Heather season: the moors in purple
For a few weeks in August the largest expanse of heather moorland in England turns purple. Where and when to see it.
Level routes, step-free attractions and the National Park's Miles Without Stiles network.

The National Park has waymarked a series of routes suitable for wheelchairs, pushchairs and anyone who wants to avoid stiles and steep ground. Among the best: the Sutton Bank escarpment path to the White Horse, the Cod Beck Reservoir circuit, the Farndale daffodil path from Low Mill, the Cinder Track near Whitby, the riverside at the Moors Centre in Danby and the Dalby Forest Ellerburn trail.
The North Yorkshire Moors Railway has accessible carriages and level platforms at Pickering and Grosmont. Ryedale Folk Museum, the Moors Centre, Sutton Bank and Whitby Museum are largely step-free. Whitby Abbey has a level route around the ruins; the 199 steps do not, but there is a car park at the top.
Beach wheelchairs can be borrowed at Whitby and Saltburn in season. Sandsend and Saltburn have level promenade access.
Helmsley and Pickering are flat market towns with dropped kerbs; Robin Hood's Bay, Staithes and Runswick Bay are steep and cobbled and only really accessible at the top.
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