Destinations

5 secret, pretty places to visit in Yorkshire

Here are Yorkshire’s wondrous, lesser-known spots – get them on your radar in 2024
Runswick Bay
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Dubbed “God’s Own Country”, Yorkshire is the UK’s largest county, covering 2.9 million acres, including the wild and wonderful North York Moors National Park which celebrated its 70th anniversary last November. The region’s caramel-stone towns and villages, expansive, moody-blue skies, heather-blanked moors, tapestries of undulating green dales, and honeycomb shores have long been documented by the literary greats like the Brontë Sisters – and captured in technicolour by David Hockney. The word is already out that Yorkshire is a beautiful place, but where are the lesser-known, secret spots?

The Yorkshire Dales and big-hitter Yorkshire coastal destinations always pack in the crowds, but – as every insider knows – the best places are where the locals go. There are spectacular, panoramic, forest-clad walks, mystical, under-the-radar beaches and coves, flourishing organic wineries, and handsome chocolate box villages with Michelin-starred restaurants championing the best local produce – we should know. Here are the secret, pretty places to visit in Yorkshire that you need to experience…

  • Castle Howard
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    Castle Howard circular

    The well-known Castle Howard Estate of Brideshead Revisited fame, and more recently, Bridgerton, lies at the heart of the Howardian Hills. The estate itself is approximately 8,800 acres, and most visitors spend their time visiting the ornate castle and sprawling gardens.

    However, not as many people know about the wonderful five-mile circular walk around the rim of the castle grounds and parklands. The off-the-beaten-track route takes in all the rugged beauty of the area and leads to the dashing village of Coneysthorpe. It takes in the castle from a different perspective, and you’ll hardly spot another soul if you’re lucky. The circular walk at Beningbrough Hall is also worth a mention, linger at the little secret ‘beach’ along the way – a blissful, sandy inlet with waters perfect for dipping your toes into.

    Where to stay

    Book into Seaves Mill, part of the Beautiful Escapes collection. Set near the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it village of Brandsby – a short drive from Castle Howard – the mill cottage has been stylishly designed and curated by the antique dealer owners. The gorgeous place sleeps four with good-looking landscaped gardens and is close to many Howardian Hills standouts.

    To get privileged access to the castle grounds, book one of the Castle Howard holiday cottages. Set in the villages on the estate, book Lime Kiln Farmhouse, a characterful 18th-century farmhouse decorated by Lady Susan Howard – with sensational, exclusive castle views.

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    Helmsley

    The petite market village of Helmsley is often overlooked for Yorkshire’s other grand destinations but its honey-hued loveliness offers a slice of real Yorkshire and some lesser-known places of interest. The main square and warren of pretty side streets make for a great wander after lunch – Helmsley Castle, Helmsley Walled Garden and Rievaulx Abbey are also just nearby. One highlight if you’re feeling energetic is the walk from Helmsley to Rievaulx Abbey (seven miles return). The inspiring route takes walkers through bluebell-blanketed woods and down to ravishing Rievaulx Abbey – set deep in the valley – the romantic ruins of one of England’s most powerful Cistercian monasteries.

    If you’re hanging around in summer, book tickets for Helmsley Open Air Swimming Pool. A short walk from Helmsley’s heart, this retro 70s heated swimming pool is pure nostalgia. There’s an old-school playground and cricket pavilion, but, most importantly, a heated outdoor pool overlooking the rolling hills.

    Where to stay

    There are many excellent boltholes in this part of Yorkshire but The Pheasant Hotel, a homey, Harome-based, country house hotel – holds two AA rosettes and became a Michelin guide restaurant in 2022. Once inside the bonny, blonde-stone hotel, expect all the home comforts, fine food and friendly service. For larger groups, the newly-unveiled Yorkshire Spa Retreat is the destination spa of the moment – for the right reasons. There are lavish lodges, a wondrous health suite with a Himalayan salt chamber, herbal steam and treatment rooms, and a wild swimming pond, set in peaceful Nawton – to the backdrop of birdsong.

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    Yorkshire wineries

    Yorkshire has the cheese – ahem, Yorkshire Blue – now it has the wine. There are some outstanding local wineries such as Ryedale Vineyards and Little Wold Vineyard. Ryedale is a 12-acre, family-run, working vineyard at the foot of the Yorkshire Wolds – and they offer cheese and wine tastings and also have two deluxe farmhouse rooms, should you wish to sleep over.

    Little Wold Vineyard has over 12,000 vines of five different white grape varieties in a breathtaking countryside setting. Little Wold offers an array of wine-tasting tours, and also serves as the idyllic and intimate wedding venue – with all the goods for guests, of course.

    Where to stay

    If you missed out on booking a stay at Ryedale Vineyards, there are some super places to stay around 30-35 minutes away. Book The Alice Hawthorn at Nun Monkton, a smart, modern country pub with plenty of accolades, and this year, it came up trumps in the Estrella Damm Top 100 Gastropubs 2023.

    Or, for a sensational cottage stay, drive past the pretty thatched cottages of the sleepy village of Crayke to bed down at The Durham Ox. Book beautiful, wisteria-clad Ivy Cottage, which sleeps six and has its own garden, looking onto refreshing country fields. Make sure to make reservations for dinner or Sunday lunch at the Ox itself – it’s a picture-perfect country pub with welcoming hosts. Both The Alice Hawthorn and The Durham Ox are featured in Michelin's Best Pubs in Yorkshire.

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    Runswick Bay

    With its gentle, peppermint waters, hushed sandy sweep and pretty, terracotta-topped cottages tucked into the cliffside, former fishing village, Runswick Bay won The Sunday Times Beach of the Year in 2020 for a reason. Not only does a stay here feel much more secluded and peaceful than other Yorkshire beaches, but its natural beauty – a glimmering, safe coastline, a soft, sheltered crescent cove, space for sandcastles, rockpooling, and fossil discovery, bottlenose dolphin sightings, and Hob Holes – caves that were once believed to be hobgoblin homes.

    Staying in one of Runswick’s cute cottages is a must: most are beach-facing and waking up to the magnificent seascape is dreamy. If you’re day tripping, there are limited parking spaces, but honestly, you’ll want to stay longer. Part of the Cleveland Way National Trail, there are many coastal walks from Runswick Bay, including the breezy two-mile (four miles return) clifftop walk to Port Mulgrave – perfect for blowing out the cobwebs.

    Where to stay

    The High Chapel is in a coveted spot, perched right above the luminous half-moon bay. Sleeping four, this gorgeous high-spec cottage has been lovingly designed and furnished by couple Phil and Karen Bell and is the only home base you need in Runswick Bay. In a prime seafront location, among the cluster of cottages and maze of flower-fringed laneways, the stylishly converted chapel overlooks what must be one of the most bewitching beaches in Yorkshire.

    Once inside, the beautiful cottage sleeps five with a chic dining room, and so-snug lounge: fire up the wood burner and underfloor heating if it’s a bit ‘parky’, as the locals say. Take a tipple on the dreamy, outdoor terrace and watch the amber-gold sunset fade into the big blue – it’s a magical moment. Yes, your prayers have been answered.

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    The White Horse of Kilburn

    James Herriot, the famed veterinary surgeon and author of All Creatures Great and Small, once declared the views over the Vale of York from atop Yorkshire’s White Horse of Kilburn as the “finest in England”. And though the brilliant white chalk horse on the edge of the North York Moors is iconic, choose your time wisely for a lofty walk along the top and it feels like you have the entire precious, life-affirming landscape to yourself. Designed in 1857 by local schoolmaster John Hodgson, the horse was recently resprayed a dazzling white – it took four days and cost £20,000.

    Today, you can drive to the base of the horse and take some short, steep steps up to the main brilliant white steed, or start at Sutton Bank National Park Centre and do the whole elevated three-mile walking route. From these lucky heights, you can see spirit-lifting views – an infinite patchwork of green that stretches for miles and changes its colour spectrum with the seasons – looking up at the sky here could be Constable’s Cloud Study in real life.

    Where to stay

    If you aim to make a weekend of it, the only place to book is Yorkshire’s other finest – The Black Swan in Oldstead. Set on the edge of the North York Moors, a stay at Yorkshire’s front runner, the Michelin-starred, 4 AA Rosette restaurant with ravishing rooms care of Tommy Banks, is a true gift.

    Go for a creative culinary experience centred around the fruits of the land, with produce grown and foraged on the grounds or locally sourced. Sample delicious, perfectly plated, tasting menu dishes like lobster with umeboshi strawberry and beetroot with goat’s curd. Sink into your luxurious bed for some sweet dreams after, the nine rooms are named after farms and dales.

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