Tales of Wild Yorkshire Moors & Whitby

It’s time to see what lies outside of the ancient walls of the city of York. Today you’re going to uncover the beauty of the windswept Yorkshire Moors where rolling heather, hidden valleys, and dramatic skies have inspired generations of writers, including Emily Brontë and her Wuthering Heights.

And you start your day off with a visit to Hutton-le-hole. With its charming red-roof cottages, grazing sheep, and a babbling brook, this idyllic village invites you to slow down. You’ll have time for a quick refreshment and a walk along the cobbled streets, or have a quick visit to the open-air Ryedale Folk Museum, featuring a range of historic buildings you can quickly see.

Leaving the charm of the village behind, you journey onward into the Moors – that vast, open land which Alfred Wainwright called “a wilderness for the soul,” where emptiness and freedom stretch as far as the horizon. It’s no wonder this landscape has stirred the imagination for centuries and is rich with legends. Your next stop, the bustling fishing port of Whitby, continues the story: it was here that Bram Stoker stayed in a hotel while writing his famous novel Dracula, drawing inspiration from the town’s dramatic cliffs, harbour, and gothic atmosphere.

You’ll have free time to wander Whitby’s cobbled streets, sample local fish and chips, explore the Abbey ruins, and soak in the moody setting that inspired Dracula. Next, we head to the fishing village of Robin Hood’s Bay, renowned for its charming narrow streets, historic cottages, smugglers’ tales, and breathtaking views of the North Sea.

Then, something a bit more magical: a short visit to Goathland Station, famous for its appearances in Harry Potter as Hogsmeade Station.

After snapping a few photos, continue your journey with stops at the legendary Hole of Horcum—said to have been created by a giant—and the small, historic market town of Pickering, before returning to York.