Weekend Getaway in North York Moors
To celebrate my husband’s birthday, we decided to plan a quick weekend getaway up near North York Moors National Park. Between the kids’ school schedules, our family’s social calendar, and Josh’s work schedule, we don’t have many free weekends available to explore around the UK, so when the opportunity arises we go for it!
Especially when Josh discovers a hobbit-hole style Airbnb about two hours away from where we’re currently living in Lincoln, England— complete with a hot tub and low light pollution for stargazing, and that happens to be an excellent launching point for visiting North York Moors National Park.
So one late Friday afternoon in January, we packed up the car, picked the kids up from school, and headed north.
We arrived around dinnertime for a late check-in at our Airbnb, and since we were all worn out from the school week, we made a quick dinner and got the kids right to bed. Not to mention a storm had rolled through earlier that day, and I had no interest in attempting to hot tub or stargaze in those winds. Instead, we had a hobbit-approved night in with tea, reading, and snacking on some delicious treats provided by our hosts.
Waking up in a hobbit hole? Unmatched for LOTR fans.
The next morning, we had a slow breakfast and took our time getting ready for the day. But by mid-morning, the kids were ready for some adventure. On the agenda: a short, kid-friendly hike to Robin Hood’s Bay, a small coastal village.
We parked at the trailhead by the YHA Boggle Hole, then trekked along the cliffs to arrive at Robin Hood’s Bay. The hike had beautiful views, wasn’t technical, and pretty short—all ideal for walking with young kids. Josh and I have yet to source more serious gear for the kids, and we don’t hike regularly, so for now we choose to keep our outdoor adventures pretty tame.
Note: if you choose to do this hike, be advised that while it isn’t a difficult trail, there are one or two spots with a very steep drop-off; be careful with small children. Also lots of blackberry brambles line sections of the path, so mind the thorns!
When we arrived at Robin Hood’s Bay, it was lunchtime. It was a good thing it’s a small village, because it didn’t take long to walk the loop around the village center to scout out our lunch options. We decided on Brambles Bistro, which smelled amazing. I was in the mood for fish & chips (when you’re at the English seaside, how can you not?), Josh and Ivy went for burgers, and Oliver ate… cheesy garlic bread. Yes, he’s our picky eater. But he did crush that cheesy garlic bread. All of our food, in fact, was excellent, and I would definitely recommend.
After lunch, the kids picked out ice creams from the shop at the Old Coastguard Station to keep them content on the return hike. We also poked our heads in to the Yorkshire Coast Dinosaur and Fossil Museum, which has a very cool collection of cast dinosaur skulls on display.
The sun was shining as we made our way back up the cliff to the trail, and headed back toward Boggle Hole. By the time we made it back to the car, it was mid-afternoon, so we decided to squeeze in one more sightseeing location nearby.
Next stop: Whitby Abbey.
Josh came across photos of the abbey on social media and knew we had to visit. Whitby Abbey is an English Heritage site and requires admission (or a membership, if you live in the UK). It’s now in ruins, but the history of the site dates back to the 7th century, and even inspired the setting for Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula. There’s a small museum with some incredible artifacts that shares the story of the abbey site, and walking through the ruins was pretty magical. It’s no wonder the abbey has been a source of creative inspiration for centuries.
If we’d had more time on this trip, I would have loved to have explored more of the town of Whitby. As the largest coastal town of the surrounding area, there’s a plethora of museums, restaurants, a beach, and a lighthouse overlooking the North Sea. Also we would have loved to stop by Whitby Brewery, which overlooks the abbey, to try some local beers. Now we know for next time!
By the time we wrapped up at the abbey, the sun was hanging low, so we decided to head back to the hobbit hole. We had originally planned that evening to have dinner at a nearby pub, The Fox & Hounds Country Inn in Sinnington, but since we’d had such a filling lunch we decided instead to have a light dinner at the Airbnb.
It turned out to be a great decision, since we then had plenty of time to enjoy a dip in the hot tub before the kids’ bedtime. They had a blast splashing around and we loved relaxing in the bubbles. We alternated between the colored lights and turning off the lights completely so we could stargaze. The kids enjoyed spotting satellites while we attempted to explain the concept of constellations. I think it’s time for the kids to have a planetarium field trip. Is that even a thing in the UK? But I digress.
The next morning we packed up, checked out, and returned to Lincoln by early afternoon to reset for the school week. It was a perfect weekend break for us; a balance between outdoor adventure, exploring new places, family time, and space to relax.
Here’s the itinerary for our family weekend getaway in North York Moors:
Friday afternoon/evening: arrival, check in to Airbnb in Sinnington
Saturday morning: drive to trailhead parking near YHA Boggle Hole (about 50 minutes), hop on the Cleveland Way trail to Robin Hood’s Bay
Robin Hood’s Bay - explore the village, lunch at Brambles Bistro, visit a local museum
Saturday afternoon: walk the trail back to Boggle Hole, drive to Whitby Abbey (about 20 minutes)
Whitby Abbey - visit the museum, walk the grounds, stop for a pint at Whitby Brewery across the street
Saturday evening: drive back to accommodations (about 50 minutes), dinner in or dinner out at The Fox & Hounds Country Inn
Sunday morning: check out, drive back to Lincoln (about 2 hours)
Things I’d add on a future trip: explore Whitby, more hiking in North York Moors National Park, visit Pickering Castle, ride a North Yorkshire Moors Railway steam train from Pickering Station, see Wharram Percy Medieval Village, spend time at the beach
Here’s the link for the Airbnb where we stayed in Sinnington:
Have you visited North York Moors National Park? What else would you add to this list? I’d love to hear your recommendations in the comments!