Things to do in Pickering

In the town

Pickering Castle stands on a rise just north of the centre, a well-preserved Norman motte-and-bailey first raised in timber in 1069 to 1070 on William the Conqueror's orders and rebuilt in stone in the 13th century. Later strengthened under Henry III and Edward II, it served as a royal hunting lodge, and no fewer than six English kings are said to have stayed here. Visitors can walk the curtain walls, keep, chapel and gatehouse, with views over the town and the Vale. It is cared for by English Heritage; current opening and admission are on the English Heritage website.

The medieval wall paintings in the church of St Peter & St Paul are the town's quiet masterpiece, one of the most complete sets in England. Painted around the 1450s to 1470s, the cycle includes St George and the Dragon, a giant St Christopher, the Passion of Christ and the Seven Corporal Works of Mercy. Whitewashed at the Reformation, they were rediscovered in 1852 and restored from 1882 over the following ten years. The church is Grade I listed and normally open daily and free to visit.

The North Yorkshire Moors Railway starts from Pickering Station in the middle of town, running north through Newtondale to Levisham, Goathland and Grosmont, with many services continuing to Whitby. You can wander the platform and watch the engines without a ticket. The station has a reinstated overall roof, tea room and shop. The line runs mainly from spring to autumn, with special services including the Santa Specials, so check its timetable before travelling.

Beck Isle Museum, by the beck, is a volunteer-run museum of rural life in a Grade II listed Georgian mansion. Its outbuildings and around 27 display areas include recreated shops for a barber, chemist, cobbler, blacksmith and printer, plus a collection of early local photography. Check current opening on the museum's website. The Monday market fills the Market Place each week, and Pickering Community Park at Woodlands Park on the Whitby Road is a newer green space on the edge of town. The Memorial Hall, converted from a mill in 1922 as a memorial to the First World War, is still the town's community hub. For a gentle stroll, follow Pickering Beck and look for kingfishers and dippers.

Just outside town

Pickering Trout Lake is a fishing lake just outside the town. Cawthorn Roman Camps, dating from around 120 AD, sit on the moor edge with an easy circular trail of about a mile through the earthworks. A few miles east, Dalby Forest offers the Forest Drive, waymarked trails, graded mountain biking, Go Ape and some of the darkest skies in England.

Mathewsons, the classic-car auctioneers seen in Bangers & Cash, hold their auctions behind closed doors at a site on the edge of Pickering, open to the public only during the six-day viewing period before each sale. The shop and museum remain in nearby Thornton-le-Dale. See the Pickering saleroom guide.

Cycling from Pickering

Pickering is a few minutes from Dalby Forest. Big Bear Bikes, at The Co-Op Building, 2 Southgate on the A170, carries more than 150 bikes, hires mountain and road bikes, and runs a workshop staffed by Cytech-qualified mechanics. Guided rides, bike fitting and suspension servicing are also offered. Check opening and hire rates on the shop's website, and see our cycling guide for the riding itself.

Great family days out nearby

Flamingo Land, the theme park and zoo at Kirby Misperton a few miles towards Malton, is the big family day out of the area. Check opening and prices on their own site. Eden Camp Modern History Museum, an award-winning Second World War museum housed in a former prisoner-of-war camp about seven miles towards Malton, is largely under cover and absorbing for older children. Go Ape at Dalby adds high ropes and zip wires to a forest day.

The 1940s Wartime Weekend

The Wartime Weekend is usually held in October, with reenactment camps, period vehicles, wartime music and dances, and steam trains full of uniforms and headscarves. It is one of the best-loved events in the region and the town is busy, so plan parking when dates are confirmed. No 2026 date is confirmed here; check the railway's own site. See also what's on across the moors.

Using Pickering as a base for the Moors

This is where Pickering really earns its keep. The Hole of Horcum is eight miles up the A169; Goathland is Heartbeat's Aidensfield and Harry Potter's Hogsmeade; Thornton-le-Dale, Rosedale and Hutton-le-Hole (with the Ryedale Folk Museum) are all short drives. The coast at Whitby, Scarborough and Robin Hood's Bay is 15 to 40 minutes away. For a change of pace, Castle Howard is about ten miles and Malton, “Yorkshire's food capital”, about fifteen minutes.

Hungry or shopping afterwards? See places to eat in Pickering and our Pickering shopping guide.

The village and classic-car sister sites linked here are also written by the author of this guide.

Church dates checked October 2026: Pickering church paintings and church restoration. Church restoration was completed in 1879; wall-painting restoration began in 1882.