North Yorkshire Moors

At Danby there there is a visitor centre for the National Park. For the best of the views, head up virtually any of the side roads leading onto the high moors to the north and the south.

To continue, go north over Danby Low Moor. Turn right on the A171 and then left on a minor road to Staithes.

Squashed into a narrow coastal valley, the fishing village of Staithes has real weather-beaten character and at the far end you can see some of the distinctive fishing boats known as cobles. It was here in 1745 that young James Cook made his acquaintance with the sea when a child apprentice in haberdashery store.

The Captain Cook and Staithes Heritage Centre, in a converted chapel in the High Street, has a reconstructed village street of that time, plus Cook artefacts and displays on fishing, mining and smuggling.

Another quaintly huddled fishing village is Runswick Bay, which you can also reach by following the Cleveland Way along level cliff tops from Staithes itself. Carry on by driving south-east along the A174 to Whitby.