Guisborough

Guisborough makes a practical, well-placed base for exploring the northern edge of the North York Moors without the summer crowds of Whitby or the coast. The town itself has a small selection of traditional inns and bed and breakfasts within walking distance of the priory ruins and market square, useful if you want to leave the car behind for a day. A short drive out brings you to Great Ayton and Newton-under-Roseberry, where country pubs with rooms sit right beneath Roseberry Topping and Captain Cook's Monument, putting some of the area's best walking directly on the doorstep. Guisborough's position, moors to the south, Teesside's road and rail links to the north, and the coast at Saltburn and Whitby within easy striking distance, means it works equally well as a one or two-night stopover or as a quieter alternative base for a longer North Yorkshire holiday. Families and walkers tend to do particularly well here: the terrain ranges from gentle woodland strolls in Guisborough Forest to the properly steep pull up Roseberry Topping, so there is something to suit most fitness levels within a few miles of any bed. Booking ahead is sensible in summer and around school holidays, when rooms in the more characterful village pubs fill up quickly, but Guisborough itself rarely feels as pressured as the bigger moorland and coastal honeypots nearby.

Guisborough rewards a slow wander as much as it does a day of moorland walking. Here are the highlights.

• Gisborough Priory — The ruined Augustinian priory, founded around 1119 by an ancestor of Robert the Bruce, was once the fourth-richest monastery in Yorkshire before its dissolution in 1539. Its dramatic east wall, gatehouse and monastic gardens are cared for by English Heritage and the volunteer-led Gisborough Priory Project, who run free guided tours.
• Guisborough Priory Woodland Garden — The gardens beside the ruins include the 18th-century Monks Walk and a set of carved standing stones uncovered during Victorian excavations, a quiet, atmospheric spot even outside the priory's own opening hours.
• Captain Cook's Monument — A striking 1827 obelisk on Easby Moor above neighbouring Great Ayton, where James Cook grew up, reached via the car park at Gribdale Gate. The climb is rewarded with sweeping views across the Cleveland Hills to Roseberry Topping and the coast.
• Roseberry Topping — This distinctive, part-collapsed hill just outside Guisborough is one of North Yorkshire's most recognisable landmarks and a favourite short but steep climb, with the summit trig point giving panoramic views over the Tees Valley.
• Guisborough market — A traditional market has been held on Westgate every Thursday and Saturday for centuries, with a farmers' market adding local produce on the second Saturday of the month.
• Guisborough Museum — Housed in the old fire station, this small local museum charts the town's priory, ironstone-mining and market-town history.
• Guisborough Forest and Walkway — Waymarked trails through mixed woodland on the edge of town, popular with walkers and cyclists heading up onto the moor.

The town centre has a good spread of independent places to eat. Shurovi on Market Place serves Indian food into the evening, while Sergio's on Chaloner Street offers straightforward, well-liked Italian cooking. Greedy Ted's on Church Street is a popular pizzeria, and Cookfella's has built a strong local reputation for its tapas and Mediterranean-inspired menu. For something more traditional, The Voyager pub serves classic British pub food alongside curries and burgers, while daytime visitors can stop at Odd Socks, a café (and laundrette) on Church Street, or pick up fresh bread and pastries from Brickyard Bakery. Out towards Roseberry Topping, the 18th-century King's Head Inn at Newton-under-Roseberry is a well-regarded stop for a hearty meal after a moorland walk.

Wild camping without the landowner's permission remains illegal in England, including across the North York Moors, so anyone wanting to sleep out under the stars near Guisborough will need a proper campsite or a landowner's explicit consent rather than pitching up on open moorland. That said, the terrain around Guisborough, the steep, heather-clad flanks of the Cleveland Hills and the gentler woodland of Guisborough Forest, makes for superb walking country, and a cluster of small campsites and caravan parks in the villages south and east of town put you within easy reach of Roseberry Topping, Captain Cook's Monument and the wider moors. Expect a mix of grassy touring pitches, seasonal glamping pods and a handful of farm-based sites that keep things simple and quiet rather than resort-style.

The best camping season here runs from late spring to early autumn: the moors are at their driest and most walkable, the heather puts on its purple show across the hills in August, and long evenings make the most of the views from an exposed pitch. Winter camping is possible at some year-round sites but the exposed, weather-battered moorland above Guisborough is a serious proposition outside the warmer months, with drainage on the clay-heavy lower ground also worth checking after wet spells. For anyone who would rather skip the tent altogether, glamping options in the area, from wooden pods to safari-style tents, offer a similar sense of being out among the hills without the packing list, and tend to sit in the same villages as the area's better campsites, close to good pubs for an evening meal after a day on the Cleveland Way.