The North York Moors National Park is one of the real wonders of Yorkshire. Its rugged moors, coastline and idyllic villages make it one of the most incredible places to explore. And, speaking of villages, Hutton-le-Hole, North York Moors is one of the unique places to explore where moorland sheep roam freely along the wide green.
The popular beauty spot is known for its village green that takes centre stage with the picturesque view of the footbridges across the stream that runs through the village. Although the village is tiny it has around 29 listed buildings all of which are Grade II and most date back to the 18th century.
A popular location for summer with people coming to enjoy the local hikes, in autumn it takes on a whole new feel with trees turning auburn, orange and yellow ready for the colder temperatures.
But, what’s so great about the Yorkshire village Hutton-le-Hole?
The present name Hutton-le-Hole only appeared in the 19th century. But what does the peculiar name mean? Several theories have been put forward, but the most likely is that ‘Hole’ refers to burial mounds. Several ancient burial mounds can be found around nearby Barmoor, so it seems plausible that the name simply means ‘the place near the burial mounds’.
One of its most popular attractions is The Chocolate Factory. Opened 20 years ago, all the chocolates are lovingly made by hand using fresh double cream, real alcohol and pure Belgium Chocolate at their micro-factory. There is a shop in Thorton-le-Dale that sells these lovingly made chocs, but the factory in the village is said to be no longer open to the public.
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One of Hutton-le-Hole, the North York Moors village’s most popular attractions, is the Ryedale Folk Museum. The museum is home to a range of items relating to the area’s social customs and agricultural heritage. It shows what life was like in Ryedale from the medieval period to the present day. It contains more than 40,000 objects from throughout the ages, from the Iron Age to the 1950s.
Traditional buildings from the area such as an Elizabethan manor, shops, workshops, barns, and thatched cottages are available to explore when visiting the museum – with some rescued from destruction and rebuilt.
Another cultural place of interest in the village is the parish church of St Chad, which was built in 1934 replacing the earlier chapel on the same site.
Visitors to the area usually take on the Hutton-le-Hole and Lastingham walk, which takes on a four-mile circular walk through quiet fields, country lanes and moorland tracks between the two moorland villages of Hutton-le-Hole and Lastingham. It offers incredible sweeping views across the moors.
Once completed you can enjoy one of Hutton-le-Hole’s most popular features, its pub The Crown Inn, which dates back to 1940 and stands on a smallholding built in the 18th century.
You can also venture to the Red Lion pub which is the one of most isolated and most popular pubs in the area.
So, there you have it. If you’re looking for an exciting place to visit in the North York Moors National Park, then Hutton-le-Hole is the perfect spot to visit. It’s got all the quaint aspects you’d expect from a Yorkshire village with a lovely wide green, sheep roaming freely, pubs full of characters and of course tea rooms. We know we’ll be popping over for a brew or maybe even a nice real ale sometime soon
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