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2026-09-285 min readNorth Yorkshire Destinations

Plan a lower-impact trip to the North York Moors and Yorkshire coast with real places to stay, realistic price bands and drive times.

York: Car-Free Arrival and Green Sleeps

York is the easiest base if you are arriving by train; LNER runs direct services from London King's Cross in about two hours, and the station is a ten-minute walk from the city walls. For a lower-impact stay, look at the bed-and-breakfasts along Bootham and Gillygate, where several Georgian townhouses have installed heat pumps and offer secure bike storage. Expect to pay £95–£150 per night for a double in spring or autumn, and £120–£180 in July and August. Book well ahead for the first weekend in May, when the York Food Festival fills the city.

If you want to leave the car behind entirely, base yourself inside the walls and use the Coastliner 840 bus to Pickering and Whitby; it runs hourly and takes about two hours to Whitby. The York Bike Rescue scheme hires refurbished bicycles from £15 a day. What I would skip: chain hotels on the ring road — they are cheap but car-dependent and add nothing to a low-carbon trip.

North York Moors: Dark Skies and Rural Retreats

For the national park, Pickering is the practical gateway. The town has a restored steam railway to Grosmont, a market on Monday mornings, and a handful of guesthouses on Eastgate that use solar thermal panels and greywater recycling. Doubles run £80–£130. From Pickering, the A169 climbs to Blakey Ridge in about 25 minutes; the Lion Inn there is a classic stop for a pint after a walk, though it is not an eco-certified stay.

Deeper into the moors, Rosedale Abbey and Danby offer bunkhouses and converted barns with biomass boilers; prices are £60–£90 per person per night, often including breakfast. The best months are May and September for dry paths and fewer midges. Book a dark-skies-friendly cottage in Newton-under-Roseberry if you want to stargaze from the door. What to skip: the larger holiday parks near Whitby — they are convenient but car-heavy and rarely meet green tourism standards.

Yorkshire Coast: Whitby, Robin Hood's Bay and Scarborough

Whitby is the coast's busiest base, with the abbey, 199 steps and a working harbour. Eco-conscious options cluster around Church Street and the West Cliff, where several guesthouses have EV chargers and source breakfast from North Yorkshire farms. Summer doubles cost £110–£170; in October, expect £70–£110. The X93 bus links Whitby to Scarborough via Robin Hood's Bay in about 40 minutes, so you can leave the car at the park-and-ride on Guisborough Road.

Robin Hood's Bay is smaller and quieter, with a steep cobbled lane down to the beach; the Victoria Hotel has sea views and a good local beer list. Scarborough's South Cliff has grand terraces, but many still run on gas heating. I would book a certified Green Tourism business in Whitby or a clifftop self-catering flat in Robin Hood's Bay. Avoid the seafront amusement strip if you want a low-impact stay — it is noisy and car-dominated.

Practicalities: Getting Around and When to Go

A car is still the most flexible way to reach the moors, but you can cut miles by using the Moorsbus network on Sundays and bank holidays from Easter to October; it connects Pickering, Helmsley and Danby. If you drive, an EV is practical: charging points exist in Pickering, Helmsley and Whitby, though they are sparse on the high moor. Fill up in Malton or Thirsk before heading into the hills.

For the best balance of weather and crowds, aim for late April to mid-June or September. July and August bring peak prices and busy roads, especially around Whitby Regatta in August. What I would skip: trying to see York, the moors and the coast in a single weekend — you will spend hours in the car and miss the places that make North Yorkshire worth the journey.

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Before you book

The questions people ask about York, answered with this month’s numbers.