Local Adventures
This is an area with a huge variety of adventures and activities. There is something for everyone, regardless of age and fitness level. Here is a selection of some of the attractions and activities. Please use the appropriate link for more detailed information.
- North Yorkshire Moors Railway
- About Pickering
- Antiques
- Houses and Gardens
- Golf
- Shooting and Fishing
- Gourmet Food and Wine
- Walking
- Driving
- Mountain Biking
- Flying
- Shopping
- Itineraries
- Horse Racing
For the ideal family outing, ideas include:
- Horse riding: at Snainton Riding Centre, seven miles away towards Scarborough (telephone 01723 859218) or Friars Hill, Sinnington (01751 432758)
- Cinema: Although Pickering doesn't have its own cinema Malton has a small three screen cinema, The Palace Cinema (01653 600008). There is also a Vue cinema, approximately half an hour's drive away, on the outskirts of York (telephone 01904 6911999).
- Theatre: The Theatre Royal at York can be contacted on 01904 610041, and the number for the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough is 01723 370541.
- Yorkshire Lavender Yorkshire's Premier Triple Award-Winning Lavender Farm, Lavender Gardens and Specialist Plant Nursery set in a spectacular hillside farm of nearly 60 acres, within the Howardian Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (telephone 01653 648008)
Guests staying at The White Swan Inn will find a brochure rack of up-to-date leaflets covering additional attractions. So much to see, so much to do! We can sometimes provide discounted entrance rates to some of the top attractions, such as:
- North Yorkshire Moors Railway
- Castle Howard (House and Gardens)
- Duncombe Park, Helmsley
- National Railway Museum, York
The region has long proved to be an inspiration to writers and film producers. Dracula was written near here, James Herriot lived and worked in the area, and Heartbeat is filmed here. Pickering's railway station has been used to film a numbr of Box Office hits: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Askaban, and Possession starring Gwyneth Paltrow. More recently there has been the remake of Brideshead Revisited at Castle Howard in 2007 due out October 2008.
In the nearby beautiful village of Coxwold, on the southern edge of the North Yorkshire Moors National Park, is Shandy Hall. This was the former home of writer Laurence Sterne, one time vicar of Coxwold, who wrote The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman and Sentimental Journey. Shandy Hall contains the world's largest collection of first editions of Sterne's works and is open to the public from 1st May to 30th September (tel: 01347 868465).