The impressive ruins of 12th-century Helmsley Castle are defended by a striking series of deep ditches and banks, to which later rulers added the thick stone walls and defensive towers. Only one tooth-shaped tower survives, following the dismantling of the fortress after the Civil War. The castle's tumultuous history is well explained in the 14-century West Range at the back of the site.
ÀÏ°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±¼Ç¼'s must-see attractions
24.94 MILES
There are ruined abbeys, and there are picturesque ruined abbeys. And then there's Whitby Abbey, dominating the skyline above the East Cliff like a great…
19.58 MILES
York Minster is the largest medieval cathedral in northern Europe, and one of the world's most beautiful Gothic buildings. Seat of the archbishop of York,…
10.65 MILES
Stately homes may be two a penny in England, but you'll have to try pretty damn hard to find one as breathtakingly stately as Castle Howard, a work of…
Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal
23.06 MILES
The alluring and strangely obsessive water gardens of the Studley Royal estate were built in the 18th century to enhance the picturesque ruins of 12th…
19.79 MILES
York's National Railway Museum – the biggest in the world, with more than 100 locomotives – is well presented and crammed with fascinating stuff. It is…
19.9 MILES
Interactive multimedia exhibits aimed at bringing history to life often achieve exactly the opposite, but the much-hyped Jorvik manages to pull it off…
2.37 MILES
In the secluded valley of the River Rye about 3 miles west of Helmsley, amid fields and woods loud with birdsong, stand the magnificent ruins of Rievaulx…
24.73 MILES
This fascinating museum occupies the house of the ship owner with whom Cook began his seafaring career. Highlights include the attic where Cook lodged as…
Nearby North York Moors National Park attractions
0.15 MILES
Helmsley Walled Garden would be just another plant-and-produce centre were it not for its dramatic setting next to Helmsley Castle and its fabulous…
0.57 MILES
On the outskirts of Helmsley lies the superb ornamental landscape of Duncombe Park estate, laid out in 1718 for Thomas Duncombe (whose son would later…
2.18 MILES
In the 1750s landscape-gardening fashion favoured a Gothic look and many aristocrats had mock ruins built on their estates. Thomas Duncombe II of Duncombe…
2.37 MILES
In the secluded valley of the River Rye about 3 miles west of Helmsley, amid fields and woods loud with birdsong, stand the magnificent ruins of Rievaulx…
7.01 MILES
With a scatter of gorgeous stone cottages, a gurgling brook and a flock of sheep grazing contentedly on the village green, Hutton-le-Hole must be a…
7.04 MILES
The largely open-air Ryedale Folk Museum is a constantly expanding collection of North York Moors buildings from different eras, including a medieval…
10.65 MILES
Stately homes may be two a penny in England, but you'll have to try pretty damn hard to find one as breathtakingly stately as Castle Howard, a work of…
8. North Yorkshire Moors Railway
11.52 MILES
This privately owned railway runs for 18 miles through beautiful countryside from Pickering to Whitby. Lovingly restored steam locos pull period carriages…