Which is the prettiest village in the North York Moors?

Hutton-le-Hole is the one most often named, for its green, beck and sheep. Thornton-le-Dale, Goathland, Robin Hood's Bay and Staithes each have a strong claim, and each is covered above.

Where is the best place to stay to explore the North York Moors?

Helmsley for the inland moors and abbeys, Pickering for the steam railway and a central position, Whitby or Robin Hood's Bay for the coast, and Danby or Grosmont if you are coming by train.

Can you explore the North York Moors villages without a car?

Yes, along the Esk Valley line (Great Ayton, Castleton, Danby, Grosmont, Whitby), the steam railway (Pickering, Goathland, Grosmont, Whitby), the Coastliner 840 and the summer Moorsbus. Hutton-le-Hole, Lastingham and Rosedale have little or no service.

Flower-covered thatched cottage beside the beck at Thornton-le-Dale in the North York Moors

Villages & Places

The villages and towns of the North York Moors

By Jon Cosson · Updated 29 October 2026 · Checked 10 October 2026

The National Park has one market town, Helmsley, gateway towns on its edges, including Pickering and Whitby, and several dozen villages, most of them small, stone-built and short of parking. This page compares the 18 that visitors ask about: what each is for, what it costs to park, whether there are toilets and a pub, how to get there without a car, and which ones make a sensible base. Every figure comes from the council, the National Park Authority or the business itself, and was checked on 10 October 2026.

The quick comparison

Villages and towns compared
Place	Known for	Main car park and price	Toilets	Bus and train	Good base?
Helmsley	The only market town in the Park: castle, walled garden, Friday market, start of the Cleveland Way	Cleveland Way car park, YO62 5AT: 1hr £2.50, 2hrs £3.70, 3hrs £4.40, 6hrs £7.30, 24hrs £8.70, plus coach rates, 9am to 6.30pm	Yes, Borogate and the car park	East Yorkshire 28 to Pickering and Scarborough, Moorsbus; no train	Yes, the best inland base
Pickering	Steam railway terminus, medieval castle, church wall paintings, Beck Isle Museum, Monday market	The Ropery, YO18 8DY: Up to 1hr £2.40, up to 2hrs £3.80; Eastgate and Vivis Lane too	Yes, three sets including a Changing Places toilet at Eastgate	Coastliner 840, bus 28, Moorsbus; NYMR station	Yes, the best base for the railway and the south
Thornton-le-Dale	The beck, the thatched cottage, Mathewsons of Bangers & Cash, the gate to Dalby Forest	Maltongate, YO18 7SD: £3.10 up to 1hr, £3.90 1 to 2hrs, £6.20 over 2hrs, coach £7.50; four rapid chargers	Yes, by the beck near the car park	Coastliner 840, bus 28; no train	Yes, for Dalby and the south
Hutton-le-Hole	The green with the beck and the sheep, Ryedale Folk Museum	Moor Lane, YO62 6UB: £4.65 up to 3hrs, £6.20 longer; six chargers	Yes, in the car park	Ryedale Community Transport 174 on Mondays and 176 on Wednesdays and Saturdays, not bank holidays; no train	Pretty, small, not well served
Kirkbymoorside	Wednesday market, St Gregory's Minster and its Saxon sundial at Kirkdale; just outside the National Park	Town Farm, YO62 6AT: 1hr £2.50, 2hrs £3.70, 3hrs £4.40, 6hrs £7.30, 24hrs £8.70; 1 hour free 12pm to 2pm with a free time ticket; four chargers	Yes, at Town Farm car park	East Yorkshire 28 to Pickering, Helmsley and Scarborough; 31X to York, Mondays to Saturdays; no train	Not listed
Lastingham	St Mary's church and its 11th century crypt	None; roadside	None	Ryedale Community Transport 174 on Mondays and 176 on Wednesdays and Saturdays, not bank holidays	No
Rosedale Abbey	The ironstone dale, Chimney Bank (1 in 3), the kilns, Blakey Ridge above	Village-centre parking details not confirmed; Bank Top is a separate upland walk start	Village toilets; check current signs	Bus 173 on Mondays, Moorsbus in summer; no train	Quiet and remote; good for walkers
Goathland	Heartbeat, Hogsmeade, Mallyan Spout, the steam railway	National Park car park, YO22 5LX: £4.65 single rate	Yes, in the car park	Coastliner 840; NYMR station	Small but well placed for Whitby and the railway
Grosmont	The engine sheds, two railways, Britain's oldest retail co-operative	Front Street, YO22 5QE: £3.90 up to 2 hours, £6.20 over 2 hours	Yes, Front Street and the station	Esk Valley line and NYMR; no bus	The best car-free base
Danby	Danby Lodge National Park Centre, Danby Castle, the beacon	Danby Lodge, YO21 2NB: £3.90 up to 2 hours, £6.20 over 2 hours; eight chargers	Yes, at the Lodge, with Changing Places	Esk Valley line; Moorsbus in summer	Yes, the best northern base
Castleton	Esk Valley village with the clapper bridge and the road over Blakey Ridge	Roadside	Yes, Station Road	Esk Valley line (Castleton Moor); Moorsbus in summer	Modest
Osmotherley	Three pubs in 50 yards; the Cleveland Way, Coast to Coast and Lyke Wake Walk all pass through; Mount Grace Priory	No official car park; roadside in the village	Yes, by the village hall	Hodgsons 80 and 89, Monday to Saturday; no Sunday service or village train station	Yes, the best western base for walkers
Stokesley	Georgian market town on the River Leven, Friday market, the Stokesley Show; just outside the National Park	Free all day at The Plain (not on market days), College Square and West End; Showfield pay and display	Yes, behind the Town Hall	28A to Middlesbrough via Great Ayton; 80 and 89 to Northallerton; nearest station Great Ayton	Not listed
Great Ayton	Captain Cook's boyhood village; Roseberry Topping from the door	Village parking is free according to the council; follow local restrictions	Not confirmed	Arriva buses to Middlesbrough and Stokesley; Esk Valley line	Yes, for Roseberry and the north west
Robin Hood's Bay	The smugglers' village, the end of the Coast to Coast, fossils and rockpools	Bank Top, YO22 4RL: 1hr £3.20, 2hrs £4.90, 4hrs £6.40, 6hrs £7.30, 24hrs £8.70 (9am to 6pm, 1 March to 31 October; free outside the season), charged 1 March to 31 October; no cars in the old village	Yes, Station Road (free), Bank Top and the Dock (40p)	Arriva X93 and X94; no train	Yes, the best coastal village base
Staithes	The fishing village in the cleft, the Staithes Group painters, Captain Cook's apprenticeship	Bank Top, TS13 5AD: 1hr £3.20, 2hrs £4.90, 4hrs £6.40, 6hrs £7.30, 24hrs £8.70 (9am to 6pm, 1 March to 31 October; free outside the season), charged 1 March to 31 October; four chargers; no cars in the old village	Yes, Bank Top and Seaton Garth	Arriva X4 and X4A; no train	Yes, steep but good
Runswick Bay	The sandy bay and the thatched coastguard cottage	Bank Bottom, TS13 5HT: 1hr £3.20, 2hrs £4.90, 4hrs £6.40, 6hrs £7.30, 24hrs £8.70 (9am to 6pm, 1 March to 31 October; free outside the season); check the machine on the day, charged 1 March to 31 October	Yes, above the Sandside Cafe	Arriva X4 and X4A; no train	Small
Sandsend	The beach village three miles from Whitby	Lythe Bank, YO21 3TG: 1hr £3.20, 2hrs £4.90, 4hrs £6.40, 6hrs £7.30, 24hrs £8.70 (9am to 6pm, 1 March to 31 October; free outside the season), charged 1 March to 31 October	Yes, north and south ends	Arriva X4 and X4A; no train	Whitby's quieter neighbour
Ravenscar	The town that never was: the alum works, the Cinder Track, the 600 foot headland, the seals	Roadside, free	Yes, 200 yards from the National Trust centre	Bus 5 from Scarborough, two a day, none on Sunday; no train	No, apart from the Raven Hall Hotel
Whitby	The abbey, the 199 steps, Dracula, Cook, jet, fish and chips, Goth Weekend	Marina Back, YO21 1YN: 2hrs minimum £4.90, 4hrs £8.10, 6hrs £10.20, 24hrs £13.10, no seasonal exemption listed; Park and Ride, YO21 1TL, free parking and £2 bus, 29 March to 1 November 2026	Yes, several	Arriva X93, X94, X4; Coastliner 840; Esk Valley line and NYMR	Yes, the strongest coastal base

Car park prices are the operators' published tariffs: North Yorkshire Council pages updated between August 2025 and September 2026, and the National Park Authority's list of 1 September 2026, reviewed each April. Three things to know about the National Park's own car parks: they are card or PayByPhone only, they charge every day of the year, and Blue Badge holders pay. In the council's coastal car parks Blue Badge holders park free. Every car park, with charges, toilets and EV chargers, is in the parking guide.

Which village should you base yourself in?

This is the question that fills the forums, and the answer depends on what you came for.

Where to base yourself
If you want	Stay in	Why
The classic moors and dales, abbeys and a market town	Helmsley	Rievaulx is 3 miles, Sutton Bank 7, the Cleveland Way starts here, and there is a Friday market and a Michelin-level restaurant scene within a few miles
The steam railway and a central position	Pickering	Trains to Whitby from the door, Dalby Forest 6 miles, the Hole of Horcum 8, and the most shops, banks and bus routes of any base
Dalby Forest, cycling, Bangers & Cash	Thornton-le-Dale	Dalby Forest's gate is 2 miles and the visitor centre 4; the village has the beck, the pubs and the chocolate shop; Pickering 3 miles for everything else
The coast with a village feel	Robin Hood's Bay or Staithes	Both are car-free old villages with a hotel, a pub and the Cleveland Way through the middle; Whitby 7 and 10 miles
The coast with everything	Whitby	Two railways, three bus routes, the abbey, the most restaurants; and the busiest streets in the Park in August
The northern moors and the Esk Valley, without a car	Danby or Grosmont	Both are on the Esk Valley line; Danby has the National Park Centre, Grosmont has the steam railway too
Long-distance walking	Osmotherley	The Cleveland Way and Coast to Coast are National Trails; the Lyke Wake Walk is a long-distance challenge walk, Mount Grace Priory is nearby; English Heritage describes a 4.5-mile walk from Osmotherley, and there are three pubs, a hostel and a campsite
Roseberry Topping and Captain Cook	Great Ayton	Free village parking, an Esk Valley railway station and the Buck and Royal Oak Hotel listed in the guide

How far is it between them?

Drive times are estimates from road distances in normal conditions. The moor roads are slow, and the Blakey Ridge road, Chimney Bank and the A169 over the top can close in snow.

Distances and drive times
From	Rievaulx Abbey	Sutton Bank	Hole of Horcum	Goathland	Dalby Forest	Robin Hood's Bay	Roseberry Topping	Rosedale Abbey
Helmsley	3 miles, 8 min	7 miles, 12 min	21 miles, 32 min	29 miles, 45 min	18 miles, 30 min	41 miles, 65 min	27 miles, 45 min	13 miles, 25 min
Pickering	16 miles, 28 min	20 miles, 35 min	8 miles, 13 min	16 miles, 26 min	6 miles, 13 min	28 miles, 45 min	39 miles, 65 min	11 miles, 22 min
Thornton-le-Dale	19 miles, 32 min	23 miles, 35 min	9 miles, 15 min	17 miles, 28 min	4 miles, 10 min	27 miles, 42 min	42 miles, 70 min	14 miles, 27 min
Whitby	36 miles, 60 min	44 miles, 70 min	15 miles, 22 min	9 miles, 18 min	23 miles, 40 min	6 miles, 13 min	29 miles, 50 min	25 miles, 50 min
Danby	30 miles, 55 min	40 miles, 65 min	20 miles, 35 min	15 miles, 30 min	30 miles, 50 min	20 miles, 35 min	11 miles, 20 min	12 miles, 25 min
Osmotherley	17 miles, 30 min	13 miles, 22 min	38 miles, 60 min	45 miles, 70 min	35 miles, 55 min	50 miles, 75 min	14 miles, 22 min	30 miles, 55 min

The villages, one by one

Helmsley

Population 1,515. The castle (English Heritage), Helmsley Walled Garden with its Vine House cafe, the Black Swan on the market square, a Friday market, delis and a post office. The Cleveland Way leaves from the car park and reaches Rievaulx Abbey in three miles. East Yorkshire 28 runs to Pickering and Scarborough, and the Moorsbus network radiates from here on summer weekends.

Pickering

Population 6,830. The southern terminus of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, a motte-and-bailey castle, and St Peter and St Paul's church with its 15th century wall paintings. Three car parks, three sets of toilets, banks, bakeries and a Monday market. The Coastliner 840 runs through to Whitby over the moor, and the Hole of Horcum is 8 miles up that road.

Thornton-le-Dale

Population 1,759. Thornton Beck runs along the main street past the thatched Beck Isle Cottage; Mathewsons, the auction house from Bangers & Cash, has its shop here; Dalby Forest begins two miles up the lane. The Buck Inn serves home-cooked food and has dog-friendly rooms. Our sister site thorntonledale.org covers the village in full.

Hutton-le-Hole

Population 151. The green, the beck, the sheep, and Ryedale Folk Museum with its rescued buildings. The Crown is the pub; the Barn Guesthouse and Tearoom and the Old School House deli and bakery feed the day visitors. Spaunton Moor rises straight out of the village, which makes it one of the first places to see the heather. Parking is expensive by Park standards and Ryedale Community Transport 174 on Mondays and 176 on Wednesdays and Saturdays, not bank holidays.

Lastingham

Lastingham is a small stone village tucked under the edge of Spaunton Moor, less than two miles east of Hutton-le-Hole and about 6 miles north west of Pickering. It is known for St Mary's Church, which stands on the site of a 7th century monastery founded by St Cedd, and for the Norman crypt beneath it, one of the most remarkable in England.

Sinnington

Sinnington is a quiet village set around a large green with the River Seven running through it, about 4 miles west of Pickering. It is known for its riverside green, its old bridges, including one marooned on the grass over a dry channel, and its 12th century church.

Rosedale Abbey

The dale was an ironstone mining valley in the 19th century; the kilns at Bank Top and the railway trackbed around the dale head are its monuments. Chimney Bank out of the village is a 1 in 3 hill. The Coach House Inn is a village pub; the White Horse Farm Inn is above the village, Dale Head Farm the tea garden, and the caravan park holds the Village Information Point. Rosedale Show is in August.

Beck Hole

Beck Hole is a tiny hamlet about a mile north of Goathland, tucked into the valley of the Murk Esk south west of Whitby. It is known for the Birch Hall Inn, one of Yorkshire's most unusual pubs, for the Thomason Foss waterfall and for the Rail Trail, which follows the line of the 1836 railway through the hamlet.

Littlebeck

Littlebeck is a hamlet of a few houses and a ford, in a sheltered wooded valley about six miles south of Whitby. It is the quiet back door to Falling Foss: the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust's Little Beck Wood nature reserve runs south from the ford, past the carved boulder known as the Hermitage, to the 30 foot waterfall.

Goathland

Population 438. Aidensfield in Heartbeat, Hogsmeade in Harry Potter, the 70 foot Mallyan Spout, and a steam station. One flat-rate car park, the Goathland Hotel (the Aidensfield Arms), the Mallyan Spout Hotel and the Birch Hall Inn a mile away at Beck Hole. Our full guide to Goathland covers all of it.

Where was Heartbeat filmed?

Grosmont

Population 318. The railway's engine sheds, the junction with the Esk Valley line, and Britain's oldest retail co-operative, established in 1867. The Rail Trail to Goathland starts at the station. The Esk Valley Walk and the Coast to Coast both pass through.

Glaisdale

A hillside Esk Valley village between Lealholm and Egton Bridge, with Beggar's Bridge of 1619 below the station. The Coast to Coast and the Esk Valley Walk pass through, and trains on the Esk Valley line stop here.

Ruswarp

Ruswarp is a small riverside village on the River Esk, about a mile south west of Whitby town centre. It is the first stop out of Whitby on the Esk Valley line and is known for its old corn mill, the river and an easy walk or bus ride into town.

Sleights

Sleights (it rhymes with "heights") is a village in the lower Esk Valley, about three miles south west of Whitby. It stretches from the river and station up Coach Road, and is known for its salmon leap, a long-established bakery and handy train and bus links.

Egton Bridge

Egton Bridge is a small village on the River Esk, about seven miles west of Whitby and just below the village of Egton. It is known for its stepping stones, the Roman Catholic Church of St Hedda and the oldest surviving gooseberry show in the country.

Lealholm

Lealholm is a riverside village in the upper Esk Valley, about nine miles west of Whitby, between Danby and Glaisdale. Its name means "the settlement by the willow trees", and it is best known for the stepping stones across the Esk beside the village green.

Westerdale

Westerdale is a small, remote village at the head of the Esk Valley, about two miles south west of Castleton. It is known for Hunter's Sty, a medieval stone bridge, and for the high moors where the River Esk begins.

Danby

Parish population 1,411 with Castleton. Danby Lodge National Park Centre, free to enter, open daily 10am to 5pm from 2 March to 1 November and shorter hours in winter, with a cafe, toilets, chargers and a Dark Skies Station. Danby Castle was Catherine Parr's home before Henry VIII. The Fox and Hounds at Ainthorpe dates from 1555. Trains on the Esk Valley line stop in the village.

Castleton

Castleton is a hillside village in the upper Esk Valley, about 13 miles west of Whitby and a short walk from Danby. Not to be confused with Castleton in Derbyshire, it has the mound of an early castle and is the starting point of the Esk Valley Walk.

Ampleforth

Ampleforth is a long stone village on the southern slope of the Hambleton Hills, about 4 miles south west of Helmsley. Its main street forms the southern boundary of the North York Moors National Park, and it is best known for Ampleforth Abbey, the Benedictine monastery beside the village, with its tea room, shop, orchard and grounds open to walkers.

Coxwold

Coxwold is a pale sandstone village on a hill between the Hambleton and Howardian Hills, on the south western edge of the North York Moors National Park, about 7 miles south east of Thirsk. It is known for Shandy Hall, where Laurence Sterne wrote most of Tristram Shandy, for St Michael's Church with its octagonal tower, and for Newburgh Priory just to the south.

Swainby

Swainby is a stone village strung along Crook Beck at the foot of the Cleveland Hills, about 5 miles south west of Stokesley, on the western edge of the North York Moors National Park. It is known for the ruins of Whorlton Castle and the old Holy Cross Church a short walk away, and for the high moors above it.

Hawnby

Hawnby is a small estate village in upper Ryedale where Ladhill Beck meets the River Rye, about 6 miles north west of Helmsley. Ringed by moorland and with Hawnby Hill rising above it, it is known for quiet walks, its village inn and some of the darkest night skies in England.

Osmotherley

Population 668. Three pubs within 50 yards of each other (the Queen Catherine, the Golden Lion and the Three Tuns), a walking shop, a post office in the village hall and a coffee shop. The Cleveland Way, the Coast to Coast and the Lyke Wake Walk all pass through; Mount Grace Priory, the best preserved of the nine Carthusian priories in Britain, is nearby. English Heritage describes a 4.5-mile walk from Osmotherley. Cote Ghyll has a hostel and a campsite.

Great Ayton

Population 4,346. Captain Cook grew up here and his schoolroom is a museum. Roseberry Topping and Cook's Monument are an afternoon's walk from the village. The Buck and Royal Oak Hotel are listed in this guide, with free village parking and a station on the Esk Valley line.

Robin Hood's Bay

The old village tumbles down a steep bank to the slipway; cars stop at the top. The Coast to Coast ends at the plaque by the Bay Hotel. Fossils and rockpools at low tide, the Cinder Track above, Boggle Hole youth hostel a mile along the beach. Check the official access notice below before planning a shore route at Ravenscar.

Hinderwell

Hinderwell is a long village on the A174 coast road between Whitby and Staithes, a mile south east of Staithes. It takes its name from St Hilda's holy well in the churchyard, and its parish runs down to Port Mulgrave, a tiny cove with the ruins of a Victorian ironstone harbour below the cliffs.

Staithes

The fishing village squeezed into a cleft in the cliffs, where Cook served his apprenticeship and the Staithes Group painted. The Cod and Lobster sits on the harbour wall. Cars stop at Bank Top; the walk down is steep. Boulby Cliff, 203 metres, the highest on the east coast of England, is a mile north on the Cleveland Way.

Runswick Bay

A crescent of sand below a village of cottages, a thatched coastguard house, and the Hob Holes caves at the far end. The Royal is the pub, the Sandside Cafe is on the beach. The bank down is steep.

Sandsend

Three miles north of Whitby, a beach village at the foot of Lythe Bank. Dogs are banned from the signed zone of the beach from 1 May to 30 September. The Cleveland Way runs north to Runswick Bay in five miles.

Cloughton

Cloughton is a village on the A171 about four miles north west of Scarborough, on the edge of the North York Moors National Park. It is a favourite starting point for the Cinder Track, the old Scarborough to Whitby railway line, and for the rocky inlet of Cloughton Wyke and the Cleveland Way clifftops to Hayburn Wyke.

Ravenscar

The town that was never built: a 1890s resort scheme that left roads and nothing else. The Peak Alum Works (National Trust), the Cinder Track to Robin Hood's Bay, seals on the rocks below, and a 600 foot headland. The Raven Hall Hotel has the tea room and the bar.

Whitby

Population 13,213. The abbey on the East Cliff, the 199 steps, St Mary's church, the Dracula connection, the Captain Cook Memorial Museum, jet in the shop windows, and fish and chips on both sides of the harbour. Two railways, three bus routes, the Park and Ride from the end of March to the start of November, and a West Cliff beach dog ban from 1 May to 30 September. Our Whitby guide covers it in full.

More place guides

Towns just outside the Park

Scarborough, Malton and Guisborough are the other gateways. Scarborough has the beaches and the castle; Malton has the food scene and the mainline station; Guisborough has the priory and the road up to Roseberry Topping. Scarborough and Malton have their own guides here.

Nearby

Where to stay

Bases and accommodation across the Moors.

Walks

Routes starting from the villages.

Things to do

Attractions, abbeys and days out.

Driving routes

The best roads over the moor.

Itineraries

Suggested days and weekends.

Villages and towns FAQs

Which is the prettiest village in the North York Moors?: Hutton-le-Hole is the one most often named, for its green, beck and sheep. Thornton-le-Dale, Goathland, Robin Hood's Bay and Staithes each have a strong claim, and each is covered above.
Where is the best place to stay to explore the North York Moors?: Helmsley for the inland moors and abbeys, Pickering for the steam railway and a central position, Whitby or Robin Hood's Bay for the coast, and Danby or Grosmont if you are coming by train.
Can you explore the North York Moors villages without a car?: Yes, along the Esk Valley line (Great Ayton, Castleton, Danby, Grosmont, Whitby), the steam railway (Pickering, Goathland, Grosmont, Whitby), the Coastliner 840 and the summer Moorsbus. Hutton-le-Hole, Lastingham and Rosedale have little or no service.

Sources: North York Moors National Park Authority places-to-go pages for each village (updated between February and September 2026), car park list (1 September 2026), Danby Lodge (3 September 2026), Sutton Bank (5 October 2026), walking with dogs, Moorsbus blog (22 September 2026); North Yorkshire Council car park directory pages for Helmsley, Pickering, Robin Hood's Bay, Staithes, Runswick Bay, Sandsend, Whitby and Great Ayton (updated August 2025 to September 2026), public toilets directory, Whitby Park and Ride (27 July 2026), dogs on beaches (2024, updated May 2025); Esk Valley Railway timetable; Moorsbus timetables; National Trust, Yorkshire coast and Roseberry Topping; English Heritage, Rievaulx Abbey; Forestry England, Dalby Forest; visitgreatayton.com; lykewake.org facilities list; the Blacksmiths Arms, the Eskdale, the Downe Arms and the Buck Inn, their own listings; populations from the 2011 census (Great Ayton 2021). Drive times are estimates. Checked 10 October 2026.

Updates checked October 2026: Ryedale Community Transport; Hodgsons 80/89; English Heritage Mount Grace directions; National Park parking. Access-order links and end dates are shown alongside the affected village cards.

Cottages in the villages

Self-catering cottages, village inns and farmhouse boltholes right across the moors, from the southern villages to the coast.

Browse places to stay