Staycation Mini Series: North Yorkshire

Well it looks like we'll be enjoying lots of Staycations this year... The summer of 2020 has got to be the first summer of my life where I haven't been abroad. ☹ But a positive from this summer is definitely that it's given me a chance to explore the places around me and appreciate my home country a lot more. Having recently moved to North Yorkshire, the past few months have given my family and me such a great opportunity to get out and explore. North Yorkshire covers such a massive area, with both the Moors and the Dales a part of the county. Whilst we have by no means seen and done everything, here are a few places we have visited. I plan to keep this post updated as we visit new places so watch this space!

Richmond

Ok so I'm probably biased towards Richmond, but it really is a beautiful little town. It has lots of lovely independent cafes. restaurants and shops and I highly recommend a trip down to the river and waterfalls. You can park free in the Market Square for 2 hours if you have a parking disk (you can get them from most supermarkets or pick one up free from the market hall!) or the Station Car Park is a great place to park if you're visiting the falls and river.

Brimham Rocks

This place was really cool! Some may say it's "just a pile of old rocks" and it basically is, but they're so fun to explore and they've worked really hard to name the rocks after things they may or may not look like. It's great fun to walk around and try and spot the different rock formations. Or maybe have a go naming them yourself? The site is free to enter, but the car park is run by the National Trust. Enjoy free parking if you're a member or it's £9 for the day pay and display. There is of course a cafe, facilities and ice cream van should the Yorkshire weather play nice for you.

The North Yorkshire Moors Railway - Pickering and Whitby

This authentic steam train journey is a really fun way to explore multiple places at once! We boarded the train in Pickering, where they have a great museum on the history on the railway as well as how it runs. Pickering itself is a really pretty market town with lots of cafes and shops. We really enjoyed the journey to Whitby, where there's so much to explore too! There's of course the beach, but you can also walk up the 199 steps to the Abbey for lots of picturesque views over the town. Using the railway to get between the 2 makes it a really fun day out! The Railway has diesel engines as well as steam engines, so if you really want to ride the steam train, you can check the timetable in advance to find out which times it'll be running.

Yorkshire Lavender

We LOVE this place! I've actually never been when the lavender's flowering, it's definitely on my list, but their Cream Tea is just to die for! They put lavender in everything, which sounds really gross but the lavender jam is some of the best jam I've ever tasted! When the lavender isn't flowering you can get in free and there's a great playground for kids. From May - August it's £4.50 for an adult, but you can get into the cafe and gift shop free! Definitely a great place to stop for a tea break or a way to get out of the house if it's a little rainy...

Fountains Abbey

Another National Trust property, Fountains Abbey is free to enter for members but can get quite pricey for a family paying full price. There's of course lots of gardens for picnics and the Abbey ruins are so fun to explore! I felt like I was on the film set of a Harry Potter movie! (Not that Harry Potter was actually filmed there...). A great day out if the weather's nice, but probably less fun in the rain... Note that at the moment you need to book a time slot to enter National Trust properties.

Hawes + Wensleydale Creamery

Hawes is another lovely little town with independent shops and cafes. You can also visit the Wensleydale Creamery and watch how they make their famous cheese! They have a Wallace and Gromit exhibition which is really fun and in non-Covid-19 times they have free tastings! There's of course a gift shop, cafe and restaurant and as most of it is inside it's a great rainy day activity!

Runswick Bay

Runswick Bay is a really nice great place for a beach day. Should you be lucky enough to get a rain-free day I'd really recommend it! It's even apparently the number one beach in the UK (according to The Times). There's a large field where you can park all day for £5 and they have places where you can hire kayaks and paddle boards! There's coastal walks, some cool caves and a big beach. They have a cafe with ice creams and of course a pub. There's a lifeguarded swimming area too should you be willing to brave the sea!

Ripon

Another beautiful market city with the most stunning cathedral that's definitely worth a visit. Again there's lots of walks you can do from Ripon and it has all the cafes, restaurants and shops you could need, making it the perfect base for any walking break. We love Prima's Pizzeria if you're looking to support a family business with decently priced, delicious food! Make sure you reserve a table though because they're nearly always full!

The same really goes for Bedale, Leyburn and Thirsk. All are great little market towns.

Bonus tip for Thirsk: There's a bagel place on the market square called Bagels and Bakes that we love! And if you're looking for somewhere a bit bigger, we Harrogate is pretty incredible too!

Beaccon Alpacas

We had THE best time learning all about the very cute alpacas, and then even taking them for a walk! They have over 50 alpacas in total and the staff are incredible with so much knowledge to share about each alpaca! It's definitely something you should book in advance, but it's well worth doing and definitely memorable!

Places that are definitely on my list are Malham Cove, The Yorkshire Air Museum, Aysgarth Falls, Eden Camp and the Forbidden Corner!

As with many places, these places can get very busy during peak periods such as weekends or sunny days so make sure you have a back-up plan if you're planning to visit. Plan a few places to park before you get there and go somewhere else if it seems to busy! Social-distance where possible - stay safe!

Is there somewhere I've missed off the list? Let me know! I'd love to hear about your favourite places in North Yorkshire!

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