North York Moors

North York Moors

We drove through the North York Moors in the morning. Again, it was a beautiful day, sunny and warm. Unlike National Parks in many other countries, Britain's National Parks are living, working landscapes. They are not owned by the nation but by the people who live and work in them.

The North York Moors cover a broad area starting from the city of York going North and East and stretch from the Vale of York and the Vale of Mowbray across to the Yorkshire Coast. These pictures were taken from the roadside opposite a car park. People used it as a starting point for walking through the Moors.

With over 1,400 miles (almost 2,300 km) of paths and tracks to choose from, North Yorkshire is overflowing with opportunities for walking, cycling and horse riding. There are many books and maps available to anyone that wishes to plan an excursion through the Moors.

View on the way to Goathland

View on the way to Goathland

We followed the path of the North York Moors Railway to Goathland (A169). The views were spectacular and the moors looked like they went on forever. The pictures don't really give you a sense of depth. There were a number of people on the paths that day and lots of sheep in the valley down below.

We stopped by the side of the road to consult the North York Moor Steam Railway timetable hoping that the train would be making an appearance on the tracks along the moors. Unfortunately, we had missed it by 10 minutes but it wasn't all for naught.

I stepped out of the car and slowly approached a sheep that was busily eating grass. The sheep looked up as I fiddled with my camera and gave out one loud bleet. That made me jump back a bit. I guess it was only fair as I did sort of sneak up on the animal. See the look of utter surprise on the sheep's face?

The beautiful village of Goathland is our next stop.

A common sighting on the Moors

Exploring London

Onward to Goathland

Exploring Yorkshire