Things to Do
The North Yorkshire Moors Railway
One of England's best-loved heritage lines, the North Yorkshire Moors Railway carries steam and vintage diesel trains through the heart of the National Park — from the market town of Pickering, over the moors, and on to the coast at Whitby. It's one of the great days out in Yorkshire.
Placeholder photograph — real imagery to follow.
The route
The line runs about 18 miles from Pickering to Grosmont, calling at Levisham, Newton Dale and Goathland, with many services continuing along the Esk Valley to Whitby — around 24 miles of moor, dale and coast in all. Tickets let you hop on and off along the way, so you can break the journey to walk, explore a station or find lunch. (Check the current timetable and fares; steam typically runs from spring through autumn.)
The stations
Each station has its own character: Pickering is dressed as a 1930s country station; Levisham is restored to about 1912, with the railway's artist-in-residence; Goathland is the famous one — Hogsmeade in the first Harry Potter film and "Aidensfield" in Heartbeat; and Grosmont is the working heart of the line, where you can glimpse the locomotive sheds and engineering. Whitby, at the far end, needs no introduction — harbour, abbey and fish and chips.
Special experiences
Beyond an ordinary ride, the railway runs Pullman dining trains (lunch, afternoon tea and dinner) and footplate experiences on the locomotives themselves — both need booking ahead. It's a not-for-profit charity run largely by volunteers, so every ticket helps keep the steam alive.
Getting there
Pickering station is the natural starting point and easy to reach from the surrounding villages. Without a car, bus 840 runs from Malton (which has trains from York and Scarborough) to Pickering. For somewhere to base yourself, see where to stay.