The North Yorkshire Moors National Park is one of the most beautiful and scenic areas of this country. Its ever changing scenery, with the seasons of the year, guarantees spectacular views all year round.
In late July until early September, the moors give the appearance of being cloaked in pink/purple velvet, by the beautiful flowers of the moorland heather. There are in fact, three different types of heather, Erica tetralix - a cross leaved heath, Erica onrea - bell heather, and Calluna vulgaris, commonly called 'ling'. The moors contain and sustain an abundance of wildlife. The North Yorkshire Moors in particular, is home to the Red Grouse. Grouse shooting plays an important role in the economy of the area, as it impacts on the farmers, the local people by way of 'beating' etc., and the accommodation providers in the local vicinity.
The revenue from the Grouse shooting enables the management of the moors by the farmers, including regular burning off of the old course heather, to make way for the younger shoots providing food for the young grouse and the moorland sheep. There are a number of different varieties of birds present here including merlin and lapwings, and some not so pleasant wildlife in the form of adders and grass snakes!
There are many picturesque villages within the North Yorkshire Moors National Park, which have benefited with the expansion of tourism to the area. The most well known of the moorland villages is Goathland. This village has come to the fore, principally due to the television production of 'Heartbeat'. This attractive village has a history dating back to the Vikings. Sheep freely wander along the village keeping the greens carefully manicured, pausing to beg titbits from visitors (don't feed them, they become a nuisance). They have a common right granted by the Duchy of Lancaster, to graze the village greens and the surrounding moorland.
The station at Goathland is served by the North Yorks Moors Railway. Little seems to have changed here since it was in general use with the introduction of the Whitby - Pickering railway in the 1830s. It was the setting of Hogsmeade Station in the first Harry Potter movie. The station itself was closed in 1965 but in 1968 the North York Moors Historical Railway Trust Ltd. helped by many volunteers, formed a group to operate the railway between Grosmont and Pickering and the first passenger service commenced in 1973.
Village life changed dramatically in 1991 when a film crew arrived to film 'Heartbeat', a television series set in the 1960's depicting a fictitious local police station in the village of Aidensfield (Goathland). This popular television series continued to film in and around the area until 2010 when the series was axed. A local hotel became the Aidensfield Arms (Aiden - after a local saint), the local garage became Scripps Garage and funeral directors, and the village store became Aidensfield Stores. Visitors to the village would often find filming taking place in and around the area, the double yellow road lines often being covered up for authenticity. The village store and post office are immediately recognisable, as is the war memorial erected on the village green in 1922 which is a replica of the Lilla Cross. Goathland Exhibition Centre is excellent for finding out about the local area and traditions and a valuable source of information regarding walks etc.
There are many pretty waterfalls in the immediate area, the Mallyan Spout is a 60 - 70 feet high waterfall most spectacular after heavy rainfall. The path to the waterfall is accessed by a riverside walk starting near the Mallyan Spout Hotel. Part of the walk is through some woods and will take you up to the Spout itself and, in fact, underneath it! Walker Mill Foss and Nelly Ayre Foss are also worth a visit.
Not far from Goathland is a pretty little hamlet called Beckhole. In the early 1830's when the Whitby to Pickering Railway was being constructed through the valley, the incline at Beckhole meant that the carriages (horse drawn initially and consisting of stage coaches placed on top of bogies) had to be hauled by a complicated system of wire ropes, pulleys and water filled tanks. Steam was introduced in 1845 but still they had to be hauled up the incline. Charles Dickens was an early passenger and thought the route 'hair-raising'. Many accidents occurred and, after a fatality in 1864, it was decided that an alternative route be made. In 1865 such a route was made by blasting through solid rock. Around the 1850's Beckhole was involved in the excavation of iron ore and in 1857 two blast furnaces were constructed by the river, but this was shortlived. By 1867 the mines had closed and the furnaces dismantled.
The village pub, The Birch Hall Inn, was granted a licence to sell beer and cider, and it was not until 1960 that a full licence to sell spirits was granted. An old and quaint building consisting of two cottages, it has an unusual sign outside, an oil painting of a waterfall and the moors which was painted by Algernon Newton RA. There are two bars, the 'big bar', with seating, fireplace and a serving hatch to order through, and the 'small bar'which has direct access to the outside, and in between a small shop selling sweets, ice-creams etc. The bars between them could accommodate about 30 persons!! It is a welcome stop for the many hikers who trek the North Yorkshire Moors. There are many walks around this area well documented in various publications.
A mile or so west of Beckhole is the beautiful picturesque Randy Mere Reservoir, which was the last place in England for commercially gathered leeches. Apparently they are still there! Thomason Foss situated on the Ellerbeck on the approach to Beckhole is one of the very many waterfalls in the area. With a height of 10 feet the water falls into a deep pool with overhanging rocks and branches. The stone bridge next to the Birch Hall Inn was built in 1873 to replace the wooden footbridge alongside an old fording point over Eller Beck.
Along the route of the old Whitby - Pickering Railway there is the village of Grosmont. The setting up of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway Trust has ensured that a beautiful stretch of railway between here and Pickering has been kept open. The station is like a scene from times past, indeed the NYMR holds 'wartime weekends', whereupon many members of the public dress in the style of the wartime years. The station is wheelchair accessible. Further along the line, the engine sheds are of great interest as many volunteers are renovating the old engines and carriages etc. These can be viewed by the pathway running alongside.
In the early part of the 19th century along with the neighbouring villages, Grosmont was greatly involved in the mining and smelting of iron ore. There were quarries and clay pits used for making the famous 'Grosmont'bricks. A high quality red brick used in the building of many houses in Whitby and surrounding areas. Once again there is little left of this previous industrial history.
Another village playing an important role in the iron-ore industry and helping to establish nearby Middlesbrough as a major steel -producing town was Glaisdale, Blast furnaces operated here from 1866 to 1876 but there is now little evidence remaining of that or indeed of the thriving weaving trade in the 16th and 17th century. Today it is a pretty rural village of stone built houses and cottages where many walks can be found. A station is here for the Esk Valley Line. The main village of Glaisdale is approximately a mile away. Beggar's Bridge was built over Glaisdale Beck in 1619 by Thomas Ferries son of a local moorland farmer.
He was considered unsuitable by the father of Agnes Richardson, the daughter of a wealty Glaisdale landowner. Legend has it that Tom was called upon to join the English Fleet, but the river was in flood and he was unable to cross the river to let Agnes know he was going. He fought alongside Drake and eventually made his fortune whereupon he returned to Glaisdale a wealthy man. Agnes's father agreed to the marriage and they married and went to Hull where he became Mayor. It is said he built the bridge as a memorial to his wife so that other lovers could cross the river in safety and not be parted.'
The highest point on the North Yorkshire Moors is just past Saltersgate on the Whitby Pickering road. It is here that the famous Hole of Horcum can be viewed. It is a natural amphitheatre, a quarter of a mile wide, a mile long and 600 feet deep. Commonly known as the 'Devil's Punch Bowl' it is a fist shaped valley formed by the action of springs along a boundary of two rock layers. Springs and rainwater seep through porous rocks, and the water gradually erodes the sides of the 'hole' and enlarges it over many thousands of years.
The Hole of Horcum is part of the Newtondale Valley, sometimes called the Grand Canyon of England, formed from a glacial lake. These tabular hills are the southern boundary of the North Yorkshire Moors, from the holiday resort town of Scarborough in the east to Hambleton in the west. Legend has it that the giant Wade and his wife Bell who lived in the castle at Mulgrave near Sandsend, had a massive argument and in temper he picked a fistful of soil (The Hole of Horcum) and then threw it at his wife, missing her it landed and formed Blakey Ridge.
The North Yorkshire Moors are well worth a visit whatever time of year. There is so much to see and do. Walking, cycling, fishing, sightseeing, orienteering, the list is endless. For a holiday visit, the many villages provide an assortment of accommodation from hotels and guest houses to self-catering cottages and houses.
To find out more about the North Yorkshire Moors National Park and also the North Yorkshire Coast visit Whitby Yorkshire
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