Yorkshire Moors

Driving the Moors

Classic Car Driving Routes in the North York Moors

Five tried-and-tested touring routes for classic cars across the North York Moors, Sutton Bank, the B1257 'Yorkshire TT', Blakey Ridge, the A169 moor road and the coast road. Each with distances, where to fill up, where to park and which pub to aim for.

A blue Triumph Stag convertible on a winding moor road through purple heather in the North York Moors

Moor-top touring: the roads here reward an unhurried pace.

The North York Moors is one of the great touring grounds in England for an older car: moor roads with sightlines measured in miles, dale lanes that never straighten, and a coast road with the North Sea on one side. These five routes can be driven individually in half a day each, or strung into a long weekend from a single base. Each one lists the practical details older cars actually need, where the last fuel is, where you can leave the car, and where to stop for lunch.

1. Sutton Bank & the Hambleton escarpment

The finest view in England, plus the classic 1-in-4 climb

Run west out of Helmsley on the A170 past Sproxton and Cold Kirby, then drop over the famous escarpment. A 1-in-4 gradient with a tight bend partway down, the road James Herriot lived beside and called the finest view in England. Older cars are far happier climbing it than descending it in a hurry: use a low gear both ways and let the brakes rest at the top. Park at the National Park Centre and walk five minutes to the edge for the view over the Vale of York and Gormire Lake, then loop back via the quiet lanes through Kilburn (of White Horse and Mouseman fame) and Coxwold.
Distance
About 35 miles round trip from Helmsley
Time to allow
Half a day with stops
Start
Helmsley market place (A170 west)
Fuel
Fill up in Helmsley or Thirsk, there is no fuel on the bank itself
Parking
Sutton Bank National Park Centre (pay & display, large car park, café and toilets)
Pub stop
Helmsley's market-square inns, or the Hambleton villages below the escarpment

Driving note: Caravans and trailers are prohibited on Sutton Bank. The climb is hard on older cooling systems in summer traffic, watch the temperature gauge.

2. The B1257, the Yorkshire TT

Twenty of the best miles of tarmac in the North

Locals call the B1257 the Yorkshire TT and it earns the nickname: a climb over Newgate Bank, then a long, flowing run down Bilsdale beside the River Seph with Roseberry Topping and the Cleveland Hills rising ahead, before the steep pull over Clay Bank and the drop to Stokesley. Come back over the moor tops through Osmotherley or return along the escarpment to Sutton Bank for a natural pairing with route 1. It is a road of long sightlines and sudden tight bends, a car with modest power and good balance is more fun here than a fast one.
Distance
About 45 miles Helmsley–Stokesley and back over the tops
Time to allow
Half a day
Start
Helmsley, heading north on the B1257
Fuel
Helmsley or Stokesley at either end; nothing in between
Parking
Newgate Bank forest car park and the Clay Bank top car park both make good photo stops
Pub stop
Chop Gate and the Bilsdale valley, or Great Broughton near the Stokesley end

Driving note: Very popular with motorcyclists at weekends, and there are steep gradients at both Newgate Bank and Clay Bank. Sheep roam freely; expect them on the road, not beside it.

3. Blakey Ridge & the dale heads

The roof of the National Park

Climb out of Hutton-le-Hole onto the ridge road and you are running along the top of the moors with Farndale on one side and Rosedale on the other, miles of open heather, no walls, no hedges, and in August a purple horizon in every direction. Lunch at the Lion Inn, then drop into the Esk Valley at Castleton and return south past Rosedale Abbey. The bold can finish over Rosedale Chimney Bank, roughly 1-in-3 with a hairpin; sensible classics take the gentler road back to Hutton-le-Hole instead.
Distance
About 40 miles from Kirkbymoorside via Hutton-le-Hole and Rosedale
Time to allow
Half a day, longer in heather season
Start
Kirkbymoorside or Hutton-le-Hole
Fuel
Kirkbymoorside or Castleton, there is no fuel anywhere on the ridge
Parking
Roadside pull-ins along the ridge, the Lion Inn car park for patrons, and the village car parks at Hutton-le-Hole and Rosedale Abbey
Pub stop
The Lion Inn at Blakey, one of England's highest inns

Driving note: High, exposed and prone to sudden mist even in summer; cattle grids, unfenced sheep and drifting snow in winter. Chimney Bank is genuinely severe, do not attempt it heavily laden or with a marginal clutch or cooling system.

4. The A169 moor road to Whitby

Moor to sea, the classic top-down run

Out of Pickering the A169 climbs steadily onto open moor, sweeps past the great amphitheatre of the Hole of Horcum and the Saltergate escarpment, passes the Fylingdales radar on the skyline, and finally drops to the sea at Whitby with the abbey on the headland. Come back through the Esk Valley villages, Goathland, Egton Bridge and Grosmont, where you can watch the steam railway at work, for a wooded, gentler contrast to the moor road.
Distance
About 20 miles each way, Pickering to Whitby
Time to allow
A day if you stop at Whitby
Start
Pickering
Fuel
Pickering at the southern end, Whitby at the northern, nothing in between
Parking
Hole of Horcum car park at Saltergate for the view; multi-storey and park & ride options in Whitby, which fills early in summer
Pub stop
The Fox & Rabbit at Lockton on the way out; fish and chips on the harbour in Whitby

Driving note: Fast A-road with blind crests, and drivers slowing unpredictably for the Horcum viewpoint. The long descent into Whitby is hard on older brakes.

5. The coast road and Robin Hood's Bay

Cliffs, bays and harbour towns

North out of Scarborough on the A171 with the sea appearing and disappearing on your right, past the Ravenscar turn and down into Robin Hood's Bay, then on to Whitby for the harbour and the abbey steps. Close the loop back over the moors on the A169 and you have combined the best of the coast and the tops in one day. Pair it with our coast guide for the villages worth the detour, and our A171 Moor Road guide for the northern half of the same road.
Distance
About 55 miles Scarborough–Whitby–Pickering
Time to allow
A full day
Start
Scarborough, north on the A171
Fuel
Scarborough and Whitby; the A171 in between is bare
Parking
Park at the top of Robin Hood's Bay and walk down, the bank into the village is steep, narrow and no place for a classic
Pub stop
Robin Hood's Bay's old smugglers' inns, or Ravenscar for the view back along the bay

Driving note: Sea fret can roll in without warning and salt air is no friend to old bodywork, a rinse afterwards is worth the trouble.

Making a weekend of it

Two days works beautifully: the B1257 and Sutton Bank on the first day from a western base around Helmsley, then Blakey Ridge, the A169 and the coast on the second. From the southern edge, Thornton-le-Dale, Allerston or Pickering, every route above starts within about forty minutes, and the Dalby Forest Drive makes a gentle evening amble when you have had enough of the tops. See where to stay for bases, and our itinerary if you want the non-driving highlights woven in.

Driving an older car up here

  • Fuel discipline. Treat the moor tops as a fuel desert, leave the last town with a comfortable margin, and remember many village pumps keep short hours.
  • Cooling and brakes. Long climbs in summer traffic and long descents into Whitby and Robin Hood's Bay are where older cars struggle. Low gears down, gauge watched up.
  • Sheep and cattle grids. Stock roam free on the unfenced moor roads, and lambs behave unpredictably in spring.
  • Weather. Mist can drop over Blakey Ridge in minutes; ice lingers on the high roads long after the valleys have cleared.
  • Signal. Mobile coverage is patchy across the moors, take a paper map and note your recovery details before you set off.

Where to point the car afterwards

This is Bangers & Cash country, so it is worth timing a tour with a Mathewsons viewing or auction day in Thornton-le-Dale, see where to stay for the auctions. Our touring journal follows these roads first-hand in older cars, and what's on lists the shows and rallies worth planning around.

Driving routes FAQs

What is the best classic car driving route in the North York Moors?
The B1257 from Helmsley to Stokesley, the 'Yorkshire TT'. Is the classic choice for its flow and views, with Blakey Ridge the best for open moorland and the A169 the best moor-to-sea run.
Where can I get fuel on the North York Moors?
There is no fuel on the moor tops. Fill up in Pickering, Helmsley, Kirkbymoorside, Thornton-le-Dale, Stokesley, Castleton, Whitby or Scarborough before you head onto the high roads.
How steep are Sutton Bank and Rosedale Chimney?
Sutton Bank is around 1-in-4 and Rosedale Chimney Bank around 1-in-3 with a hairpin. Both are demanding on older cars, and caravans are banned from Sutton Bank.
When is the best time to drive the moors in a classic?
Late August into early September for the heather, or midweek in May and June for empty roads. Avoid summer weekends when the coast roads and Whitby are busiest.
Are there classic car events in the area?
Yes — the moors have a full calendar of shows, rallies and Mathewsons auction days. See our what's on page for the current year's dates.

Top answers for the Yorkshire Moors

All questions in the full FAQ hub →

Quick, straight answers to the questions visitors ask most. Each one links through to the fuller guide.

What do I need to know about driving in the North York Moors?

Moor roads are scenic but narrow, with blind summits, cattle grids and sheep. Sometimes free-roaming through villages like Goathland, on unfenced roads, so drive slowly and use passing places. High routes such as Blakey Ridge can be bleak or closed in snow.

Driving routes →

What are the best scenic drives in the North York Moors?

The Blakey Ridge road across the high moor (Hutton-le-Hole to Castleton, past the Lion Inn), the coast road between Whitby and Scarborough, and the A170 over Sutton Bank are the classics.

Driving routes →

Can you visit the North York Moors without a car?

Yes, though a car helps for the remote moor. The Yorkshire Coastliner bus (York–Malton–Pickering–Goathland–Whitby) is one of Britain's most scenic routes, the Esk Valley line serves the northern dales and Whitby, the seasonal Moorsbus reaches the high moors, and the North Yorkshire Moors Railway links Pickering, Goathland and Whitby.

Touring Journal →

What is the highest point in the North York Moors?

Round Hill on Urra Moor, at 454 metres (1,490 feet). It sits on the Cleveland Way and the Lyke Wake Walk above Bilsdale, and the usual approach is the roughly three-kilometre climb from the Clay Bank car park.

Walks on the moors →

When does the heather bloom on the North York Moors?

Typically mid-August to early September, when the moors turn a spectacular purple; the Hole of Horcum and the high moor roads are classic viewing spots. Exact timing shifts a little year to year with the weather.

Walks on the moors →

How do I get to the North York Moors?

By car it's about 4 to 4.5 hours from London (A1(M)/A19), under an hour from York or Leeds, and minutes from Teesside. By train, reach York, Malton, Thirsk or Scarborough on the main line, then continue by bus or the Esk Valley line.

Touring Journal →