PLACES TO VISIT

Thornton le Dale, the Gateway to the North York Moors, is ideally situated for visiting a wide variety of places and taking part in various activities.  The village itself is very attractive, with interesting buildings, the village green complete with stocks and market cross, the beck which runs alongside the main street and the village pond.  The short walk from the village car park brings visitors past the lake and over the beck bridge into the centre of the thriving, picturesque village where there are a number of gift shops, a motor museum, three tearooms, three pubs, bistro, fish and chip takeaway/restaurant, Chocolate Factory, newsagent, chemist and post office.  There are numerous walks to be taken in and around the village and only one and a half miles away is the Dalby Forest where more walks are signposted, together with cycle trails, children's play parks, bike hire centre and "Go Ape" activity centre.  There are also several good fishing lakes close by.

The North York Moors

Being on the southern edge of the North York Moors, Thornton is also only a short drive from some of the most dramatic and beautiful scenery in England.  One such place is the Hole of Horcum,  a "Devil's Punchbowl" type feature.  Local legend has it that the ampitheatre was made by a giant, Wade, who scooped up a large ball of earth to throw at his wife, Bell, and tossed it aside to create Blakey Topping, a nearby hill.  The pretty village of Hutton-le-hole is a short drive away on the moors and is the location of the Ryedale Folk Museum.  Not far from here is Rosedale Abbey, reached by arguably the steepest hill in England, Chimney Bank.  A potentially hair-raising drive, but with great views from the top of the hill!  A little further east is the village of Goathland, otherwise known as Aidensfield in TV's Heartbeat. 

The Yorkshire Coast

Only fifteen miles from Thornton le Dale is the seaside resort of Scarborough with its traditional sea front, donkeys on the beach, Peasholm Park and the Sea Life Centre.  A little further at twenty miles, but via a lovely drive over the moors, is the picturesque coastal town of Whitby.  An old fishing port, Whitby has connections with Captain Cook and Dracula and if you can manage the 199 steps to the old Abbey you can get a great view down over the town and the harbour.  Otherwise wander round the old town with its wide variety of interesting little shops, and enjoy Whitby's famous fish and chips for lunch or dinner!

Local Towns

The market town of Pickering is only two miles from Thornton le Dale and has its market on a Monday.  There is a range of individual shops, tearooms, bars and restaurants as well as Pickering Castle, which looks over the town and the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.  The steam railway attracts many visitors, not just those interested in the steam engines that still run from Pickering to Grosmont or Whitby.   Another event which also attracts a huge number of visitors is the War Weekend every October.  The railway recaptures the spirit of the second world war as an annual tribute to the men and women who kept Britain's railways running through the war.  To remember them, they recreate the sights and sounds of those dark days. A huge crowd of people who like to dress up in 1940s garb attend the various war themed dances, parades and shows.  This is also the week when the annual War Show at the Kirk Theatre in Pickering takes place, which is a fully costumed celebration of wartime songs and sketches.

Also in Pickering is the Beck Isle Museum and two miles down the road in Kirby Misperton is Flamingoland, a theme park and zoo.  About fifteen miles away is Helmsley, another attractive market town, with the market on Fridays.  Close by is Helmsley Castle, Duncombe Park and Rievaulx Abbey. 

Another place of interest is Castle Howard.  This stateley home was used for the films Brideshead and Brideshead Revisited and, as well as the house, there are extensive gardens and a farm shop.  The Park and Ride is the easiest way to get to see York city centre and is only 25 miles away at Monks Cross (which is also an excellent retail park for even more shopping!).  Not only is the city centre good for shopping, it is also a great historic centre, with the Minster, the old wall, Cliffords Tower, the National Railway Museum and boating trips along the River Ouse to name a few places of interest. 

This is just a flavour of the many places of interest in our area and we hope you will enjoy coming back again and again to enjoy all North Yorkshire's attractions.  At Scarrscroft we can also arrange various personal tours of the moors, Dalby Forest etc at reasonable rates.

Some of the special events in the area during 2010

30 Apr-3 May & 7-9 May	Spring Steam Gala	North Yorkshire Moors Railway, Pickering
15-16 May	Pickering Game and Country Fair	Pickering Showground
12 June	Swinging Sixties Weekend with live 60s bands	Pickering
25 June	Keane concert	Dalby Forest
26 June	Simply Red concert	Dalby Forest
10-11 July	Vintage Vehicle Weekend	Pickering
31 July-1 August	Family Weekend - a celebration of all things Yorkshire	Pickering
4 August	Thornton le Dale Show	Thornton le Dale Showground
5-8 August	Pickering Traction Engine Rally	Pickering Showground
17-19 September	Heritage Diesel Gala	North Yorkshire Moors Railway, Pickering
1-3 October	Autumn Steam Gala	North Yorkshire Moors Railway, Pickering
15-17 October	War Weekend	North Yorkshire Moors Railway, Pickering
4 December	Christmas Lights Switch-On	Thornton le Dale
4-5, 11-12, 17-20 December	Santa Specials	North Yorkshire Moors Railway, Pickering