North York Moors and Coast Guidebook and Travel Guide
North York Moors and Coast

Discovery Guides Best of Britain Series

CONTENTS

1. Introduction to the Area
2. North York Moors National Park
3. Early Settlers
4. The Romans
5. The Dark Ages
6. After the Norman Conquest
7. Recent Centuries
8. Famous People
9. Myths & legends
10. Traditional Crafts
11. The Geology of the Area
12. Rocks & Fossils
13. Landforms of the Moors
14. A Region of Forests
15. Wildlife of the Moors & Dales
16. Wildlife of the Coast
17. Moors, Hills & Dales
18. Rural Farming Tradition
19. Cleveland's Coast & Countryside
20. The Esk Valley
21. Heartbeat Country
22. Thirsk, Helmsley, Pickering
23. Heritage Coast
24. Maritime Fishing Tradition
25. Staithes
26. Whitby
27. Robin Hood's Bay
28. Scarborough
29. Long Distance Walks
30. Captain Cook Country Heritage Trail
31. Drive 1: Western Circular
32. Drive 2: Eastern Circular
33. Walk 1: Staithes
34. Walk 2: Hole of Horcum
35. Walk 3: Farndale
36. Walk 4: Sutton Bank & the White Horse
37. Walk 5: Captain Cook Country
38. Walk 6: Falling Foss
39. The North York Moors in Colour - A Personal Collection of Colour Photographs
40. Introduction to Places to Visit & Things to Do
41. Outdoor Activities
42. The North York Moors Railway
43. The Esk Valley Line
44. Castles of the Area
45. Halls & Gardens of the Area
46. Abbeys of the Area
47. Museums & Galleries of the Area
48. Some Towns & Villages of the Area
49. TICs and Useful Information
50. Services for the Visitor
51. Back Page - General Map of the Area

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

This travel guide is a phenomenally comprehensive representation of the North Yorkshire Moors National Park, Yorkshire's Heritage Coast, Heartbeat Country and Herriot Country that combine to create this fantastic region that is loved by millions of people from all over the world. A brief look at the Contents will soon identify the breadth of the detailed coverage.

However, as well as the informative sections there are 2 suggested drives and 6 suggested walks, plus an extensive 8 page colour photograph collection. The essential advantage of the area under consideration in this Guide is that it is really two areas in one! Inland, we have the unspoilt moorland farming landscape, which is protected within the 500 square miles of the North York Moors National Park. But along its eastern edge, we also have the dramatic and spectacular cliff coastline, with its rocky headlands and sweeping sandy bays, now protected as the 'Heritage Coast'. These two environments, each possessing great variety, offer a contrast of landform, character, wildlife and way of life that can hardly be surpassed anywhere in Britain. The moors are vast in expanse, and lonely. Some visitors may even find them intimidating. Others, however, will find their remoteness and massive serenity awesomely beautiful. Whatever your response, it would be wrong to think of the moors as dull or unchanging, for, in addition to the changes of season, there are more subtle changes which literally from hour to hour (according to the time of day or the weather) contribute to an endlessly shifting scene, captivating many visitors and exerting a lasting fascination. Meanwhile, in the valleys below, lush farmland is punctuated by charming stone-built villages, often clustered around the traditional greens, the whole scene typifying rural England at its best and most unspoilt.

This, then, is the character of the North York Moors inland. Along the coast, however, it is another story. By contrast with the gently undulating miles of inland countryside, the coast is rugged and dramatic. The precipitous cliffs and rocky headlands overlook unexpected sandy bays and inlets. Anywhere there is access to the sea, a fishing village will be found, squeezed into what space is available, with the houses seemingly piled one on top of another, crowding the narrow lanes. Nothing could be more of a contrast with the comfortable, spreading village greens of the dales settlements. This coastal world is a harsher one altogether, a world of storms, sea breezes, the sound of the waves and the wheeling seabirds. Within these two contrasting environments - the agricultural way of life of the moors and the maritime tradition of the coast - are found a wealth of things to do and places to visit.

Let us start with the natural beauties of the region, and consider the many fine landforms and viewpoints which are available to the visitor. The fine spectacle offered along the coast comes as no surprise, but there are excellent high points and beauty spots inland too. For instance, Roseberry Topping, Sutton Bank, Ralph Cross above Rosedale and Reasty Bank near Hackness all offer magnificent views. Waterfalls, not enormous but still beautiful, are found too, such as Mallyan Spout and Thomason Foss near Goathland, and Falling Foss near Littlebeck. For more details of all these features, see the chapter on 'Landforms of the Moors'.

Historic attractions are equally numerous and varied, and include both Bronze Age burial mounds and Roman remains, such as Wade's Causeway near Goathland and Cawthorne Camp near Pickering. But it is with the Dark Ages that this region really comes into its own. This little documented period of our history has left us the ancient crosses dotted over the moors, and famous churches of Saxon foundation, such as Lastingham Church, St Gregory's Minster near Kirkdale and, of course, Whitby Abbey, whose role in the establishment of Christianity in England was so momentous. In 1989, this great ruin celebrated the 450th anniversary of its dissolution under Henry VIII. A brief look at the chapters on 'Castles', 'Abbeys', 'Halls and Gardens', and 'Museums and Galleries' of the Area will show what enormous riches there are for the visitor to explore. Every aspect of the region's past is covered, from the farming tradition of the moors to the fishing tradition of the coast, and even the mining and railway developments which belong to the Industrial Revolution. Mention of the railways reminds us that this region boasts two of the most scenically appealing routes in the whole of Britain, the Esk Valley line from Middlesbrough to Whitby, and the North York Moors Railway which links with it at Grosmont and travels down the Newtondale Gorge to Pickering.

This guidebook represents excellent value for money.

CREDITS AND TECHNICAL DATA

ISBN 0-86309-180-6
64 pages printed on 130GSM matt artpaper + 4 page cover printed on 350GSM gloss artboard.
Printed full colour throughout. Gloss laminated outer cover.
Some 45 colour and 18 mono photographs. 249mm high x 172mm wide approx.
Printed in England.
Recommended retail price: £4.99
Original authors: MALCOLM PARKER and CAROLINE HILLERY.
Revised & edited by: EDWARD VENNING.

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