Visitors are drawn to the North Yorkshire Moors for their stunning natural beauty, the many varieties of birdlife in the region and the opportunity to walk for miles in virtual isolation. The North York Moors National Park is one of the country’s most visually stunning landscapes with vast expanses of open moorland covered in a purple carpet of heather in early summer, a truly remarkable sight. However, the National Park is made up of much more than moorland with a over a fifth of the land covered in woodland.

The North Yorkshire Moors Railway stretches for 18 miles in the south of the Park; run by enthusiasts this steam railway provides a great way to see the area. The line ends in Pickering, a busy market town with an impressive medieval castle and motte (mound).

Other popular towns in the area include Ryedale, Helmsley, Rosedale, Glaisdale, Thornton-le-Dale and Goathland (location of the TV programme Heartbeat).