Along the way there is a wealth of history and heritage to enjoy. Attractions include Helmsley Castle, Rievaulx Abbey, Mount Grace Priory, Gisborough Priory, Whitby Abbey and Scarborough Castle to name just a few special sites.
- Helmsley to Sutton Bank
- Sutton Bank to Osmotherley
- Osmotherley to Kildale
- Kildale to Saltburn
- Saltburn to Whitby
- Whitby to Filey
1 - Helmsley to Sutton Bank
Rievaulx Abbey
Type: Churches/Chapels/Cathedrals
The first large Cistercian church built in England, Rievaulx (which means Rye Valley) was founded in 1132 but it expanded under St. Aelred (1147-66) when it housed 140 monks and 500 lay brethren. In the 13th Century extensive building took place but the abbey later declined until the dissolution in 1538.Cistercian Order meant withdrawal from the world and dependence on their own labour for building and farming. Because there was insufficient flat land for building, the abbey lay almost north-south rather than the normal east-west. A canal was constructed to transport stone by barge from nearby quarries.There are extensive remains, chiefly of the choir, presbytery and cloister, but because care was taken at the dissolution in 1538 to destroy the monks’ living quarters so that they could not return, little of these remain. The land eventually passed to the Duncombe family, owners of the nearby Duncombe Park Estate.
Today the abbey is cared for by English Heritage.
back to topHelmsley Castle
Type: Historical Landmarks/Buildings
Helmsley Castle has a long and impressive history. Dating from the 12th century it has spectacular earthworks which surround the ruined Norman. The earliest remaining masonry dates from the end of the 12th century, when the keep, walls and towers were constructed during the time of Robert de Ros, 1186-1227, who with his wife, Isabel, held it against King John's siege in 1216. Two lines of ditches surround the main fortifications and the barbican, which was built to protect the gate-house, is pierced with loopholes for longbowmen.The Castle briefly belonged to King Richard III, 1478-1485. It was modified down the centuries, eventually becoming more of a residential mansion - the domestic buildings date from the 16th century and examples of Tudor woodwork and plasterwork can be seen.The Castle was besieged in 1644 by the Parliamentarians under Sir Thomas Fairfax, with 700 footsoldiers, 300 horsemen and cannon placed to the south. Sir Thomas was wounded on Rye Bank, but after three months siege, Sir Gordon Crosland surrendered. The castle was rendered indefensible and later removal of stone by local people led to further decay, although the domestic building remained in use until Duncombe Park mansion was completed around 1713 about half a mile south-west of the castle. The castle is cared for by English Heritage.
back to topWhite Horse of Kilburn
Type: Historical Landmarks/Buildings
The horse was designed and financed by Thomas Taylor, a native of Kilburn, and cut in 1857. The work was done by the village schoolmaster, John Hodgson, and 20 helpers. It is 314ft long by 228ft high and about 20 people could stand on the grass island which forms the eye, though walking on the horse is now strongly discouraged. Unlike the horses in the south of England which are cut into chalk and are therefore naturally white and virtually self-preserving, the Kilburn White Horse is cut into limestone which is the wrong colour and needs artificial whitening. This was first done using gallons and gallons of whitewash, but now chalk chippings from the Yorkshire Wolds are used.
back to topSutton Bank Visitor Centre
Type: Visitor/Activity Centres
Opened in 1997, this new National Park Centre provides a gateway to the North York Moors, welcoming around 130,000 visitors each year. It provides opportunities for people to gain a greater understanding of the North York Moors through its successful hands-on Window on the Park exhibition, a well stocked bookshop and countryside trails.
A series of special events take place throughout the year: temporary art and craft exhibitions and demonstrations, children’s activities, and discovery walks with National Park Rangers and specialist Park staff.
Situated near the edge of the Whitestoncliffe escarpment, there are a number of excellent short walks from the Centre, with spectacular views over the Vale of York to the Pennines. Six of the Best...across the Moors and Six of the Best...along the Coast, two waterproof packs of circular walks from the Cleveland Way are available from the Centre and one of the most beautiful walks starts from here.
back to top2 - Sutton Bank to Osmotherley
Gormire Lake
Type: Nature Reserves
The Cleveland Way provides excellent views of Lake Gormire, nestling amongst broadleaved woodland. 20,000 years ago the whole of the Vale of York was filled with ice. When the weather turned warmer, an enormous quantity of meltwater flowed south cutting channels between the edge of the ice and the adjacent hills. Lake Gormire, the only natural lake in the National Park, developed in one of these channels.
Sheltered by higher ground, Gormire is a tranquil tarn-like lake which provdes a breeding place for coot, great crested grebe and mallard. A steep path leads from the Cleveland Way to the lakeside. It forms part of the Sutton Bank Nature Trail and is well worth the diversion.
Folk tales and legends of Gormire abound, with horses featuring in many. One tells of a local knight who tricked the Abbot of Rievaulx into lending him his white mare. The mare would not respond to his commands and as Whitestonecliffe loomed closer he heard an unearthly laugh from behind. As he plunged over the cliff into Lake Gormire, his horror was complete as he turned to see the Abbot behind him transformed into the devil! If you vist Lake Gormire at midnight you may just hear a rider grooming his horse. Beware.
back to topHambleton Drove Road
Type: Other
The drove road is quite a feature of the western part of the North York Moors. About 15 miles are within the National Park, of which six are unmetalled and as the drovers of the 18th and 19th centuries would have known it. Its finest section, across Black Hambleton, is followed by the Cleveland Way.
The track is thought to be prehistoric but the large scale movement of cattle from Scotland and the north of England to Smithfield Market in London, gave it the name it is known by today. The drovers were nomads, travelling between 10 and 14 miles a day and some of their regular stopping places can still be located. The ruins of Limekiln House,which was once an inn, can be seen near the Cleveland Way, above Kepwick.
Cattle, sheep and pigs were all driven along the Drove Road, as were geese which were sometimes fitted with felt pads to protect their feet.
back to top3 - Osmotherley to Kildale
Mount Grace Priory
Type: Churches/Chapels/Cathedrals
The best preserved of only nine Carthusian priories in this country, Mount Grace was founded in 1398 with a small church placed between two cloisters. The monks were housed in individual cells - small, two-storey buildings (each with a study and bedroom on the ground floor, a workshop on the first floor and a small enclosed garden for each cell), of which only the ground floor remains. Lay brethren carried out the harder work of the community and the present large residence, which is not open to the public, was part of the Priory’s Guest House.
The Priory is cared for by English Heritage.
back to topStone Markers and Crosses
Type: Historical Landmarks/Buildings
Scatttered across the North York Moors are a number of ancient crosses standing like sentinels for the generations of travellers that pass them by. Some, such as Lilla Cross, were built to commemorate a death or important event. Lilla Cross dates from 626 and is the oldest on the Moors.
Others were built to help travellers, particularly monks, find their way across the inhospitable countryside.
Young Ralph, the emblem of the North York Moors National Park, is an 18th century cross. A story tells of a farmer named Ralph who found a poor traveller on the Moors who had died of exhaustion. He erected the cross to help others find their way. People once put coins in the hollows on the arms of the cross to help travellers less fortunate than themselves.
In the 18th century traffic across the Moors increased rapidly, yet few of the routes were waymarked. In 1711 the Justices at Northallerton ordered that guideposts be erected at all crossroads in the county. Many of the carved stone crosses you pass indicate that you are at the site of an old crossroads.
Some of the stones you see are boundary stones marking the edge of moorland estates. A few are inscribed with family names.
back to topMoorland Landscape
Type: Parks/Gardens/Woods
Although the moors seem wild and natural, their appearance is entirely the result of man’s activities. From earliest times to the present day they have been manipulated and managed to suit the requirements of the time. Man first began to clear the forest some 10,000 years ago to create areas of new shoots on which animals would graze and thus be easier to hunt. By about 2000BC most of the woodland on the plateau was being cleared away. Sheep were brought to the area by the monks of Rievaulx and centuries of sheep farming prevented the re-establishment of trees and the moorland landscape of 500 years ago would have looked much as it does today.
Although intensive sheep grazing was important in shaping the character of the moorland, it was in the 19th century, when the area became popular for grouse shooting, that management practices began to encourage the growth of heather at the expense of other moorland plants. Keepers were and still are employed by the estates to maintain the moors and to organise shooting parties. The heather is burned in rotation to create a mosaic of young and old plants so that there are young shoots for grouse and sheep to eat and older, leggier plants to provide nesting sites.
In 1998 the main moorland area was designated a Site of Special Scientifc Interest in recognition of its nationally important vegetation and bird life. It is also a potential Special Protection Area. This is a designation under the EC Birds Directive which requires Member States to protect the habitats of certain species of birds. These Special Protection Areas form part of a network of internationally important sites within the EU known as Natura 2000. The North York Moors has around 3% of the national populations of merlin and golden plover, and also supports a range of other birds including curlew, lapwing, red grouse, hen harrier and peregrine.
back to top4 - Kildale to Saltburn
Captain Cooks Monument
Type: Historical Landmarks/Buildings
Standing high on Easby Hill is a 51ft high obelisk erected in 1827 in memory of one of the world’s greatest cicumnavigators, Captain James Cook RN.
Cook was born in Marton near Middlesbrough and moved to Great Ayton when he was eight. His father worked at Aireyholme Farm on the slopes of Roseberry Topping.
back to topRoseberry Topping
Type: Historical Landmarks/Buildings
Roseberry Topping is an unusual landmark on the skyline overlooking Teesside. Known as Yorkshires Matterhorn, it has a hard sandstone cap which has protected the underlying shales and clays, so while the surrounding area was worn away by ice, wind and rain, the Topping survived.
Its dramatic summit was partly created by man; alum, jet and ironstone have all been mined out of the hill, and ironstone workings caused the collapse of the western face in 1912.
back to topSaltburn
Type: Wharf/Dockyards/Ports
The Cleveland Way passes through both the tiny hamlet of Old Saltburn nestling beneath the cliffs and the splendid Victorian town standing in a prominent position high above the North Sea.
Little remains of Old Saltburn save the Ship Inn and adjacent buildings but 19th century records tell us of a dozen cottages, two pubs and several ginshops and give us some idea of what the village would have been like. Although claiming to be a fishing village, smuggling was the trade of the locals and many colourful stories are told in ‘The Saltburn Smugglers’ experience next door to the Ship Inn.
Victorian Saltburn developed from one man’s dream. Whilst walking along the coast, Henry Pease had a vision of tall splendid buildings rising from the clifftop. He immediately established the Saltburn Improvement Company and advertised for designs for the town. Plots were allocated for villas for wealthy visitors, hotels for the middle classes and areas for cheap boarding houses for the workers. There were doctors, reading rooms, a convalescent home, water, drains, gas and roads but no premises selling alcolhol; Pease was a socially conscious man.
One of the most impressive buildings is the former Zetland Hotel, now appartments, which even had its own private railway platform.
Like many coastal resorts, Saltburn has a pier and ornamental gardens.
back to top5 - Saltburn to Whitby
Art Features
Type: Art/Museums/Galleries
The ‘charm bracelet’ is one of three sculptures at Huntcliff which were created in 1990 by sculptor Richard Farrington as part of Common Ground’s ‘New Milestones’ project. The sculptures were the culmination of a three months artist in residency at the nearby steelworks.
The charms on the bracelet each represent an aspect of local life: a Cleveland Bay horse, a starfish, a cat after Cat Nab and a pigeon to celebrate the local pastime of pigeon fancying. Two other scuptures are found closeby, one is based on a trawl door, the device which keeps trawl nets open and the other is a pole like sculpture made using one of the special profiles produced at the Skinningrove steelworks.
back to topStaithes
Type: Wharf/Dockyards/Ports
Staithes means a landing place and the small harbour here is one of the few safe havens along the Heritage Coast. The tumble of crowded cottages sheltered from the sea by Cowbar Nab give Staithes its unique charm and as you explore you will be walking in the footsteps of fishermen, smugglers and mariners of a byegone age.
Staithes has changed little over the last hundred years. The dramatic contrasts in weather and light, from shadowy, crowded alleyways and howling storms to sparkling sea and blue skies attracted artists such as Dame Laura Knight here at the turn of the century.
Today fishing still plays a small part in the life of the village, with cobles anchored in the beck and lobster pots piled up in the alleyways. Artists too, still come to Staithes as it has managed to retain its true local identity.
back to topWhitby
Type: Wharf/Dockyards/Ports
Whitby is a place of special charm with a character all of its own. Steeped in history, from the earliest Christians to world famous sea captains, it is full of places to explore.
Take a stroll through the cobbled yards and streets of the east side and you’ll enjoy the atmosphere of this ancient sea port. 199 steps will take you to the magnificent Abbey ruins and give you a wonderful view of the town.
The River Esk is at the very heart of the town. It provides the only sheltered haven between the Tees and the Humber, and made Whitby an important trading port. By the 18th centruy there were shipyards on both sides of the river and the port was the sixth largest in Britain.
Whitby was home to Captain Cook and many of his most famous voyages were aboard Whitby built ships such as HM Barque Endeavour. Exploring the town, you will find the Captain Cook Memorial Museum in Grape Lane and the Whitby Museum in Pannett Park which has a special section dedicated to Cook and Whitby’s other famous seafarers, the Scoresbys. It includes maps of Cook’s voyages, a model of Captain Scoresby’s Crow’s Nest and the scientific instruments invented by his son.
On Whitby’s west side you will find the large, grand houses built by the ship owners of Whitby’s heyday and the hotels and boarding houses of the resort. The west side too is the place to find seaside amusements, the beach, pier and centre of town.
back to top6 - Whitby to Filey
Whitby Abbey
Type: Churches/Chapels/Cathedrals
Founded in 657 by Hilda, daughter of the King of Northumbria, Whitby Abbey became famous in 664 as the location of the "Synod of Whitby" at which the date of Easter was agreed between the Celtic and Roman churches. In 867 the Abbey and settlement were destroyed by Viking Raiders.After the Norman Conquest, it was restored in 1078 with the aid of the Percy family, this time in the Benedictine (Roman) Order rather than that of Iona (Celtic). Parts of the Norman Abbey still exist but more extensive are the remains of later building work which was carried out upto the 14th century.After the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539, the Abbey fell into ruins. Further damage was inflicted on December 16th 1914 when Whitby was bombarded by two German battle cruisers. Even so, the remains are impressive.Whitby Abbey is cared for by English Heritage.
back to topAlum Works
Type: Historical Landmarks/Buildings
From the 1600s to the end of the 1800s, alum was a vital ingredient for two industries - textiles and tanning. In the textile industry it was added to fix dye on cloth, while in tanning it helped to make leather supple and durable.
The Peak Alum Works were established around 1650 and operated until 1862. They are owned by the National Trust and are among the best examples of an alum site in the country and a good example of an early industrial complex.
On site panels and an illustrative leaflet available from Information Centres help you trace this fascinating industry from the quarries to the Alum Works and on to the Docks below.
back to topRavenscar
Type: Nature Reserves
It is hard to imagine elegant holidaymakers strolling along terraces and ornamental gardens on Ravenscar’s undercliff but this was once part of an ambitious dream which would have transformed the village into a fashionable seaside resort. In the 1890s plans were drawn up, roads made, drains and a mains water supply laid down. Special trains were laid on for prospective purchasers but the bleak, inhospitable nature of the site, 600ft above an inaccessible boulder strewn shore, no doubt brought about the failure of the venture.
Little remains today of the original layout. Most of the roads are vanishing beneath the grass. The railway too has gone but Station Square with its shops and cafe and Station Hotel nearby, survive as reminders of the failure of the enterprise.
Today Ravenscar is a peaceful village with impressive views over Robin Hood’s Bay. The Raven Hall is a luxury hotel with 9 hole golf course right on the clifftops. Originally built as a private residence, one of the frequent early visitors was George III.
back to topScarborough
Type: Towns/Villages
Scarborough is a wonderful town, quite the jewel of the seaside resorts on the north east coast. With its two sandy bays divided by the impressive castle headland, it is a popular holiday destination.
The old town, overlooking the harbour, clings to the cliffs beneath the castle. Fishing is still an important industry here and the trawlers, side by side with the pleasure yachts, make for a colourful sight.
Scarborough was the first Spa town in the country. The spring was first noticed about 1626 and its curative properties were well known in Yorkshire by 1660. Large numbers of visitors came to take the waters and the town became increasingly popular with the nobility. Scarborough has many impressive houses and hotels, as well as the Spa and ornamental gardens, which were originally built to serve the visitors who flocked here once the railway opened. Today, two of the most interesting house the Art Gallery and Woodend Museum. Scarborough also boasts the first purpose built geology museum in the country; the pepperpot shaped Rotunda Museum is well worth a visit.
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