PLACES TO VISIT,
THINGS TO DO, PLACES TO EAT
North Yorkshire and the Vale of Pickering is jam packed with places to visit and things to do and see all year round. Whether you like visiting historic ancient monuments, stately country homes or spending time wandering along a beach or doing a spot of crafting on a rainy day there will be something for everyone when you visit our self catering holiday cottages in the Vale of Pickering.
From our cottages, the City of York is less than hour away. The North Yorkshire Moors Railway is close by, with stations throughout the National Park for you to park up at and jump on a train – why not go to Pickering and make a day of it and get the train there all the way to the seaside town of Whitby? For the green fingered amongst you visiting North Yorkshire there are many formal gardens for you to visit including Wolds Way Lavender, Scampston Hall and Jackson’s Wold Garden (all have tea rooms too!). If you are feeling adventurous, you can go on one of the many mountain biking trails in the nearby Dalby Forest or you can Go-Ape and go on a high wire course in the tree tops of Dalby Forest?
Don’t forget that you can download our guide “The Insider’s Guide to North Yorkshire – 10 things to do in North Yorkshire” – its our handy guide to get the creative juices flowing to help you plan your next holiday in North Yorkshire.
Search below to find more places to visit in North Yorkshire.
North Yorkshire Moors Railway
A stay at Cliff House Holiday Cottages would not be complete without a visit to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, one of the UK's most iconic heritage railways. This magnificent railway line runs through the stunning North York Moors National Park, offering visitors...
RSPB Bempton Cliffs
RSPB Bempton Cliffs is one of the UK's most spectacular nature reserves! Nestled on the stunning Yorkshire coast, Bempton Cliffs is a haven for nature lovers, featuring a breathtaking array of seabirds and wildlife. Seabird Paradise Bempton Cliffs is home to over...
North York Moors National Park
A holiday in the North York Moors National Park is an excellent way to escape the hustle and bustle of city life and immerse yourself in the natural beauty of the British countryside. Located in North Yorkshire, England, the park covers an area of over 1,400 square...
Forge Valley and Hackness Walk
We went for the first long walk in a long time, nearly 10 miles, starting and finishing in the local village of East Ayton. We walked up Forge Valley, which was carved out by the melt waters from the last ice age and is the valley through which the River Derwent flows...
More than just Farndale for daffodils
Daffodils in North Yorkshire are not just exclusive to Farndale. If you venture a way from the honey pots of Low Mill and Farndale you can find other places, where the spread of daffodils is far greater and better than what you find in Farndale itself. Its just that...
Bird watching and photography at RSPB Bempton Cliffs
A couple of weeks ago we got up early and headed to RSPB Bempton Cliffs to join Steve from Yorkshire Coast Nature for a morning's introduction to sea bird photography. Conditions were more or less perfect, but we did start the day with a sighting of a weasel working...
Holiday Inspiration for Solo Travellers
Holiday Inspiration for Solo Travellers Ryedale has been voted on of the best places for the solo traveller to visit. Here’s our holiday inspiration of things to as solo traveller when visiting Ryedale (and of course staying with us at Cliff House Holiday Cottages!)...
Kids go free in 2023 on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway!
New Unlimited Annual Pass New for 2023 the North Yorkshire Moors Railway has introduced an Unlimited Annual pass for travel on their services for just £40. This means that holders can return to travel on timetabled standard services at any time for a 12 month period...
Things to do in the Great Yorkshire Forest
You may have seen our "back garden" on TV recently in the "Secret Life of the Forest" on Channel 5. To say that the Great Yorkshire Forest is our back garden isn't an over statement. Turn right as you leave our cottages and in just over a mile you are in the back of...
Robin Hood’s Bay
Robin Hood's Bay is a fantastic little place to visit at any time of year. Full of old world charm, the old village has a long history of smuggling. If you are brave enough you can venture up the tunnel from the beach that the local stream runs through. Look up and...
Birdwatching in Wishing Well Wood
We have just added some new bird feeders in to Wishing Well Wood. Set up so that from the comfort of a bench overlooking our big pond you can quietly watch the visitors that come to the feeding station. Over the course of an hour we watched, Great Tits, Willow Tits...
The Great Yorkshire Forest
The Great Yorkshire Forest in the "Secret Life of the Forest" Starting this Wednesday at 8pm, you'll get to discover a little bit about our back garden - The Great Yorkshire Forest. Made up of Dalby Forest, Cropton Forest and Langdale Forest, the Great Yorkshire...
Secret Life of the Forest
Discover the Secret Life of the Forest in the Great Yorkshire Forest In 2020 you may have watched the Channel 5 programme “Secret Life of the Forest”, which focused on the natural history and nature of the Kielder Forest. Now in 2023 it’s the turn of our local forest...
Visit Beverley
We headed for a day trip to Beverley, which is just under an hours drive away from the cottages here at Cliff House Holiday Cottages. Beverley is a fantastic market town in the East Riding of Yorkshire (never call it East Yorkshire!). The town has a collection of many...
Visit Hull
Last week we took a trip to Hull. Now Hull is a long way from anywhere being as its just on the eastern edge of the East Riding of Yorkshire, but...hear us out - it is fantastic place to visit. With a thriving pub, cafe and restaurant scene near the marina to a...
Robson Green’s Weekend Escapes
First it was the Hairy Bikers, now its Robson Green! Robson Green's Weekend Escapes - you may have missed it lurking in the schedules of BBC 2. But there is a very gentle and entertaining programme with Robson Green (of Solider Soldier fame (amongst other things))...
10 things to do in North Yorkshire
Looking for inspiration as to what to do on holiday. Then look no further than our very own "Insider's Guide to North Yorkshire - 10 Things to do in North Yorkshire" - its packed with our very own recommendations as to where to go and what to do when on holiday in...
Coming Soon! The Insider’s Guide to North Yorkshire
We spent some of our Christmas holidays putting the finishing touches on our own unique digital guide to what we think are some of the best things to see and do in North Yorkshire. Be one of the first to see it when its finished by signing up to our newsletter. Sign...
OUR VERY
LATEST
Bridestones and the Hole of Horcum Walk
We went on fantastic snowy winter walk from the car park at Saltergate in the North York Moors National Park with views across the Hole of Horcum. Just 15 minutes from our cottages. We walked our across the moors, taking in the view across to Blakey Topping (and just...
Fountains Abbey
Nestled in the picturesque landscape of North Yorkshire, a captivating adventure awaits you at the National Trust's Fountains Abbey. Just over 1hr and 20 minutes from our cottages across the heart of North Yorkshire.. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, this majestic ruin...
A Walk Down Netherby Dale
This walk is about 3km long and can take between 1 to 2 hours depending on your pace and how many stops you make. Please note that some sections are difficult under foot, specifically very muddy and in places the path is unstable/rocky under foot. Given it is a dale,...