Once upon a time, I got trapped on the North Yorkshire Moors by the Beast from the East. Not all trips go as planned but unexpected adventures are often the best ones!
My North York Moors Adventure
After all the London Fashion Week madness I decided to go away with my best friend Caroline to picturesque North Yorkshire to relax and explore.
I had visited the majority of southern and central UK however I was yet to properly explore the North which was supposed to be even more beautiful.
When we drove on the motorway from London we saw some big signs saying “THE NORTH” and this made me think of Game of Thrones. It felt like we were entering Jon Snow’s kingdom!
We arrived at our Millinder House cottage, located in a very rural setting in the North York Moors National Park, somewhere between Westerdale (almost like Westeros!) and Castleton.
DAYS 1 AND 2 ON THE NORTH YORKSHIRE MOORS
For the first two days, the weather was quite pleasant and we visited some beautiful places.
Whitby Abbey
The magnificent Whitby Abbey is a 7th-century Christian monastery that later became a Benedictine abbey.
You can bow explore the soaring gothic ruins of the abbey and take in the stunning sea views.
When you are visiting the abbey, make sure to also explore the wonderful seaside town of Whitby.
Robin Hood’s Bay
A short drive from Whitby, there is Robin Hood’s Bay, a picturesque small fishing village and a bay. The postcard views of the village are not to be missed!
Falling Foss Waterfall
Not far from Whitby and Robin Hood’s Bay there is Falling Foss – an impressive 30-foot waterfall surrounded by magical woodland. There is a tea garden too!
A short walk from the Falling Foss there is a cave called The Hermitage carved out of an enormous boulder. It dates to the 18th Century and it was once a secluded home of a hermit.
DAY 3 ONWARDS ON THE NORTH YORKSHIRE MOORS
On day three, however, we woke up to a completely different world, covered in a thick layer of white snow. It was when I realized I really was in THE NORTH!
I will just explain for those from outside of the UK that beginning on 22 February 2018, Great Britain and Ireland were affected by a cold wave, dubbed the Beast from the East by the media and officially named Anticyclone Hartmut, which brought widespread unusually low temperatures and heavy snowfall to large areas.
Thousands of people were without electricity, others got stuck in their cars or on trains overnight and had to be rescued by the army!
Guess what area of the UK was affected the most? That’s right – the North Yorkshire Moors!
The snowfall, low temperatures, and extremely bad visibility on the roads continued for the next seven days meaning we were unable to drive anywhere and we had to extend our stay.
Because of our extremely remote location, we had to walk for 45 minutes to the nearest and only store to get some food supplies. There was not much to choose from as the shelves were half empty.
Fortunately, we had done a big online food shopping which was delivered on the day we arrived so we were stocked up on pasta, pizza, crisps, cakes, and Prosecco.
We had to walk for over an hour to the nearest open pub, The Fox and Hounds Inn in Ainthorpe but it was worth it!
Dated back to 1555, this traditional village Inn and Restaurant serves locally sourced, award-winning, and absolutely delicious food. I highly recommend visiting this pub if you are ever in the area.
They also offer cozy accommodation and I overheard somebody saying one of the rooms was haunted!
Despite the weather conditions and being trapped, we were not bored in the slightest! We went for daily walks, admiring the views and taking pictures of the magical winter wonderland.
The snow made us embrace our inner children. We made a snowman, a snow angel, we had a snowball fight and we borrowed a sled from one of the locals. I remembered what it was like to be a child, with no care in the world!
In the cozy evenings, we watched movies (we were lucky enough to have electricity!). We watched mainly scary films as it was, of course, a very appropriate choice whilst being trapped in the middle of nowhere!
If you like watching horror movies, I highly recommend the following films: A Dark Song, As Above, So Below, and Devil’s Pass (also known as The Dyatlov Pass Incident).
Being on the North York Moors in these extreme weather conditions made me feel like I was in a different dimension. Surrounded by hills, with no people around and the sound of the wind, it seemed almost post-apocalyptic.
On the tenth day we were able to get out with the assistance of the very kind owner of the cottage we stayed at and we returned to the South.
Although our trip did not go as planned and we were unable to visit all the places we wanted to see, we had a great time!
Unfortunately, I did not meet the King in the North, Jon Snow this time however I was lucky not to come across any White Walkers either.
If you would like to explore the most beautiful UK destinations, check out these wonderful UK staycation ideas!
Thanks for stopping by!
Magda
xoxo
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