North York Moors National Park

I drove to the North York Moors straight from the Yorkshire Dales, entering from the west. A trip starting at Yorkshire Dales followed by the Moors, then continuing up to Northumberland, the Cairngorms, and Loch Lomond — exactly the kind of efficiency this mission demands. Twenty-seven national parks down already.

Sutton Bank

I'd heard a lot about the Sutton Bank area, so I made it my first stop. As soon as you enter the park from the west, you're greeted by the Sutton Bank National Park Centre, perched on the edge of a dramatic escarpment with views across the Vale of York. You do have to pay for parking if you stay beyond a short visit, but think of it as a donation to the park, as the funds go back into maintaining the place. You can easily spend a few hours here. The café served excellent coffee, and the gift shop has a bird-viewing station inside with binoculars provided and notebooks for visitors to log what they spot. I saw 10 bird species in under 10 minutes looking out the window, so it's a great spot for a quick birding hit without even setting foot on a trail.

Just outside the centre are several marked walks. I opted for the White Horse trail, which takes you along the top of the bank with good views across the vale. The chalk horse carved into the hillside in 1857 is more impressive from a distance than up close — the views from the escarpment are the real draw.

Helmsley

From Sutton Bank I headed to Helmsley, where I also stayed the night. If you picture a pretty English market town, Helmsley is exactly what comes to mind. Stone buildings, a cobbled marketplace, independent shops, tea rooms, and a pace of life that makes you slow down whether you want to or not.

Helmsley Castle sits just off the square, an English Heritage site dating back over 900 years. The sun was setting when I arrived, and I wasn't sure I wanted to pay the entrance fee (around £10 for an adult). I'm glad I did. The castle grounds were beautiful in the evening light, with information boards dotted around that tell the story of the site from medieval fortress to Civil War stronghold to romantic ruin. It's a manageable visit, an hour or so, and well worth it.

Rievaulx Abbey

The next morning I visited Rievaulx Abbey, and this was the highlight of the trip. The ruins of this 12th-century Cistercian monastery are extraordinary. Founded in 1132 by monks from Clairvaux in France, Rievaulx was the first Cistercian abbey in the north of England and at its peak housed over 600 monks. What remains is staggering in scale, soaring Gothic arches and columns standing open to the sky in a quiet wooded valley beside the River Rye. The entrance fee (around £15 for an adult) is well worth paying. Inside there's a small museum that does an excellent job of bringing the period to life. Allow at least an hour.

The slow road to the coast

From Rievaulx, I had two options: take the A-road east to the coast, or thread through the park on the smaller side roads. Take the side roads. You don't mind driving slowly when the views are this good. The road crosses open moorland that in late summer turns purple with heather, drops through steep wooded valleys, and passes through villages that look like they haven't changed in a century. It's one of those drives where the journey is the point.

The coast

Whitby is the obvious headline: a historic fishing port split by the River Esk, overlooked by the ruins of Whitby Abbey on the clifftop above. The 199 steps up to the abbey are worth the climb for the views alone. The town is famous for its connections to Captain Cook, to Bram Stoker's Dracula (Stoker was inspired by the abbey and churchyard), and to some of the best fish and chips on the English coast. The harbour is lively, the narrow streets reward a wander, and the whole place has an atmosphere that's hard to replicate.

Robin Hood's Bay is a former smugglers' village that tumbles down a steep ravine to the sea. The cobbled streets are barely wide enough for two people to pass, and the cottages are stacked on top of each other in a way that feels almost Mediterranean. At low tide, the rocky shore reveals fossils from the Jurassic coast, and the rock pools are worth an hour of anyone's time.

Staithes is quieter and less visited, a tiny fishing village wedged into a cove with cliffs towering on either side. Captain Cook worked here as a shop boy before heading to Whitby, and the village has barely changed since. It's one of the most photogenic spots on the Yorkshire coast.

Who it's for

The North York Moors is a park of two halves: the wild, open moorland of the interior and the dramatic heritage coastline to the east. The drive from Sutton Bank to the coast, with stops at Helmsley and Rievaulx along the way, is one of the best day routes in any English national park. Give it two days, stay in Helmsley or Whitby, and don't rush the side roads.