The 5 best train journeys in North Yorkshire
Steam locomotive crossing moorland on a heritage railway in North Yorkshire
Five rail trips worth building a day around, ordered from the one unmissable moorland run to the two heritage lines that only earn a detour if you time them right.
1. North Yorkshire Moors Railway, Pickering to Whitby
Nothing else in the county combines steam haulage, genuine wilderness and a seaside finish. The heritage line runs 18 miles from Pickering up through Levisham and Newtondale to Grosmont, and selected services carry on over Network Rail metals another six miles into Whitby, making a through journey of about an hour and three quarters each way. Newtondale is the section people remember: a glacial channel with no road, no houses and no phone signal, watched from the window as the engine works hard on the climb. Goathland station doubles as Aidensfield in Heartbeat and Hogsmeade in the first Harry Potter film.
Book the Whitby through service rather than the Pickering shuttle, and book it early, because seats on those trains sell out first in July and August. Expect an all-day rover to sit in the region of £40 for an adult, with family tickets cheaper per head, but confirm fares and the operating calendar with the railway before you travel; the season typically runs from spring into early November with separate winter specials. Park in Pickering, ride to Whitby, eat, and return on a later train. If you drive to Grosmont instead, parking is tight by ten in the morning.
2. The Settle-Carlisle line, Settle to Kirkby Stephen and beyond
This is an ordinary scheduled service on one of the most spectacular pieces of Victorian engineering in England, which means you get the best views in the county for the price of a normal ticket. From Settle the line climbs steadily through Horton-in-Ribblesdale to Ribblehead Viaduct, 24 arches and around 104 feet above the moor, then dives into Blea Moor tunnel and emerges above Dentdale at Dent, the highest mainline station in England at roughly 1,150 feet. Sit on the left going north for Ingleborough and Whernside, on the right coming back for Dentdale.
The practical trip is Settle to Kirkby Stephen or Appleby, then back on the next southbound service; check the timetable first, because gaps of two or three hours between trains are normal and there are only a handful of services each day. Fares for a return from Settle are modest by mainline standards, but buy in advance rather than on the platform. Ribblehead station itself has a small visitor centre in the old building and puts you a fifteen-minute walk from the viaduct's base, which is the photograph everyone actually wants.
3. The Esk Valley line, Middlesbrough to Whitby
The most underrated railway in the North York Moors is a diesel unit that grinds along the valley floor from Battersby through Danby, Lealholm, Glaisdale and Egton to Grosmont, Sleights and Ruswarp before dropping into Whitby beside the harbour. There are only a few trains each way per day, which puts most tourists off, and that is precisely why the carriages are quiet and the views over Eskdale's sheep pasture, packhorse bridges and hanging oak wood feel private. The whole run takes about an hour and a half and costs a fraction of a heritage ticket.
The clever move is to combine it with the heritage line: take the Esk Valley train to Grosmont, watch engines being turned in the yard, then ride steam back over the moor to Pickering, or the reverse. Danby is the stop to break the journey at, with the Moors National Park Centre a walkable mile away and a good circuit up to Danby Beacon for anyone with legs and time. Verify timings with the train operator on the day, because a missed connection here means a long wait rather than a short one.
4. Embsay and Bolton Abbey Steam Railway
The Dales' own steam line is short, four miles or so, and honest about it: Embsay station sits two miles from Skipton, the train pootles across Halton Moor and drops you at Bolton Abbey's beautifully restored 1888 station, and the round trip takes under an hour. What lifts it above novelty status is what waits at the far end. It is roughly a mile downhill to the Priory ruins, the stepping stones and the Cavendish Pavilion, so you can turn a twenty-minute ride into a proper half-day out along the Wharfe.
It suits families with under-tens and anyone staying in Skipton without a car for the day. It does not suit passengers hoping for big scenery, because the moorland here is gentle rather than dramatic. Operating days are heavily weighted towards Sundays and school holidays, with more frequent running in high summer and a busy Christmas programme, so check the timetable before committing an afternoon. Adult return fares generally sit around £15, with children less; the ticket normally allows all-day travel, which is what makes the walk-and-return plan work.
5. The Wensleydale Railway, Leeming Bar to Redmire
On paper this is a wonderful idea: 22 miles of the old Northallerton to Garsdale route reopened between Leeming Bar and Redmire, running through Bedale and Leyburn into the mouth of Wensleydale, with Bolton Castle glowering above the western end. In practice services are usually heritage diesel railcars rather than steam, run on limited days, and the line has had a rough financial history. That is the honest reason it sits fifth: the journey is pleasant, the volunteers are excellent, and the timetable can change.
Treat it as a bonus if you are already staying in Leyburn, Bedale or Masham, not as the anchor of a day trip from York. Leeming Bar is a mile from the A1(M) with easy parking, which makes it the natural boarding point, and Leyburn station puts you a short walk from the market place for lunch. Before setting off, check operating dates directly with the railway; turning up on a non-running day here is a genuinely common mistake, and there is no alternative bus that follows the same route on a useful frequency.
The ones to skip, and one free bonus
Skip Scarborough's North Bay miniature railway unless you have a child under seven. It is a 20-inch-gauge line running from Peasholm Park to Scalby Mills, takes a few minutes, and is really a way of reaching the Sea Life centre without walking. Similarly, do not build a day around chasing steam charters over the Settle-Carlisle: they run occasionally, they sell out through specialist operators, and the same scenery is available every day on a service train for a tenth of the cost.
The free bonus is the Harrogate to York line, which crosses the Nidd Gorge at Knaresborough on a castellated viaduct high above the river. It is thirty seconds of view, but it is the best thirty seconds of any ordinary commuter run in the county, and the walk down Waterside afterwards for a rowing boat and an ice cream is one of the cheapest good afternoons in North Yorkshire. Sit on the right leaving Harrogate. The York to Scarborough line through Malton and the Vale of Pickering is fast and useful rather than scenic.
How to fit two lines into one day
The strongest combination is the Esk Valley line and the moors railway, joined at Grosmont, with a night in Whitby at either end. Start from Whitby on a morning heritage service to Pickering, spend two hours in the town's market place and castle, then return by rail and finish with fish and chips. The alternative pairing, Settle-Carlisle plus the Embsay line, needs a car between Settle and Skipton, about 25 minutes on the A65, and only works on days when both are operating.
Base yourself according to which line you rate most. Pickering, Grosmont and Whitby all have guesthouses within ten minutes of a station, with double rooms in the £90 to £150 band in summer and noticeably less in shoulder months. Settle's small hotels and B and Bs around the market square are the pick for the mainline trip, since you can leave the car for two days. Buy heritage tickets online in advance, take cash for station cafés at the smaller halts, and always check the day's timetable rather than last month's.
Before you book
What people ask before booking Whitby.
The North Yorkshire Moors Railway through service from Pickering to Whitby. It gives you steam haulage, the roadless Newtondale valley, Goathland station and a harbour town at the far end, all in about an hour and three quarters each way. Book the Whitby train specifically, as the Pickering shuttle stops short.
For the moors railway in July, August and over Christmas, yes, especially for through trains to Whitby. The Dales heritage lines rarely sell out but run on limited days, so the risk there is turning up when nothing is operating. Check operating calendars and fares with each railway directly before travelling.
Yes. Settle station is on the same line, with connecting services from Leeds via Skipton, so you can reach it by rail from most of the county. Trains north are infrequent, often only a handful a day, so plan the return leg before you board and allow a long wait if you miss it.
