A Day Trip to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway
Who else loves steam trains?! Raise your hand! Who had no idea what a steam train was until Harry Potter?! Who still has no idea what a steam train is? Well, let the North Yorkshire Moors Railway be your perfect introduction to steam trains!
A day trip on the North Yorkshire Railway will give you all the Harry Potter feels, transporting you back into the past when steam train dominated the British travel industry!
*WARNING story time*
I have a special relationship with steam trains.
I spent my childhood in England and some of my fondest memories were taking a trip to the steam railway and looking at all the cool trains and seeing the engines blowing off steam and making that cool “I think I can, I think I can” sound.
Then, after moving to America, during a family vacation, I got to travel from our hotel to the Grand Canyon on a steam train! Cool part? They did a cool cowboys and robbers show on the way there!
Fast forward to the present day and I’m still going on stream trains! (Can’t stop, won’t stop!)
The Perfect Day on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway
What is the fascination with steam trains? Is it the fact that it’s fun to collect the engine numbers (trainspotting…. yep, that’s a thing)?
Or maybe it’s the nostalgia of getting onto a classically restored 1930s teak carriage? Maybe even Harry Potter has something to do with it.
I wanted to get to the bottom of my obsession and everyone else’s, so I spent the day exploring the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, a heritage line (mostly run by volunteers!!!) dedicated to giving its passengers a steam experience instead of getting from point a to point b on a regular commuter train.
Exploring the stations
The North Yorkshire Moors Railway has four (very stylish) classic stations and then one mainline station (Whitby). The railway goes from Pickering to Whitby. The stations in order are Pickering, Levisham, Goathland, and Grosmont. You also have the option to continue to Whitby. (As I said, it’s part of the main line, so the station isn’t classic).
What’s exciting about this railway is you can hop on and hop off and hop back on again. So you have the option to explore all the stations and the little towns surrounding them.
Pickering
This is a 1930’s themed station that has a cute tea room and a very fancy roof over the station.
This should be your first station and with a return ticket, your last station.
So you’ll have time to explore the quaint little town and maybe even have time to visit Pickering Castle.
Levisham
Levisham is an early 1900’s styled station that houses a carriage you can spend the night in!
Feeling adventurous? You can take a hike to the Hole of Horcum and view the beautiful scenery of the North York Moors.
Goathland
Goathland is up next (and my personal favorite).
When you pull up, it’s going to seem a little familiar. That’s because it’s Hogsmeade station from the Harry Potter series.
Get off at this station and take some pictures with your wand, then take a stroll through the village of Goathland where a British TV show called Heart Beat was filmed.
Grosmont
This station is a 1950’s themed gem that is also home to the workshops for the locomotives.
It’s just a short walk from the station and you can see them getting engines ready for the day, restoring engines, and cleaning out engines.
Related Posts: Exploring Grosmont Station
Great Dining and Special Events
You need to start your day early as it gets very busy in the early afternoon.
The ideal time of year to go is while school is still in session on a weekday.
There are several different experiences you can have visiting the railway stations and riding the trains. There is also a dining train (called the Pullman) with several dining options.
There’s also the option for afternoon tea on the Pullman and my personal favorite, a dinner murder mystery. I have not yet experienced the murder mystery, but you better believe I will be going the next time tickets go on sale!
The Pullman carriages are something you have to book in advance and it goes quickly. So if you know your dates at the beginning of the season, it’s best to get yourself booked ASAP.
On top of dining experiences, they also have different events that go on through the season including a wartime-themed weekend, swinging sixties weekend, and Harry Potter events.
Dressing up is always welcome and you actually look out of place if you don’t wear a costume!
Unique Experiences
Aside from events, there’s also a very unique experience you can try.
You can travel on the footplate of a steam locomotive! Or to dumb it down (even though I am still learning all the loco lingo), the driver’s cab of the engine.
That’s right, you can stand with the driver for 36 miles and watch the coal going in and hopefully you get to blow the horn.
I haven’t done it (one day I will!!!) because I would probably be gushing and bragging about it a lot more, but it seems something everyone should experience.
They also do digital photography workshops, catering, and weddings. So there’s never a dull moment at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.
Tips for Visiting the North Yorkshire Moors Railway
- Start at Pickering (there’s a pay and display parking lot and plenty of parking spaces) and get a Moors Explorer ticket… then you can hop-on-hop-off between Pickering and Grosmont!
- If you’re heading to Whitby, grab a reservation on the Seaside Special!
- You can leave from Whitby too! Book the return services of the Yorkshire Express.
- Go during off-peak season (all of September is off-season- ummmm hello, beautiful scenery and perfect weather that time of year people!)
- Dress up in your best period gear (no reason other than it makes it more fun!)
- Print off a timetable and bring it with you (you don’t want to be walking around town and then miss the next train out)
- Take your time. Enjoy every station and enjoy walking around the cute villages that house these beautiful stations. There can be 1-2 hours between trains, so sit back, relax and have a cuppa.
If you have any questions or comments (If you’ve been on a heritage railway, I’d love to hear about it!), leave me a little note below!!
Save The Perfect Day on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway for later on Pinterest!
Will visit uk in May. can I buy tickets on a day
by day or must it be with a tour group. can not book now.
You could purchase your railway ticket the day-of this past season, but they always change their prices every year, so I would check their website early next year when they announce their prices and make sure you can still purchase stay day tickets. As for other attractions in the UK, some places require a pre-booked ticket (even if it’s free) and time slot, so always check the attraction’s website!