We thought we’d feature our 5 favourite villages in this week’s blog. Obviously our very favourite village is Appleton Le Moors, which we’ve blogged about previously.
But our challenge in writing this is which ones to choose. There are so many lovely places to visit in the park, all with their own very different character.
One of the unique things about the North York Moors, is the very different characteristics of the villages and towns. It’s quite a headache for the National Park when agreeing what can and can’t be built in each one. But it is also what makes every single place unique. And so makes the North York Moors a great place to visit and experience the very different villages.
Recently, the Park has been consulting with each village about what makes their village special. You can check out this here. There is a walk-through video of each village in the National Park including our very own Appleton Le Moors. See if you can spot Town End Farm at the very end.
So here are our favourite villages in the countryside. Look out for a future blog on seaside villages and also our favourite market towns.
- Hutton Le Hole
This village really is picture post card and of all of the five, has the most things to do in it. So it can get quite busy. The good news is that it is walkable from the Long Barn. If you decide to drive there, we recommend parking at the top of the village in the large car park on the right as you drive in from Appleton.
It’s home to the amazing Ryedale Folk Museum, which is a great place to visit with kids young and old. There are several cafes along with a pub. Our favourite place for a coffee is The Old School House Bakery and Deli.
- Lastingham
The closest village to Appleton, this tucked away village is a great place to walk from up to Ana Cross. It has a beautiful Church St Mary’s with an undergrown crypt. Handily opposite is the excellent Blacksmiths Arms with hand pulled ales and great food. Lastingham Grange has also got a great reputation locally for it’s meals especially it’s afternoon tea. It’s a step back in time with old fashioned family service.
3. Rosedale Abbey
Rosedale Abbey is a beautiful drive north from us down the infamous Chimney Bank hill. It’s known to cyclists as “The Chain Breaker”.
Despite the name, there isn’t actually an Abbey in Rosedale although it does have a pretty church. It’s home to the wonderful Graze on the Green who serve the most delicious cakes. We also recommend their breakfasts. Just make sure you book ahead of you are in a group. It’s the starting point for the wonderful Hanging Stones Walk.
4. Goathland
Goathland is famous for featuring in Harry Potter and also the tv series Heartbeat. But it’s also home to a thriving community of people who live in the village. You can catch a steam train up to the village depending on the time of year. And it’s a great place to strike out on some beautiful walks including to the Mallyan Spout Waterfall. It’s home to the smallest pub in North Yorkshire, Birch Hall Inn. It’s also where the wonderful Homestead Kitchen is. Peter and Cecilly run this fantastic restaurant which is also their home. Cecily grew up in Goathland and has lots of great recommendations of local places to visit.
5. Hawnby
Hawnby is a village owned by an estate, so it’s very pretty with a uniformity about all the little cottages, many of which are listed. It is on a steep bank and the views from there are quite beautiful. It’s the first official dark skies village in the North York Moors. The Owl is under new ownership and is having a few teething problems. Reviews about the food are still a little mixed. We hope that they get this back on track as it is a beautiful pub with probably one of the best views in the park.
Even as we review this list, we are thinking of other lovely villages we’ve missed off the list. So watch this space for other favourites in the future…
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