Local Area - Rosedale Abbey - Near Pickering

Steep and winding roads on either side of the valley lead down into the village of Rosedale Abbey, where you can find shops, pubs and cafes.

Despite its name, there never was an abbey here - just a small Cistercian nunnery of which only a stone turret or belfry remains.

Around the head of the dale is a cinder track with the relics of the 19th century ironstone mines which gave rise to a population explosion in the village. This is a popular area for country walks.

Just seven miles away is Pickering, Known as the "Gateway to the Moors" and said to be one of the oldest towns in the area (it dates back to at least 270 BC).

Pickering is built on a hill, at the top of which a well-preserved castle looks down over the town.

From here you can spend a day on The North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR) visiting unspoilt villages including Goathland, (Heartbeat Country), Hutton-le-Hole and Thornton-le-Dale, with their chocolate box houses, as well as the unspoilt market town of Helmsley.

For walkers there are several long distance footpaths crossing the moors, including Alfred Wainwright's celebrated route and nearby Dalby Forest has a selection of waymarked cycling trails for all levels of cyclists.