The North York Moors National Park is an area of natural beauty in the northeast of England. Featuring heather moorland, coastline and pretty villages, the North York Moors is a great choice for a weekend in Yorkshire.

Here are my favourite things to do in the North York Moors.

Goathland

Goathland is a charming village in the North York Moors National Park and makes for a great base to explore the area. Goathland has a very quaint character, with sheep wandering through the village and picturesque stone cottages.

The village has a small row of shops and the excellent Goathland Tea Room.

Famous for being the filming location of the popular TV series Heartbeat set in the 1950s, Goathland leans into this reputation with the gift shops that line the main street and the Ford Anglia police car that sits outside the shops.

Goathland Station

Also a famous filming location that may look familiar to you is Goathland station. Used in Heartbeat, Harry Potter and All Creatures Great and Small, Goathland is an attractive heritage train station from which you can catch a steam train on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.

North Yorkshire Moors Railway

The North Yorkshire Moors Railway is a heritage railway that runs steam trains through the national park including stopping at Goathland. You can catch the train all the way to Whitby, but if you’re short on time you can ride one stop up to Grosmont and back. On some of the journeys they use diesel engines, so double check this to make sure you get the steam train on your chosen journey for the full experience of the train chugging along and the signature choo-choo of the whistle.

If you’d rather just watch the trains, grab a cup of tea from the station tea room, walk up onto the bridge and wait for the steam trains to come in.

Mallyan Spout

The Mallyan Spout Hotel is an upmarket country house hotel on the outskirts of the village of Goathland overlooking the moors. Don’t miss the 70-foot waterfall located a short walk behind the hotel.

Good to know: Mallyan Spout Hotel is not child-friendly, so if you’re travelling with your family you’ll have to give this one a miss.

For alternative accommodation in Goathland have a look at these options.

The North York Moors

If you’ve come to the North York Moors National Park, you’re going to want to see the moors. Even in bad weather these are colourful and atmospheric. You can walk straight out onto the moors from outside the Mallyan Spout Hotel. For a longer walk drive to the nearby Hole of Horcrum and take the circular walk which will give you sweeping moorland vistas.

Whitby

Whitby is a picturesque seaside town with cobbled streets on the North Yorkshire coast. Most famous for the iconic Whitby Abbey ruins which served as the landing point for Dracula in Bram Stoker’s classic novel. Whitby is also known for its maritime history and fish and chips.

If you’d like to make this attractive town your base for the North York Moors there is plenty of accommodation on offer.

Just down the coast from Whitby is the equally pretty fishing village of Robin Hood’s Bay.

Getting There

The North York Moors is located in the northeast of England. A 5 hour drive from London and 1 hour from the city of York.

You’ll need a car to explore this area.

Further Afield

To extend your stay in Yorkshire, don’t miss the picturesque countryside of the Yorkshire Dales. If you prefer the city to the countryside York is one of the finest cities in England to visit.

If you’re looking for more things to do in the North York Moors have a look here.

We recently travelled to Goathland and the North York Moors as part of a month-long road trip around England. Read the trip report here.