Ebberston

Ebberston has no hotels of its own, so most visitors base themselves in nearby Pickering or Scarborough, both a short drive along the A170, where you will find everything from traditional coaching inns to seafront hotels. Pickering, about seven miles west, offers a good spread of small hotels and inns close to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and Pickering Castle, making it a convenient base for exploring the moors. Scarborough, around eleven miles east, has a much larger choice, from grand Victorian seafront hotels overlooking the bay to smaller guesthouses, along with easy access to the beaches, harbour and castle that make the town a classic Yorkshire coastal break.

For a quieter alternative closer to the village, a handful of bed and breakfasts and farmhouse stays are dotted through the surrounding parish, offering a genuinely rural welcome within a few minutes' drive of The Grapes Inn. Wherever you choose to stay, Ebberston's position on the A170 corridor means the North York Moors, the Vale of Pickering and the coast are all within easy striking distance, so it is worth weighing up whether you want a moorland, market-town or seaside base for your trip.

Ebberston itself is small, but it makes an excellent base for exploring some of North Yorkshire's best-loved attractions, all within a short drive.

• Ebberston Hall — a Grade I listed Palladian villa built in 1718 by Colen Campbell, celebrated as one of the smallest stately homes in England and well worth a look even from the roadside.
• St Mary's Church — a Norman parish church at the heart of the village, with a 14th-century tower and centuries of local history.
• Chafer Wood — a peaceful patch of woodland on the edge of the village, with bluebells in spring and a network of easy footpaths.
• Dalby Forest — a short drive away, with waymarked walking and cycling trails, a Go Ape adventure course and one of the darkest skies in England for stargazing.
• North Yorkshire Moors Railway — the heritage steam line at Pickering, a few miles west, runs through the moors to Whitby.
• Flamingo Land — the large theme park and zoo near Malton is a popular family day out within easy driving distance.
• Scarborough — the classic Yorkshire coastal resort, with its harbour, Victorian seafront and castle, is around 20 minutes away by car.
• Pickering Castle — a well-preserved Norman motte-and-bailey fortress in the market town of Pickering, a short hop from Ebberston.

The heart of village life is The Grapes Inn, a Grade II listed pub dating largely from the late 18th century, standing on the A170 at the edge of the village. It is a traditional dining pub with a well-kept range of real ales and a straightforward pub food menu, popular with walkers and passing coast-to-moors traffic alike, and is dog friendly. Beyond The Grapes, Ebberston has no shops of its own; a post office visits the village hall on Monday mornings, and for everyday provisions residents head to nearby Thornton-le-Dale, the Co-op and supermarkets in Pickering, or the Spar in East Ayton, with a much wider choice of cafes and restaurants available in Pickering and Scarborough.

Camping is one of the most natural ways to experience the countryside around Ebberston, where the flat farmland of the Vale of Pickering gives way to the wooded edges of the North York Moors. A word of caution first: wild camping is illegal in England without the landowner's permission, unlike in Scotland, so pitching up on open moorland or in the forest without asking is not an option here. Fortunately, the area around Ebberston has a good spread of proper caravan, camping and glamping sites, from adult-only touring parks to family-friendly grounds with glamping pods and cabins, many run by local farms making the most of their position between moor and vale.

The terrain nearby ranges from gentle valley farmland right around Ebberston to the steeper, forested slopes of Dalby and Wykeham forests a short drive north, so there is a good choice of settings depending on whether you want an easy, sheltered pitch or something closer to proper moorland scenery. Dalby Forest in particular is a popular draw for campers, with waymarked walking and cycling trails on the doorstep and some of the darkest skies in England, making it a favourite for stargazing after dark.

Late spring through early autumn is the most reliable window for camping here, with April to June bringing bluebells and fresh green woodland, and July and August the warmest and busiest months, particularly given the pull of the nearby coast at Scarborough. Sites do get booked up over the summer holidays, so it is worth reserving ahead. For those who prefer a roof over their head without giving up the outdoor feel, glamping options in the area, including pods, cabins and safari tents, offer a comfortable middle ground, especially useful given how changeable Yorkshire weather can be even in the height of summer.