Usually I write about things a little closer to home….but this week my travels have taken me to the UK to visit with family. A few days ago, I made the lofty suggestion we take the dogs and head for the Yorkshire moors. After realizing I didn’t pack hiking boots we settled into the idea of a drive to Pickering to catch the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and travel on the historic steam train along the tracks to the seaside town of Whitby. While the train journey is only 24 miles (that’s just over 38 kilometres for us Canadians) the trips between each of the historic stations take up to 25 minutes and wind travellers through the national North York Moors national park, famed for the park’s heather moorland, which is rare elsewhere and covers one-third of the park. Most interestingly, the moors are mostly privately owned and managed for shooting grouse or grazing sheep.  

 

 

The North Yorkshire Moors Railway is one of the most historic lines in Northern England, originating back to the 1830’s. The original line operated for over a century providing goods and passenger service until the 1960’s. The line takes you from Pickering through Levisham, Goathland and Grosmont with each station restored to reflect a historical period in the railway’s history. For those of you who remember All Creatures Great and Small or are fans of the 1960’s themed Heartbeat television series, a stop at Goathland is a must as both series take place in the area. You may also recognize the train station at Goathland as Hogsmeade from the first Harry Potter film.  

At Grosmont the line continues through to the sea-side town of Whitby where we stopped to visit the Whitby Abby, famed for where Bram Stoker found inspiration through the Abby’s gothic splendour when writing Dracula. My photos and bit of video do nothing to demonstrate the absolute beauty of these ancient ruins of the Anglo-Saxon monastery which was built in AD 657. Unfortunately we were short on time and there were gale-force winds, but the ruins gave me goose bumps and I would happily revisit for a more in-depth visit.

While the quality of this video isn't great and the wind is very loud, it gives you a quick 180 degree view of the Moors.

 

Whether you are a history buff, nature lover or just looking for some beautiful scenery to look at during a trip to the Yorkshire, this trip is certainly worth a day of your time.