"Yorkshire Valleys - North York Moors - Yorkshire Coast - Robin Hood Bay

We woke up early in the morning, ate a hearty English breakfast, and went for a walk through the picturesque surroundings. Just across the road from the pub runs a shallow river, beyond which begins one of the hiking trails - such trails run the length and breadth of the entire national park. Along the narrow road, in the company of frightened sheep, it was decided to climb to the very top of the hill, which offers a great view.
There's nobody around!

On the third day of the trip, we still had a couple of places left on our list in the Yorkshire Valleys Park that we wanted to visit. The first was the spectacular series of Aysgarth waterfalls, surrounded by dense woodland. The second was the Wensleydale Cheese Factory in Hawes, which has an interesting history.

The recipe for traditional Yorkshire Wensleydale cheese was devised in the 12th century by French Cistercian monks who came to England as part of William the Conqueror's entourage. Four centuries later, when parishes began to close, the monks shared the secret of making cheese with the locals, and gradually it became a hallmark of the region. Up to the Second World War, Wensleydale was one of the most popular cheeses in the country until it was overtaken by the more practical Cheddar. So in the late 1990s Dairy Crest, the company that owned the cheese factory, decided to shut it down.
For the town of Howes, the closure of the cheese factory could have been a disaster, but employees were thankfully able to save the production. Then they were supported by the animator Nick Park - the creator of the cartoon film Wallace and Gromit, the main character was crazy about Wensleydale cheese. So the cheese factory began a new life. You can now visit to see how the famous cheese is made and have a tasting in the local café, with lush, fragrant cakes and strong Yorkshire tea.

Yorkshire is not only the most English, it's also the largest of the island's counties. As well as vast valleys it has the scenic east coast, all the way up through the North York Moors National Park. Watching the scenery change along the way is a fascinating change from yesterday's scenery of cliffs, pine forests and rolling hills to today's view of the country's largest natural heather plantations, with the sea just beyond.

The national park makes Yorkshire's big port towns look rather drab and sad. There aren't many interesting tourist attractions, and even the popular Whitby seemed too noisy and cramped. The Abbey is worth the drive, but rather than spending time on average fish and chips, there are charming villages along the coast like Staithes and Robin Hood's Bay. We chose the latter.

Robin Hood Bay sits amid tall black cliffs, the descent to which leads through a maze of narrow streets and tiled cottages. There are still legends about the role Robin Hood played in the history of the place and why the village is named after him. According to one, the noble robber defended the boats of local fishermen and the entire north-east coast from the raids of French pirates. The pirates surrendered and Robin Hood returned the loot to the people who named the land after him.

This little shop is easy to pass by, but I highly recommend stopping there for a few minutes to buy fresh crabs, lobster sandwiches, and then eating them below by the old lifeguard station.

If the station is open, you can look inside and learn more about the history of this charming village. If it's closed, climb up the stairs to the right of the entrance for perhaps one of the most beautiful panoramas of the entire trip.

You could spend the night on the coast. But we decided not to waste time and, halfway towards York, headed for the town of Malton, described as the gastronomic capital of Yorkshire. There are plenty of cafes and restaurants to suit all tastes, as well as the popular Talbot Hotel, which attracts foodies from all over the county in the evenings.