Driving a classic in the North York Moors

Dalby Forest: the forest drive starts on the edge of Thornton-le-Dale and runs through the trees towards Hackness on a tarmac road with speed bumps. Forestry England charges by the time you spend in the forest rather than a flat fee: a drive completed within 30 minutes is free, then from £3.50 for up to an hour to £15 for over four hours. Motorcycles are not charged. Watch for timber lorries.

The A169 to Whitby: north from Pickering over the open moor, past the Hole of Horcum, about eight miles out, and the Fylingdales early-warning station, then down to Whitby. Fast and exposed, with blind crests and a long, steep descent down Blue Bank into Sleights; mist comes in quickly on the tops.

Blakey Ridge and Rosedale: from Hutton-le-Hole north along the ridge to the Lion Inn and on to Castleton, with Rosedale Chimney Bank as the optional test. The Chimney Bank is signed at 1 in 3 at its steepest. Sheep wander the ridge road.

Sutton Bank: west along the A170 past Helmsley to the top of Sutton Bank, where the road drops to the Vale of York in three sections of 1 in 4 with a hairpin; the climb is on the way back. Caravans are banned, and North Yorkshire Council advises drivers of vehicles with a low power-to-weight ratio to avoid it, which describes many classics with a passenger aboard. Pick a low gear at the top or bottom and hold it all the way.

The coast: east to Scarborough and up the coast road to Robin Hood's Bay. The National Park asks drivers not to go down into the old village beyond the roundabout by the Victoria Hotel; park at the top.

Sheep graze unfenced on the moor roads and step out without warning, especially in spring when there are lambs; the Highway Code asks drivers to go slowly and give them room. Cattle grids are taken at a steady, slow speed. Do not drive into a ford on the moors after rain; they rise fast and have cost lives. Hill fog and sea fret can close in within minutes, and mobile signal is patchy on the high ground, so carry what you would need to wait for recovery.

There is no filling station in Thornton-le-Dale, and we know of none on the high moor. The nearest are in Pickering, including the Jet garage on Malton Road, which sells super unleaded, and the Esso at Middleton just west of the town; there are more in Kirkbymoorside, Helmsley and Whitby. Most classics should run on E5 super unleaded, and it is worth filling up before you head north.

The National Park car parks at the Hole of Horcum and Sutton Bank charge £3.90 for up to two hours and £6.20 for longer (National Park tariff list, updated September 2026). Mobile signal on the moors is limited, so the Park advises downloading the PayByPhone app before you go. Dalby is charged by the hour, as above.

The usual calendar, with 2026 dates as a guide: the Jorvik Run, a moors run for classic cars from Pickering organised by the Ryedale & York MG & Classic Car Club in aid of Yorkshire Air Ambulance, in mid-May; the Pickering Vintage Rally over the late-May bank holiday; the Heartbeat Vehicle Rally at Goathland in late June; the Duncombe Park Steam and Vintage Rally at Helmsley in early July; the Whitby Traction Engine Rally at the turn of July and August; Mathewsons Live, held at the Great Yorkshire Showground, Harrogate, in late August 2026; and the Yorkshire Traction Engine Rally at Scampston Hall in early September. Check each organiser's page for next year's dates.

The Lion Inn on Blakey Ridge serves food from noon until 10pm, the National Park centres at Sutton Bank and Danby have cafes (shorter hours in winter), and there are cafes at Low Dalby in the forest.