For nature lovers
Our park sits at the entrance to the North York Moors and all the incredible walking routes, waterfalls, and stunning moorland and coastal scenery it offers. We recommend checking out the routes available from the NYM National Park website, which detail the trails, length, difficulty and accessibility of different walks. The Forestry Commission also has lots of great walking routes you can explore.
There are many beautiful walled gardens, floral attractions and parklands to visit in North Yorkshire too. We recommend Helmsley Walled Garden, Woldies, Scampston Walled Garden and Yorkshire Arboretum.
Great with the kids
There are lots of places to entertain the kids close by. Hit the roller coasters at Flamingo Land or Lightwater Valley or try a bungee jump off Larpool Viaduct in Whitby. Go Ape in Dalby Forest holds lots of challenges for children and adults or you could climb onto a 4×4 and enjoy an off-road adventure through the moorland with Yorkshire Outdoors. If you’d like to try horse riding, we recommend Bilsdale Horse Riding Centre, or if you prefer a cycling challenge, head to Dalby Forest Cycle Hub for bike hire and Dalby Forest cycle routes.
Only a 5 minute drive away, Cedarbarn Farm an award winning farm and cafe, offers a great outdoor play space, delicious lunch options and a mini railway.
For the big kids, the NY500 Cafe and museum is another unique cafe for those that love good quality food and some truly unique wheels.
Heading towards York, The Web and Piglets Adventure farm hosts a huge indoor and outdoor play area for kids of all ages with holiday special events, so be sure to check out their ‘whats on’ pages
For history lovers
Pickering is home to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, one of the UK’s best operational heritage railway lines. As well as running beautiful locomotives along the lines, they host regular events, so be sure to check their website to see what’s on during your visit. Just down the road also is Eden Camp a large second world war grounds and museum.
Independently owned properties in the area include Castle Howard, Newby Hall, Duncombe Park, and Newburgh Priory. If you like to visit historic religious buildings, York Minster (and its fabulous museum) is a must, and you should check out Ripon Cathedral and the rare medieval wall paintings in St Peter and St Paul’s church in Pickering.
The National Trust care for lots of properties in the area too. We recommend visiting Nunnington Hall, and Rievaulx Terrace. English Heritage also have some stunning sites for you to enjoy while you’re here, including castles in Helmsley, Scarborough, Richmond and Pickering, as well as Whitby Abbey, Rievaulx Abbey and Byland Abbey.
If you’re heading into York, you can enjoy a visit to the Jorvik Viking Centre, the Castle Museum, the Yorkshire Museum, and the National Railway Museum.
For animal lovers
We have lots of opportunities for animal experiences in North Yorkshire. Helmsley hosts the National Centre for Birds of Prey and you can get up close to and feed a huge range of animals at Monk Park Farm, Piglets Adventure Farm, Beetle Bank Farm, and Playdale Farm Park. There is also a chance to experience red squirrels at the Yorkshire Arboretum opposite Castle Howard. If you’re more interested in aquatic animals, try a trip to SEA LIFE Scarborough or the Marine Discovery Centre and Lobster Hatchery in Whitby.
We hope we’ve given you lots of ideas of things to do when you stay in North Yorkshire. If you visit any of our suggestions, don’t forget to tag us in your pictures on Facebook! We love to see what our guests are up to!
Must visit towns
North Yorkshire has some truly beautiful towns you can visit. Black Bull Caravan Park is a gentle 25 minute walk from Pickering, which is a lovely town to explore during your stay. We recommend checking out the castle, the heritage railway station, and some of the local shops and restaurants.
From Pickering, you can very easily travel to the coastal towns of Whitby, famous for fossil hunting and 199 abbey steps, Scarborough, for classic seaside attractions, and Robin Hood’s Bay, with independent shops and a fascinating smuggling history.
In and around the moors, you can explore Helmsley with its historic castle, walled garden and wonderful local shops. Thornton Le Dale is so picturesque, it has been named the prettiest village in Yorkshire in multiple newspaper features. Malton, also known as Yorkshire’s food capital, is a great spot to find tasty treats and unique gifts.
