Outdoor adventures

Explore Yorkshire’s great outdoors

A Yorkshire holiday is an outdoors holiday. Explore Dalby Forest, where ancient woodland is complemented by the more modern delights of children’s play areas and a fantastic Visitor Centre, there is also a fantastic maze coming soon! Get close to nature by discovering the many wild places protected by Yorkshire Wildlife Trust or wandering through RHS Gardens Harlow Carr, where 68 acres of growing landscapes include woodlands and wildflower meadows. Take up the pace with some off-road adventures at Yorkshire Outdoors, take your tribe for a swing in the trees at Go Ape or come down to ground level and explore the York Maze, the UK’s largest maize maze.

Walking and climbing

Forest trails, moorland rambles and coastal views

There are hundreds of walks you can take in North Yorkshire. Some begin from your cabin door at Cropton, some take you across miles of moorland or along dramatic coastal paths and others are climbs to waterfalls, rocky outcrops and magnificent views.

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Cycling trails

Cycling in North Yorkshire

From gentle family trails in Cropton Forest to high speed mountain biking in Dalby Forest, every type of cycling is catered for in North Yorkshire. The National Cycle Network (Sustrans) Route 1 runs along the coastline and Route 165 runs through the Esk Valley to Whitby.

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Family days out

Keep the kids happy

For family thrills, further afield, take the kids on an historic trip to York, one of the best cities in the UK for family attractions, including the excitement of the Jorvik Viking Centre, the scary antics at York Dungeons and a walk along the city walls. There’s lots to do at York Maze and for the ultimate forest adventure, head to Go Ape at Dalby Forest.

Coast and beaches

A day beside the seaside

A trip to the seaside is a must when staying at Cropton. The North Yorkshire coast is just a 45-minute drive and offers the bucket-and-spade beach appeal of Scarborough, the Gothic allure of Whitby and fishing and smuggling heritage of the harbour town of Robin Hood’s Bay.

Rainy day activities

All-weather attractions

When the Yorkshire weather takes a turn for the worse, there are still plenty of things to do in the area. Take a journey through the time on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway on a steam train that stops at Goathland - Hogsmeade station in the Harry Potter films and Aidensfield in TV’s Heartbeat. If it rains on your seaside day, head for Scarborough’s Sealife Centre. A trip to Castle Howard, one of Britain’s finest stately homes has plenty to keep all the family happy, or enjoy a day in York, where you can stay out of the rain at the Yorvik Centre or the York Dungeons.

Cities, towns and villages of Yorkshire

Shopping and sightseeing

The ancient market town of Pickering is the closest to Cropton, and Ryedale's other towns of Helmsley, Kirkbymoorside, Malton and Norton are also within easy reach. Here, you can enjoy independent shops and galleries, award-winning restaurants, festivals and special events. Take the steam train from Pickering to Goathland -the setting for TV’s Heartbeat; the station is also familiar as Hogsmeade Station in the Harry Potter movies. For a city day out, York is superb, with lots of attraction and proper olde worlde charm.

History and heritage

Museums and abbeys

The story of Yorkshire is told throughout the county, from the Bronze Age burial mounds at Dalby Forest to the story of the Viking invasions at the Yorvik Viking Centre in York; from the beautiful Medieval ruins of Rievaulx Abbey at Helmsley to the 18^th century splendour of Castle Howard. More recent history, from life in wartime Britain, is told in the Eden Camp Museum.