North York Moors
North York Moors National Park is a
National Park in
northern England. Its size is 1,436 km
2 (554 square miles), and it is one of the largest expanses of
heather moorland in the
United Kingdom. It has a population of about 25,000
The North York Moors bacame a
National Park in
1952, through the
National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act of 1949.
The area's economy is mainly comprised of
tourism and
agriculture.
Tourism
Many visitors to the moors are engaged in outdoor pursuits, particularly
walking; the parks has a network of
rights-of-way almost 2300 km (1400 miles) in length, and most of the areas of open moorland will be open access under the
Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000. Popular named walks included the
Cleveland Way, which circles the moors, and has a section along the coast; and the
Lyke Wake Walk, which leads directly across the heart of the moors.
The area also offers opportunities for
cycling,
mountain biking, and
horse-riding. The steep escarpments that define the edges of the park on three sides are used by several
gliding clubs.
Attractions
*
North Yorkshire Moors Railway*
Byland Abbey*
Cleveland Way National trail (
long distance footpath)
*
Lyke Wake Walk (long distance footpath)
*
Forge Valley NNR National Nature Reserve*
Farndale LNR Local Nature Reserve*
Helmsley Castle*
Yorkshire Wildlife Trust Reserves: Ashberry Pastures, Bridestones, Ellerburn Bank, Fen Bog, Garbutt Wood, Hagg wood Marsh, Hayburn Wyke, Littlebeck.
*
Rievaulx*
River Seven,
River Dove,
River Rye,
River Seph,
River EskEntertainment
The moors have a not changed much in the past 50 years, and are often used a backdrop to British
television programmes and
films.
Heartbeat and the scenes of
The Hogsmeade Station were filmed in
Goathland.
The area is very well defined; on three sides
rampart-like escarpments rise up from the flat
Yorkshire countryside, whilst the fourth (eastern) side is a
cliff-edged coast.
80% of the Park's area is in private ownership and 40% is farm land.
|
A Typical View of the North York Moors |
Hills
*
Urra Moor, the highest point
*
Cringle Moor*
Roseberry ToppingTowns
There are few major settlements within, or around, the National Park;
Helmsley,
Pickering,
Kirkbymoorside, and
Whitby, which is often regarded as the capital of the North York Moors. The moors are within a reasonable distance of
Redcar and
East Cleveland.
*
Kilburn*
Goathland*
Grosmont*
Helmsley*
Hutton-le-Hole*
Kirkbymoorside*
Osmotherley*
Pickering*
Robin Hood's Bay*
WhitbyWhitby is linked to
Middlesbrough via a railway along the
Esk Valley. The
Esk Valley Line itself links with the
North Yorkshire Moors Railway, one of Britain's most popular and picturesque
preserved railways, at
Grosmont.
Other towns in the moors include
Hutton-le-Hole,
Goathland, and
Rosedale.
*
North York Moors Guide*
North York Moors National Park*
North York Moors Online*
Yorkshire Moors images at www.mikekipling.com*
Gazatteer of the Moors at YorkshireMoors.co.uk *
North Yorkshire Moors Tourist Guide 
