Holiday Cottages North Yorkshire Moors

Mesmeric moorland, acres of purple heather, hills and dales and the occasional plume of smoke from a steam train — this is the North York Moors.

With over 1, 400 miles of paths and tracks to choose from, this often quiet corner of North Yorkshire is overflowing with opportunities for walkers, cyclists and horse riders. Those of you who just like to sit and view, bird watch or just have a nice picnic by a stream are not going to be disappointed either.

The heart of the North York Moors National Park is based at Danby and the Moors National Park Centre has its visitor centre there. It is set in an idyllic spot on the banks of the River Esk. From the centre you can see what makes the North York Moors National Park so special; moorland, woodland, farmland, miles of hedges and dry stone walls, historic buildings, walks – all making for a wonderful holiday.

The Centre has been extensively refurbished and there are lots of fun and fascinating things to see and do, inside and out, and admission is free.

The Moors National Park Centre is in the north of the National Park, less than a mile from the village of Danby in the Esk Valley. Danby has a wonderful tea shop and shop serving homemade cakes and bread, the Stonehouse Bakery – not to be missed.

The closest village to Danby is Castleton where there is a range of shops and facilities. This village is the beginning of the road to Helmsley and Pickering over Blakey Ridge. The scenery is stunning and there are a number of places to stop for a picnic. There is also the Red Lion pub serving drinks and food. The village of Hutton-le-Hole boasts the Ryedale Folk museum with life size models of houses going back to the 15th century.