Plan your visit

🚗 Getting here

• By car: the A19 and A1(M) run down the western side; the A170 crosses the south from Thirsk to Pickering and Scarborough; the A171 links Whitby to Middlesbrough and Scarborough. Allow about an hour from York to Helmsley or Pickering.
• By train: the Esk Valley line runs from Middlesbrough to Whitby through Great Ayton, Castleton, Danby, Glaisdale and Grosmont. Main-line stations at Thirsk, Northallerton, Malton and Scarborough.
• By bus: the Coastliner runs from Leeds and York to Pickering, Thornton-le-Dale and Whitby. The X93/X94 links Middlesbrough, Whitby and Scarborough along the coast.

🚌 Getting around

• Moorsbus runs a network of weekend and bank holiday services across the park from April to September, ideal for linear walks.
• North Yorkshire Moors Railway connects Pickering, Levisham, Goathland, Grosmont and Whitby; a day rover makes a car-free day easy.
• Cycling: quiet lanes in the dales, forest trails at Dalby and Sutton Bank, and the Cinder Track between Whitby and Scarborough.
• Car parks in the popular villages fill by mid-morning in summer. Arrive early or use the shuttle buses where they run.

🏡 Where to stay

• Whitby for the coast, nightlife and the widest choice of accommodation.
• Helmsley or Pickering for the southern moors, abbeys and the railway.
• Goathland, Rosedale or the Esk Valley for quiet dales and walks from the door.
• Youth hostels at Whitby, Boggle Hole and Helmsley, and independent hostel and B&B rooms at Cote Ghyll Mill, Osmotherley; camping and glamping across the park; farm stays in every dale.

🌌 Dark skies

The North York Moors is an International Dark Sky Reserve. On a clear night you can see the Milky Way with the naked eye from Sutton Bank, Dalby Forest or Danby. February's Dark Skies Festival is the best time for guided stargazing; any cloudless night away from the towns will do.

🐕 Dogs, families and access

• Dogs are welcome on public rights of way, in the forests and on most beaches, but are not allowed on most grouse moorland off the rights of way. Use a short lead near livestock and from March to July when birds are nesting. Some beaches have summer restrictions.
• Not sure where you can walk, ride or cycle? Read our rights of way and open access guide.
• The railway, Ryedale Folk Museum, Dalby Forest, Danby Lodge National Park Centre and the beaches at Runswick Bay and Sandsend are the surest bets with children.
• Easy-access routes include the Sutton Bank escarpment, Cod Beck Reservoir and the Farndale daffodil path. Our accessible visits page lists all 19 Miles without Stiles routes, tramper hire, accessible transport and Changing Places toilets.

🌾 Look after the moors

• Leave gates as you find them and keep to paths through farmland.
• Never light fires or barbecues on the moor. Heather burns fast and the peat beneath it can smoulder for weeks.
• Take litter home, including dog waste bags.
• Don't hammer the cliffs for fossils; look on the foreshore instead.
• Buy local: the villages depend on visitors using their shops, pubs and cafes.