There’s no better time to visit Yorkshire's sprawling North York Moors than autumn, when the largest continuous expanse of heather moorland in England blooms into a purple haze of flowers. Offshore, migrating minke whales breach calm seas. The days may be shorter but, while they last, the hazy light is beautiful and the longer evenings are best spent in cosy pubs.
Stay at
The Three Tuns, Osmotherley (01609 883301; threetunsrestaurant.co.uk), a lovely gastropub with accommodation in this tiny gem of a village. There are four very comfortable en suite rooms to choose from and the breakfasts alone make it worth spending the night; doubles £85 b&b.
Alternatively, the remote 16th-century Lion Inn, Blakey Ridge, Kirbymoorside (01757 417320; lionblakey.co.uk) is best visited before the winter snows set in. There are 13 comfortable rooms and a decent restaurant that serves food that, while not innovative, is the perfect way to end a hike on the moors; doubles £82 b & b.
Eat
For lunch, try Botham’s of Whitby (01947 602823; botham.co.uk), a tea room and bakery that is an east coast rival to Bettys. Or you can enjoy a meal in a traditional railway dining car hauled by steam locomotive on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway (01751 472508; nymr.co.uk).
Rievaulx Abbey. Photo: Alamy
For dinner, Cleveland Corner Bistro in Staithes is a small, no-frills restaurant with very friendly service and fabulous locally caught fish (01947 841117; clevelandcorner.co.uk). The Black Swan, Oldstead is a 16th-century inn with a Michelin-starred restaurant. Try the nine-course evening tasting menu at £80 per person (01347 868387; blackswanoldstead.co.uk).
Visit
Head for the charming town centres of Pickering and Helmsley, stroll around Rievaulx Abbey (http://ift.tt/1rVpxtl), or marvel at the turning leaves in the parklands at Duncombe Park (01439 770213; duncombepark.com).
Get active
Go mountain biking and walking in Dalby Forest (http://ift.tt/1pzz7ND; bike hire from dalbybikebarn.co.uk) or follow the Cinder Track, an off-road route along a former railway track between Scarborough and Whitby that’s popular with walkers, cyclists and riders. You can download a leaflet from gatewaywhitby.co.uk.
Read Joe Shute's full guide to Yorkshire
Yorkshire travel guide
Getting there
Yorkshire hotels
Yorkshire restaurants
Yorkshire attractions
Yorkshire nightlife
Yorkshire beaches
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