Inspirational
A visit to the Yorkshire Moors and Coast will stimulate your senses in many different ways. The rich and varied landscape, its wildlife and traditions, have inspired writers, artists and explorers throughout the ages and continue to do so today, providing the backdrop to many films and television programmes.You can't travel far without stumbling upon the marks of past generations and signs of how they used the land to meet their needs. Monks and other religious communities were particularly influential in the area's history and the dramatic remains of abbeys at Byland, Rievaulx and Whitby provide an insight into life in the Middle Ages.
There are castles too at Helmsley, Pickering and Scarborough with impressive displays on how they protected their people from attack over land and sea.
The coastline is abundant in fossils and dinosaur footprints and provided the inspiration for William Smith - the father of English geology - to set up the Rotunda Museum in Scarborough, which reopens in mid 2008 following extensive refurbishment.
Other museums provide a glimpse of different periods in time, such as the Ryedale Folk Museum and Eden Camp, or are dedicated to well-known locals including Captain Cook, James Herriot and Robert ‘The Mouseman' Thompson.
The area is steeped in traditions that are held dear to the people who live here, many of which are celebrated in a lively year-round programme of festivals and events that encompasses music, dance, sport and the more bizarre such as scarecrows and skipping.
Great Family Days Out
- The Moors National Park Centre, Danby with year-round activities and information
- Family-friendly, long sandy beaches at Scarborough, Whitby and Filey
- Woodland trails, birds of prey and play area at Thorp Perrow Arboretum
- Travel on board the magical North Yorkshire Moors Railway
- The magnificent Dalby Forest with its network of cycle trails and footpaths
