Helmsley, Kirkbymoorside & Pickering

The towns of Helmsley, Kirkbymoorside and Pickering are all situated in the Ryedale District of North Yorkshire.

Helmsley

Helmsley is approximately equi-distant from York, Scarborough and Middlesbrough, and is a small historic North Yorkshire market town in an exceptionally beautiful rural landscape. The ruined Norman castle is a major tourist attraction and much of the town is owned and managed by the Duncombe Park Estate and its resident landlord, Lord Feverham.

It lies on the A170 road, fourteen miles east of Thirsk across the notoriously steep Sutton Bank, which ascends the Hambleton Hills approximately half way between the two towns; it is also thirteen miles west of Pickering. The Cleveland Way leads out of the town past Helmsley Walled Garden into the North York Moors National Park.

Click here for more information about Helmsley.

Contact:
Mrs Dinah Farley
The Town Hall
Market Place
Helmsley
YO62 5BL
Email: (helmsley.towncouncil@virgin.net)

Kirkbymoorside

Kirkbymoorside is an unmistakably Yorkshire town. Blessed with a natural bypass and surrounded by green hills, farmland and villages, it has quiet amenities and shops serving the needs of local people. Kirkbymoorside is mid-way between Helmsley and Pickering, and developed as the gateway to the Moors - the road through the town to the north gives access to the North Yorkshire Moors: Bransdale, Farndale and Rosedale, making it the ideal service centre for this agricultural area.

Kirkbymoorside is approximately 25 miles north of York midway between Pickering and Helmsley.

For more information about Kirkbymoorside visit www.kirkbymoorside.com

Contact:
Mrs Gaynor de Barr
c/o Town Council Office
Crown Square
Kirkbymoorside
YO62 6AY
Email: (gaynordebarr@aol.com)

Pickering

Pickering is located half way between York and Whitby where the Vale of Pickering meets the North York Moors. It has evolved slowly through the centuries as a local market centre with shops, services and workshop industries, mainly serving the farming settlements of its surrounding area. It is a popular tourist destination, and home to the world-famous North York Moors Steam Railway. There are two thriving industrial estates which, together with retail and the health and social care sectors, provide a range of employment opportunities.

The tourist venues of Pickering Castle, the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and Beck Isle Museum have made Pickering popular with visitors in recent years. Nearby places include Malton & Norton, and Scarborough. The parish church is located at the eastern end of the Market Place and dominates views of Pickering from all directions. It is a Grade I Listed building that dates from the 12th century. It is most notable for its mid 15th century wall paintings which are extensive, covering both the north and south walls. To the north of the church at the top of the hill is Pickering Castle which was built in the late 11th century to defend the area against the Scots and Danes. The sloping Market Place between the church and the beck is lined with two and three storey buildings which date from a variety of periods. Most are listed for their historical or architectural interest. This area is the centre of the town's main Conservation Area.

For more information about Pickering visit www.pickering.uk.net

Contact:
Howard Wallis/Jane Johnson
Ryedale District Council
Ryedale House
Malton
YO62 5AE

Contact at Yorkshire Forward:

Kerry Gibbons
Rural Renaissance Manager – Rural Capitals
Yorkshire Forward
Spitfire House
Aviator Court
Clifton Moor
York
YO30 4GY
Tel 01904 696706
Email: kerry.gibbons@yorkshire-forward.com