YHA Helmsley

Helmsley is known as the gateway to the North York Moors, and this small and inviting market town is certainly a great base for seeing the best of the National Park, especially for cyclists and walkers – and cycling and walking families! Housed in a purpose-built building on the edge of the town, the YHA hostel is very well-equipped, with 35 beds in total of 7 rooms, including two 4-bed rooms, four 6-beds and one fully wheelchair accessible 3-bed room, and a lawned area to the side of the hostel for camping, making it Helmsley's only campsite. It also has a licensed bar, conservatory dining room and patio, and an excellent self-catering kitchen, all of which (along with the bathrooms and showers) can be used by campers. As for the location, Helmsley has some excellent pubs and cafés, and there is plenty to visit on your doorstep – Helmsley Castle, Helmsley Walled Garden are both less an a mile away, as well as the National Centre for Birds of Prey, Rievaulx Abbey, Nunnington Hall and Castle Howard. But it's the walking and other outdoor activities that bring most people here. Helmsley is right at the start of the long-distance 109-mile Cleveland Way National Trail, so as a hostel for hikers, it's pretty perfectly sited. It also has space for up to 30 bikes and everything you need to repair your bike, along with a pressure washer for muddy bikes and a drying room for wet clothes.