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Virtually the whole of the North York Moors , from the Hambleton and Cleveland hills in the west to the cliff-edged coastline to the east, is protected by one of the country's finest National Parks. The moors are lonely, heather-covered, flat-topped hills cut by deep, steep-sided valleys, and views here stretch for miles, interrupted only by giant cultivated forests, pale shadows of the woodland that covered the region before it was cleared by Neolithic and later peoples. Barrows and ancient forts provide memorials of these early settlers, mingling on the high moorland with the Roman remains of Wades Causeway, the battered stone crosses of the first Christian inhabitants and the ruins of great monastic houses such as Rievaulx. Helmsley is the best starting point for any exploration of the western and central moors; Pickering (actually just outside the National Park) for the eastern moors and northern Esk Valley. The central moors offer the best walking and the most noted landscapes, with Hutton le Hole the most picture-perfect village in the region. Any exploration of the district should also include the religious ruins of Rievaulx Abbey ; the views from Sutton Bank ; and the gentle landscapes of the Esk Valley , blessed with its own small train line. The main southern artery linking the western, central and eastern divisions is the A170, which runs from Thirsk, through Helmsley and Pickering to Scarborough. Two trans-moor roads, the Helmsley-Stokesley B1257 (west side) and the Pickering-Whitby A169 (east), offer access into the very heart of the moors. The steam trains of the North York Moors Railway operate between Pickering and Grosmont (even more renowned since being used as the "Hogwarts Express" in the first Harry Potter film). At Grosmont you can connect with the regular trains on the Esk Valley line, running east to Whitby or west through more remote settlements (and ultimately to Middlesbrough). The main bus approaches to the moors are from Scarborough and York to Helmsley and Pickering, though beyond these towns local services are limited. You'll need the free Moors Connections timetable, available from tourist offices and park information centres.
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