High Marishes

High Marishes makes a peaceful, low-key base for a North Yorkshire hotel stay, trading the crowds of the coast and the honeypot villages for wide-open Vale of Pickering farmland within easy reach of both. There is no hotel in the hamlet itself, but Malton and Pickering, both a short drive away, offer a good choice of traditional coaching inns, small independent hotels and characterful B&Bs, many set in historic buildings in the heart of their respective market towns. Malton in particular has become known for its food scene, so a stay there pairs well with evenings spent at its restaurants and Talbot Yard producers after days out exploring the surrounding countryside.

Staying in this part of the vale suits visitors who want a genuinely rural North Yorkshire base rather than a coastal or moorland one. From here it is an easy drive to Castle Howard, the North Yorkshire Moors Railway at Pickering, the Ryedale Folk Museum, and the southern edge of the North York Moors National Park, as well as York itself for a day of city sightseeing. Hotels in Malton and Pickering tend to be smaller and more personal than in bigger tourist towns, and prices are generally more reasonable than equivalent stays in Whitby, Scarborough or York city centre, particularly outside the summer peak.

Nothing in High Marishes itself will keep you busy for long, but it is superbly placed for day trips in every direction.

• Malton — a lively market town a few miles west, known as Yorkshire's food capital, with the Talbot Yard food court, independent shops, and a busy monthly food market.
• Eden Camp Modern History Museum — a former WWII prisoner-of-war camp near Malton, now a museum with themed huts recreating life on the home front and the front line.
• Pickering and Pickering Castle — a handsome market town to the east with a well-preserved medieval castle overlooking the Vale of Pickering, and the southern terminus of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.
• North Yorkshire Moors Railway — a heritage steam line running from Pickering through the National Park to Grosmont and on to Whitby, one of the country's best-known preserved railways.
• Ryedale Folk Museum — an open-air museum at Hutton-le-Hole covering six acres, with reconstructed historic buildings showing centuries of rural North Yorkshire life.
• Castle Howard — the grand stately home and gardens made famous by Brideshead Revisited, a short drive south-west of Malton.
• North York Moors National Park — heather moorland, forested valleys and walking country beginning just a few miles north of the vale.

For a hamlet of its size, High Marishes has no pub or restaurant of its own, so visitors head into Malton or Pickering for food. Malton has built a strong reputation as a food destination, anchored by the producers and eateries of Talbot Yard, along with its regular food markets and independent delis. Pickering offers a good choice of traditional pubs and cafes serving hearty Yorkshire fare, popular with walkers and visitors to the steam railway.

Camping around High Marishes means pitching in classic Vale of Pickering countryside: flat, sheltered arable farmland giving way, just a few miles north, to the rising moorland of the North York Moors National Park. As with anywhere in England, wild camping is illegal without the landowner's permission, so plan on a proper campsite or a farm that offers pitches, several of which are dotted through the vale and towards the moors edge. The gently rolling, well-drained land here tends to cope better with wet weather than the exposed moorland further north, which makes it a sensible choice for a shoulder-season trip when the higher ground can turn boggy.

The best camping weather runs from late spring to early autumn, roughly May to September, when long daylight hours suit both exploring the vale by day and sitting out at the pitch in the evening. July and August are the busiest months, particularly for sites closer to Pickering and the steam railway, so booking ahead is wise if you want a specific spot in peak summer. Outside these months the vale is very quiet, and while a well-equipped autumn or spring trip can still be rewarding, exposed sites nearer the moors can get cold and wet once the weather turns.

For those who would rather skip the tent, glamping options in the wider area range from simple wooden pods and shepherd's huts to fully-equipped safari tents, typically found on working farms around Malton and Pickering. These give a comfortable, low-effort way to enjoy the same rural setting, with proper beds and often a wood-burner or hot tub, while still being close enough to walk or cycle into the farmland lanes around High Marishes and Low Marishes. Whichever option you choose, the appeal here is the quiet: this is unspoilt working farmland rather than a tourist honeypot, so evenings tend to be dark, still and full of stars.