Naturally Yorkshire

National Parks | Natural Features | Nature Reserves

In Yorkshire you are on the doorstep of restful open landscapes and untouched national parklands. Everything from the chalk sea-cliffs and rolling uplands of the Yorkshire Wolds to the Peak District’s dramatic outcrops.

There’s so much space, so much variety and s many things to do.  The range of activities available is so wide there’s a chance to make a little bit of Yorkshire yours, whatever you fancy doing.

Yorkshire has the greatest area of National Park land in the UK - over 1000 square miles.  Capture the experience of a meadow of wildflowers on a warm spring day in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Or of being gripped by the muscular landscapes of the Peak District National Park. Or of witnessing the conjunction of high summer and the colour purple amongst the heather uplands of the North York Moors National Park.

The Yorkshire Dales offers a priceless gift and a landscape to be carefully enjoyed for generations to come. The beauty of the Dales is well known. It is an area of many moods. It can be described as wild, expansive, tranquil, charming and, at times, even awesome. From Arkengarthdale in the north to Wharfedale in the south, majestic scenery is the setting for picturesque villages, bustling market towns, caves, castles and rivers. The most popular trademark of the area is the network of dry stone walls, marking ancient field boundaries. Although this is a dying art, expert wallers still hold contests in the Dales, attracting visitors from miles around.

A sense of space and solitude marks the North York Moors, where ridge upon ridge of heather moorland roll into the purple distance.   Discover the grandeur of stately homes and the majestic ruins of abbeys and castles. Take a trip through the moors on North Yorkshire Moors steam railway or visit the excellent museums of rural life.  The four market towns of Helmsley, Kirkbymoorside, Malton and Pickering are steeped in tradition and have remained unspoiled through generations. The villages of the moors are like stepping back in time with their beautiful architecture and warm hospitality.   Alternatively a wide range of active outdoor recreation is available from hang gliding to sailing, walking to horse riding.

Only 5 miles from the city centre of Sheffield, the Peak District National Park has a unique landscape of Millstone Grit with heather moorland and desolate blanket bogs, one of the world's rarest habitats.  From remote wind blown tops to tranquil dales, from hard rock edges to traditional flower rich hay meadows, from great show caves to gentle river valleys, there’s plenty to explore here.   The Derwent and Howden Moors are important historic landscapes lying above Ladybower and Howden Reservoirs. Deeply incised by many spectacular cloughs or valleys in which run fast-flowing streams, the moors are important for upland breeding birds and stands of relict woodland.

Natural Features
Yorkshire is a patchwork of so many different landscapes - and so many exhilarating natural features.   Many of the region’s natural features are in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, are Sites of Special Scientific Interest or are nature reserves.

Inland
Try the Ingleton Waterfalls, where the action of water on limestone rock over countless centuries has created a breathtaking sight. Or Malham Cove, where the ghost of a prehistoric waterfall flows over cliffs that have been dry for thousands of years.

The Bridestones and Crosscliff Estate is a mixture of farmland, open moorland and woodland. Bridestones Moor, named after its peculiar rock formations created from sandstone laid down under the sea during the Jurassic period, is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and nature reserve with typical moorland vegetation. The Bridestones Nature Trail is roughly 1½ miles long and leads visitors through a range of habitats. Blakey Topping at the northern end of Crosscliff Moor is the result of massive erosion by glacial meltwater and today gives a superb 360-degree view from its summit.

Coastal
Yorkshire has over 130 miles of seashore, ranging from sheltered coves to spectacular bays, shifting sands to towering headlands. Take a salty stroll along the beach at Bridlington. Fish around in rock pools at Robin Hoods Bay, or explore haunting Spurn Point on the mouth of the Humber – in some places only 164ft/50m wide – an intriguing, ever-moving stretch of sand and shingle.  

Visit the RSPB reserve at Bempton Cliffs for an amazing wildlife spectacle with fantastic landscapes. This reserve is ideal for any lover of wildlife and for those visiting Yorkshire seeking tranquility and magical views. Located near Bridlington on the East Coast, Bempton is home to England’s largest seabird colony during the spring and summer breeding season. Enjoy the cliff top trail with five different view points, breathtaking scenery and the incredible 200,000 seabirds.

Underground
White Scar Cave is the longest show cave in Britain. A spectacular, natural, cave in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. See underground streams and waterfalls, thousands of stalactites and the massive 200,000-year-old Battlefield Cavern.  Ingleborough Show Cave 1.2 miles from Clapham village at the end of a nature trail through Ingleborough estate grounds. Ingleborough Mountain, one of the famous Three Peaks of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, is renowned for its caves and potholes. The area contains a labyrinth of underground passages and watercourses hollowed out of the limestone rock over thousands of years.

 

Nature Reserves
The Yorkshire Wildlife Trust manages reserves throughout the county. They represent a wide range of Yorkshire’s very diverse and special habitats, from the Dales to the Moors, from grasslands to wetlands, from towns and cities to the coast and uplands.   Most of the sites are accessible to the public although some restriction may be necessary to protect sensitive or rare species of plants and animals.

Why not visit Spurn National Nature Reserve? A unique coastal reserve, with a long narrow sandy peninsula which provides perfect opportunities for watching birds.  .

The RSPB is Europe's largest wildlife conservation charity in Europe and has four reserves in the region (Bempton Cliffs being one of them). The nature reserves provide visitors with the unique opportunity to watch birds and discover wildlife in some of Yorkshire’s most natural surroundings. Ideal for a family day out or as a refuge after a long journey to the region, choose from the majestic cliffs of the East Coast, to the tranquillity of a woodland walk.

The RSPB reserve at Old Moor is a fantastic place to learn about the natural world. RSPB Old Moor offers a short trail, perfect for family strolls and a second trail offering spectacular views of birds all year round. The reserve, located near Barnsley in South Yorkshire also offers fantastic visitor facilities.

RSPB Fairburn Ings is great for the ultimate family day out with pond dipping, regular fun events and walks for all to enjoy, this is the ideal place for adults and children to find out more about wildlife! Choose from 3 trails on your visit, passing through a variety of habitats, the main trail, family trail and Lin Dyke trail provide many opportunities to see a wide range of wildlife and birds. Fairburn Ings is located close to Castleford, West Yorkshire.

RSPB Blacktoft Sands is an exciting complex of habitats around the Humber Estuary is the largest tidal reedbed in England and is important for its breeding bearded tits, marsh harriers and bitterns. The rare saline lagoons at the reserve are an ideal habitat for a variety of breeding and migrant waders, including avocets. The reserve is home to over 270 species of bird, 60 of which have bred, as well as hundreds of species of rare and specialist insects. The grazing marsh is also important for wintering ducks and the willow scrub provides food and nest sites for tree sparrows and whitethroats. There are six hides at the reserve to help you spot the birds in their natural habitats. The birds on the lagoon are clearly visible from these, ensuring you have a close view of the ducks and waders.

Chevin Forest Park is a wooded escarpment overlooking Otley, with fabulous views over the Wharfe Valley. This local nature reserve comprising 700 acres of woodland and crags.

St Nicholas Fields Local Nature Reserve is a 24-acre local nature reserve which boasts a butterfly walk and a mini Stonehenge called The Dragon Stones.  The park is only 1 mile from York city centre and is rich in wild flowers and birds including kingfishers, kestrels and goldfinches.