I just hate making changes once I've already booked b & bs. I appreciate your insight.

billoburgler: I was sort of interested in taking that steam engine train through NYM. I'm planning to visit Rievaulx Abbey (the whole reason for going up there). The b&b is in Rosedale Abbey, and the setting looks lovely.

The steam train runs pretty slowly (10mph) and you can book day trips or evening trips. The evening trip includes food, which, while having a certain English amateur charm is actually pretty good. You do need to book the evening trip if you want to go on it.

Going on the day trip is ok. I've not had tea on it. http://www.nymr.co.uk/food-and-drink...diner-service/

One more thing: Is Robin Hood's Bay worth the drive up there? Was thinking of leaving York, driving up to RHB, then over to Rosedale Abbey where the B&B is. Then I'll see Rievaulx Abbey the next morning.

bill: I think I will skip the train. Thanks for the link and for offering insight.

Hi, susanoo1. I've been to York and did basically the same as you... walked the wall, visited the Shambles, Clifford's Tower, and since my interest is more Georgian/Regency/Victorian era, I didn't need more than a good 7-8 hour day in York. Though I did love my stay at the Best Western-Dean Court, which offered me my first taste of kedgeree for breakfast!

Have you considered a trip to Castle Howard near Malton? Absolutely gorgeous house and garden. Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal garden were lovely, too.

Robin's Hood Bay, I hear from everyone, is wonderful. However, a couple of ladies I met in the Peaks told me of a village NEAR Robin's Hood Bay (something with an 'end' in the name... I wrote it in my notebook, I believe, so I'll post with it later) but maybe this is a place where they stayed in a B&B... so may not be of interest if you weren't planning on staying overnight there (or nearby).

Thanks for your comments, ChgoGal. I visited Castle Howard in '88 with the literary group, and don't feel a need to return. I guess I'm more interested in natural beauty (the moors). I'm staying in a lovely B & B in York. The owners are so friendly (over email), and the rooms look very nice.

Hi Susan001,

“bill: I think I will skip the train” – probably a good choice not to book ahead because this type of travel is fun ONLY in good weather in my opinion.

I was really looking forward to our ride of the Ffestiniog & Welsh Railroad, an antique train, on our journey up to Caenarfon in North Wales. Unfortunately it was pouring and foggy with almost zero visibility.

I see that your trip is shaping up nicely….

Thanks, LateDayTraveler. Good idea about the train. I suddenly have a tiny concern about fog: reading one person's review of the b & b, and that they finally found it up a narrow road in the fog. But... I'll try not to worry and hope for the best. I'm really looking forward to this trip!

I think the village mentioned is Sandsend.
Rosedale Abbey is lovely although quite remote. But it has pubs and a couple of very good tearooms. There are old lead mining workings up there (which I find fascinating) and lots of walks you can do from the village, but I doubt you'll have time.
I could give you suggestions of dozens of places to visit in the area - it's just a question of you narrowing it down.
I love Robin Hood's Bay but it can get very busy on sunny weekends (we do occasionally get those up there!). It's not a place for a quick visit as you can't drive down the very steep 'main street' that leads to the sea. You have to park up and then walk down.
You can see Rievaulx thoroughly in an hour or so.
Whilst I appreciate you want to see natural beauty, I think it is always good to have a Plan B - the weather can be dreadful. So have some indoor things planned too!

@ Morgana: Thank you! Exactly right. It was Sandsend ("...where the sand ends.") The lady who mentioned it was a Land Artist and I believe she had an installation there.

http://www.ucs.mun.ca/~emiller/whitby.html

Check out Whitby if near it - nice castle and lots of Dracula links!

Oops not castle for Whitby but the ruined abbey (ruined if I recollect correctly).

Thanks so much, Morgana. I love getting insight from a local. I went ahead and booked the b & b in Rosedale, because the area around looks so beautiful. But I do get that it's remote, from looking at the map. My original plan was to stay overnight in Helmsley, see Rievaulx, and then head out. I wrote to one Inn there that didn't respond, and that's when I found the lovely B & B in the remote location. It's also in Karen Brown's guidebook.

PalenQ: If I were 13 again, I would be fascinated by the Bram Stoker stuff; but it just does nothing for me now.

I can understand that - nevertheless I found Whitby to be really nice, abbey on the sea, etc.

You'll be fine in Rosedale. I might not be saying that if you were visiting in the winter! But I believe you are travelling in the summer so you'll not have snow, fog etc. It's a lovely little place.
It does have a really steep and infamous road close by called Rosedale Chimney Bank, but again that won't be a problem weather wise.
A couple of 'local secret' places that might interest you too.
1) Wheeldale Roman Road - high on the Moors, a mile long, very well preserved stretch of Roman road crossing the moorland. You can walk along it or alongside it. Reputedly haunted of course! Never met another soul up there.
http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/d...le-roman-road/
2) Wharram Percy medieval deserted village
http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/d...ieval-village/
Situated in the Yorkshire Wolds - fascinating place and very atmospheric.

Thank you, PalenQ. Will consider a stop.

Morgana: Thanks so much; I'll check out the links. Now you have me worried about the Rosedale Chimney Bank. Do I have to take that road to get there? Some people on Trip Advisor said their GPS led them to that road in the fog! Yes, I'm going in July, so hopefully fog won't be an issue, but I don't like steep roads. That's why I never drive in San Francisco!

Morgana will know better - I've only been on that road once and it was nearly 20 years ago. I have a photo I just <i>had</i> to stop and take of triangular info/warning signs (on the same pole) that show 1 in 4 down and 1 in 3 up :O

But AFAIK you don't have to take that road to get to Rosedale. (Which is why I also always have a road atlas and don't rely solely on a GPS/SatNav - they can lead you astray once in a while)

I didn't mean to scare you, and I apologise for doing so - yes, you can avoid the steep Rosedale road. Rosedale is a thriving little village and as it has a village store, pubs etc it will have delivery vans and lorries going in and out. The village even has a bus service! Believe me, they won't be going up and down the Bank if they don't have to!
Agree with Janis - have your sat nav but use common sense too and if you see the sign to that road ahead (it does warn you on road signs), seek an alternative!
I have never known fog in July up there, although I have known rain. Lots of rain! But we were there several times last summer and it was glorious. We often start our walks from the village centre as it's usually easy to park, and then reward ourselves with a big slab of cake from the tearooms.
To finally put your mind at rest I would contact the B&B and tell them which direction you are coming from to their property. I am sure they too will tell you the best route that avoids the Chimney.
I have memories of those hills in San Francisco! Bad enough walking up them!

janisj: I bought the Michelin road atlas and am sending the big maps back. You were right (and thank you, again); the atlas is much better, and I've already been studying it.

Morgana: So, yes, I'll have the road atlas with me along with the GPS. And I will ask Ian at the B & B for directions. The B&B is Severnford and up the hill from the village. That Chimney Bank road may be necessary for just a short stretch, but I'll find out for sure.

You've all been so helpful in my planning. Thanks so much. I'm sure I'll have a wonderful adventure.

Susan

I just looked up the B&B -- no you don't need to drive the Chimney Bank - you can drive in from the direction of the village.

That's a relief. Thanks, janisj. :-)

I have decided to stay 2 nights in Rosedale Abbey. I just decided that the Yorkshire Moors are of more value to me than York, which I've visited before. Really, I only need time to visit the Shambles a bit and the Minster, and perhaps walk around the wall (though I did all three last time). I'm happy with this decision. In Rosedale Abbey, I will have a lovely room overlooking the moors. If I had kept the other plan, I would've been in York on a summer weekend. For someone who doesn't like crowds, not good.

I DID appreciate your feedback, but two nights in York kept nagging me. It seems like too much for a touristy town.

Now I need to find a new accommodation to book in York, as my B & B has a 2 night minimum. So if any of you know of a place (outside the town center -- I'm driving and would prefer being just outside the wall).

Good decision in my book. I hate crowds too. Rosedale can be fairly busy on a summer weekend but the vast majority of people will disappear by late afternoon.
In July you'll get long days so you can walk in the evenings whilst it is still daylight. This walk is one of our favourites - http://www.dalesman.co.uk/walks/rose...and-north-dale

bookmarking

Looks like a fabulous walk, Morgana, and the place names made me titter - appeals to my childish side.

One of the classic British seaside walks goes along the rugged coast from Scarborough to Whitby

https://www.google.com/search?q=scar...=1600&bih=1074

Morgana: Thanks so much! I have another question for you, since I believe you live in the Dales. I think I messed up! I'm not staying in the Dales at all! Here's what I can do. Maybe on my way from Keswick to Haworth I could stop for lunch in the Dales. Can you recommend a route? I was thinking maybe a stop in Hawes (or another place?) I'm planning to stop at Fountains Abbey for lunch, on my way to Rosedale Abbey (from Haworth).

Thanks, PalenQ!

Yes, I live in the Dales, in Wensleydale, but we have a caravan and travel all over North Yorkshire (and beyond). We spend a lot of long weekends in the Moors and know the area very well.
My husband would laugh if he knew I was being asked for route advice - I'm hopeless I'm afraid and my sat nav is my best friend.
Fountains has a café but I've never eaten there.
If someone suggests a route for you I can probably advise somewhere good for you to lunch. The food up here is terrific, lots of local produce and some excellent pubs and restaurants.

I enjoyed walking to Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal gardens from Ripon, a lovely market town - the trails go first along the river and through a forest and then on a broad road that leads straight to some gates and you walk thru Studely Royal's park to the abbey and gardens.

Quite a long hike however of 3-4 miles or so - but a nice approach.

Harrogate is a lovely spa town at the foot of the Dales - the old thermal places are still there and there is a Betty's Tea Cafe (or whatever they call it) in Harrogate - worth a stop if heading for the Dales.

I still remember the T-shirt being hawked at the Harrogate tourist info center - showing sheep on it and the words "Off the to Dales".

Morgana: Maybe stopping in Hawes for lunch? (from the Lake District). It's a bit off the beaten path -- there are faster ways to get to Haworth from Keswick, but I don't mind slowing down a bit to take in some new scenery. After lunch, maybe I could take a stroll through the dales, if there are paths leading from the town of Hawes, before heading off for Haworth. It's a thought.

PalenQ: yes, I saw the National trust site for Fountains (which also includes Studley). So glad I stumbled on the site! I will definitely try to do both, en route to the North York Moors.

Two Bettys in Harrogate! One right in the centre and another on the outskirts, at Harlow Carr botanical gardens.
You can indeed walk to Fountains from Ripon (which is a city not a town) and a lot of the parkland is open public space. However, Studley Royal Watergardens and the Abbey itself is in the care of the National Trust and you have to pay an entry fee. Think it's about £8.50 per adult.

I'm thinking of buying an annual membership to Royal Oak, which will get me into all the national trust sites for free with no waiting in line. Someone on this forum told me about it.

Looking at Hawes just now, I think lunch there -- maybe at the creamery with a sample of cheeses, as well, plus a walk afterwards -- will be the perfect break on my way to Haworth.

A possible route could be Keswick, Kendal, Sedbergh, Hawes, Kettlewell, Grassington, Skipton, Keighley, Haworth.

Plenty of tea shops, cafes, or pubs for meals and snacks en route.

Kettlewell and Grassington are nice.

sofarsogood: Thank you so much!! I will definitely save this information. Looks great!

Keighley - when I got there I was calling it "keely: like one would have thunk - but a local said 'you mean Keethly' - like Keeth-lee - surprised me.

to feel the beating heart and soul of the Lake District take a look at this twitter feed from a local shepherd

https://twitter.com/herdyshepherd1

if you struggle with Keighley P maybe you would like a crack at Guiseley, another local town.