Saltersgate

Saltersgate has no hotels of its own, but its position on the high moorland road between Pickering and Whitby makes it a superb base for exploring on a day trip while staying nearby. Pickering, around seven miles to the south, is the obvious choice for a comfortable stay, with a range of coaching inns, guesthouses and small hotels clustered around its market square and Norman castle, plus the added bonus of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway steam trains departing from the town. Whitby, roughly twelve miles north on the coast, offers a much wider choice of hotels, from traditional seafront guesthouses to boutique conversions of old fishing cottages, along with the drama of the abbey ruins and a lively harbour. Smaller moorland villages such as Levisham and Lockton, just a couple of miles from Saltersgate, have a handful of characterful inns and B&Bs for those who want to wake up on the doorstep of the Hole of Horcum itself. Wherever you base yourself, the appeal of staying near Saltersgate is the same: quick access to some of the emptiest, most dramatic moorland scenery in England, without having to travel far from a warm bed and a decent breakfast. Booking ahead is sensible in the peak heather season from mid-August to September, when the moors draw walkers and photographers from across the country, and during school holidays when the steam railway and coastal towns get busy.

Saltersgate itself has no facilities to speak of, but it sits at the gateway to some outstanding moorland scenery and is within easy reach of several North York Moors highlights.

• Hole of Horcum — the huge natural bowl immediately south of Saltersgate, with a roadside viewpoint and a popular circular walk of around five miles down into the hollow and back over Levisham Moor.
• Levisham Moor — open heather moorland crossed by the Horcum walk, scattered with Bronze Age dykes and barrows for those interested in ancient archaeology.
• Newtondale — the dramatic glacial valley running north from the Hole of Horcum, followed by the North Yorkshire Moors Railway steam line between Pickering and Grosmont.
• North York Moors National Park — mile upon mile of heather moorland, forming one of the largest expanses of heather in England and turning a rich purple in late summer.
• Levisham village — a quiet moorland village a couple of miles from Saltersgate, with a pub and access to the steam railway station down in the valley.

With the old Saltersgate Inn long gone, there is nowhere to eat or drink in the hamlet itself. The nearest options are in Levisham and Lockton, which both have village pubs, or in Pickering, which has a good selection of cafes, restaurants and pubs serving Yorkshire fare. Whitby, a little further north, is well known for its fish and chip shops and seafood restaurants.

Saltersgate sits right on the edge of some of the wildest, most open camping country in North Yorkshire, with the North York Moors National Park stretching away on all sides and the Hole of Horcum providing one of the region's great natural spectacles just down the road. It is worth being clear from the outset that wild camping is not legal in England without the landowner's permission, unlike in Scotland, so pitching a tent on the open moor around Saltersgate without asking first is not permitted, however tempting the scenery. The good news is that the wider area around Pickering, Levisham and the Dalby Forest fringes has a decent spread of proper campsites and glamping sites where you can camp legitimately and still feel close to the moor. Expect small, family-run sites rather than big holiday parks, often on working farms, with basic but well-kept facilities and pitches that make the most of the heather-clad hills and long moorland views. Given the exposed nature of this stretch of the moors, weather matters more here than in more sheltered parts of Yorkshire; conditions can change quickly at altitude, with wind and low cloud rolling in even in summer, so a sturdy tent and warm layers are worth packing whatever the season. Late spring through to early autumn is the most comfortable window for camping, and mid-August into September is particularly rewarding thanks to the heather moorland bursting into purple bloom around the Hole of Horcum and Levisham Moor. For those who would rather leave the tent poles at home, glamping options in the area, from shepherd's huts to safari tents, offer a softer way to experience the same big skies and moorland silence, with a proper bed and often a wood burner to keep out the chill once the sun goes down over the hills.