Getting around Yorkshire: with and without a car

Not yet assessed Our reading of the sources below, not an official rating.

Without a car

Getting here

By train

Northern runs the Esk Valley line from Middlesbrough to Whitby. Scarborough station is managed by TransPennine Express and is the end of its route from York. Northern trains run from Leeds and York to Knaresborough and Harrogate, and LNER runs some direct trains between Harrogate and London King's Cross. For the Dales, Northern serves Skipton from Leeds and Settle on the Settle–Carlisle line. ¹

National Rail: Whitby (opens in new tab) · National Rail: Scarborough (opens in new tab) · National Rail: Harrogate (opens in new tab) · National Rail: Skipton (opens in new tab) · Settle–Carlisle Railway (opens in new tab)

By bus

Transdev's Coastliner 840 and 843 run from Leeds via York and Malton to Whitby and Scarborough. DalesBus 74 runs from York via Knaresborough, Harrogate, Otley and Ilkley to Grassington. ²

Coastliner and York & Country timetables (opens in new tab) · DalesBus (opens in new tab) · York guide (opens in new tab)

By air

Leeds Bradford Airport is west of Harrogate and south of the Dales. See our airport page for onward buses, trains and taxis. ³

Leeds Bradford Airport guide (opens in new tab)

Heritage railways

The North Yorkshire Moors Railway runs 24 miles between Pickering and Whitby, calling at Levisham, Newtondale Halt, Goathland and Grosmont. The Settle–Carlisle line is 72 miles long and crosses Ribblehead Viaduct. ⁴

North Yorkshire Moors Railway: route map (opens in new tab) · Settle–Carlisle Railway (opens in new tab)

Once you are there

North Yorkshire Moors Railway

Heritage trains link Pickering, Levisham, Newtondale Halt, Goathland, Grosmont and Whitby. Bridge 42 at Grosmont, which carries trains towards Whitby, needs repair, so check the railway's travel updates for how far trains run.

Settle–Carlisle line

Northern trains from Leeds and Skipton stop at Settle, Horton-in-Ribblesdale, Ribblehead, Dent and Garsdale, all useful for walks in the western Dales.

DalesBus

DalesBus lists all-year buses between Skipton, Grassington and Buckden, the Harrogate to Skipton 59, Saturday and summer services, and the Nidderdale 24.

Car and parking

The national park authority says its Malham, Horton-in-Ribblesdale and Aysgarth Falls car parks tend to be the busiest, so have a back-up plan on fine weekends.

Stops near each area

From our area guides (Yorkshire): the stations and stops listed for each base. See each area's Getting there page for more.

Whitby & Robin Hood's Bay

Whitby station: Northern (Esk Valley line from Middlesbrough); North Yorkshire Moors Railway. On the harbour in the town centre
Whitby bus station: Coastliner 840 from Leeds, York and Malton. Next to the railway station
Grosmont station: Esk Valley line and the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. Change here for the heritage line towards Goathland and Pickering

Whitby & Robin Hood's Bay: getting there

Scarborough

Scarborough station: TransPennine Express from York; Northern on the Yorkshire Coast line. Station managed by TransPennine Express, near the town centre
Coastliner 843: Leeds, York and Malton to Scarborough. Transdev route; check the timetable for stops

Scarborough: getting there

Harrogate & Knaresborough

Harrogate station: Northern from Leeds and York; some LNER trains to London King's Cross. Step-free to all platforms, according to National Rail
Knaresborough station: Northern on the Harrogate line to York. Grade II listed station in the town centre
DalesBus 74: York, Knaresborough, Harrogate, Otley, Ilkley and Grassington. Transdev route

Harrogate & Knaresborough: getting there

North York Moors

Pickering station: North Yorkshire Moors Railway. Southern terminus of the heritage line
Grosmont station: Northern (Esk Valley line) and the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. Engine sheds and the junction for Whitby
Malton station: TransPennine Express between York and Scarborough. On the York to Scarborough line, south of Pickering
Coastliner 840: Leeds, York and Malton to Whitby. Transdev route; check the timetable for stops on the moors

North York Moors: getting there

Yorkshire Dales

Skipton station: Northern from Leeds and Bradford on the Airedale line. Southern gateway to the Dales
Settle station: Northern on the Settle–Carlisle line. For Settle and Ribblesdale
Ribblehead station: Northern on the Settle–Carlisle line. For Ribblehead Viaduct and Whernside
DalesBus: All-year buses Skipton to Grassington and Buckden; Saturday and summer extras. See dalesbus.org for timetables

Yorkshire Dales: getting there

No schedules or fares are copied here: check the operator or Traveline for the day you travel. Taxis and ride-hailing apps operate in most towns, but we have no sourced coverage data for rural areas, so do not count on one at short notice.

With a car

We hold no sourced driving notes for Yorkshire beyond the general rules.

General rules (driving on the left, licenses, roundabouts, speed limits in mph, parking, tolls, EV charging): Driving in Britain. Charge points: Zapmap (opens in new tab).

To and from other regions

Straight-line distance from our region centers, and the fastest train time that National Rail publishes on its destination pages (not a schedule; it may include a change). Where we found no figure we say so. The full table is on getting between regions.

Distance and fastest published train time from Yorkshire to other regions
To or from	Straight line	Fastest train (National Rail)	Notes

Figures retrieved Oct 25, 2026 for the intercity data. Schedules change.

Official links

North Yorkshire Moors Railway (opens in new tab): Timetables, fares and travel updates for Pickering to Whitby
Settle–Carlisle Railway (opens in new tab): The line from Leeds and Settle over Ribblehead to Carlisle
Coastliner and York & Country (opens in new tab): Leeds, York, Malton, Whitby and Scarborough buses and DalesBus 74
DalesBus (opens in new tab): All-year, Saturday and summer buses in the Yorkshire Dales
Yorkshire Dales National Park: plan your visit (opens in new tab): Car parks, walks and public transport into the Dales
National Rail: Harrogate (opens in new tab): Station facilities and live departures

More on Yorkshire: Yorkshire guide · how to get there

Questions people ask

Can I get around Yorkshire without a car?

We have not yet assessed getting around Yorkshire. The official links below, and the region guide, are the place to start.

Do I need to check a driving zone in Yorkshire?

We found no charging or low emission zone for Yorkshire in the official pages we read. Check the council site before you drive in.