North Yorkshire

Next month my husband and I are driving up to Whitby to visit friends and since we will be renting a car we want to make a few stops on the way. Any recommendations on where to stop? We are looking to spend an afternoon in York, hike along the coast to Robinhoods Bay but not sure where else is nice for a day trip. Any advice?

Cool things within (more or less) the path that you are going:

Pickering (market town)
Thornton Le Dale (market village, very picturesque)
Scarborough - another N Yorks seaside resort town
North York Moors National Park
Hole of Horcum
North York Moors Railway

Of course, Leeds is also well worth a stop & a great place to shop! 

York itself has plenty to be going on with - more than a half day, IMO.

Also Harrogate, Knaresborough, Ripon, Fountains Abbey, Castle Howard...I'm sure other Yorkshire peeps could come up with some more!

Hiya   I'm a Yorkshire peep, I think haha  I live in Harrogate and while H town is lovely and all, I highly recommend the Abbey-especially if it's a good day outside!  It is absolutely beautiful!  That's all I can say because I have yet to be to Whitby...this is my year though!  I will go and have fish and chips darn it!!   

You'll really need to prioritise if you are only spending an afternoon in York.  The Minster if you do one of their tours is an hour, Betty's is a bit of a long wait if you're going there for tea (it's in all the traveller's guides), plus there's the Shambles, the Jorvick, the dungeon, the market, Fairfax house, Museum gardens, Merchant Adventurers Hall, the Roman Baths and a ton of other places.  I'd check out some of the websites about York and really think about what you want to see in that afternoon that way you won't miss something you really want to see or whatever. 

I love Ripon with Fountain's Abbey.  It's fab.  There is also Castle Howard, where I'll be tomorrow.  It's the set for Brideshead Revisited.  It's quite lovely.  If you are near Leeds there is also Harewood House or Temple Newsam, also two lovely big houses. 

A bit farther north there is Hadrians Wall, which is fun to walk along. 

I hope that helps.   And I hope you have a fun time up here.  Whitby is gorgeous!

If you like walking, you might want to do a walk along York city walls.

Pickering is also famous for its steam railway, if you're into trains.

wow thanks!! honestly you are selling me on spending more than just half a day there, THANKS!!!

Forget Betty's tea room and go to a York Brewery pub instead! 

There's 3 I think - The 3 Legged Mare, The Last Drop and The Yorkshire Terrier

Or you can just spend a day visiting York pubs.

I loved A Hole in the Wall (i think that was what it was called) I had my first REAL Yorkshire pudding there and I tell ya it was to die for!

Forget Betty's tea room and go to a York Brewery pub instead! 

There's 3 I think - The 3 Legged Mare, The Last Drop and The Yorkshire Terrier

I think there's more than three, although those are three good pubs.   

Definitely go to a pub in York.  We have some great ones.  One of my faves that also has some history attached to it is the Old Black Swan.  It's amazing in there.

I think TykeMan was specifically referring to the York Brewery pubs.

If  you are looking for a pub with history, Roman Baths is a pub over the site of a  Roman bath (as the name suggests).

I think TykeMan was specifically referring to the York Brewery pubs.

Yep, I knew what he was referring to.  Those were two separate thoughts, but I can't think how to better divide them. 

I love York.  It was a great place to visit.

I think there's more than three, although those are three good pubs.  

Definitely go to a pub in York.  We have some great ones.  One of my faves that also has some history attached to it is the Old Black Swan.  It's amazing in there.

There's 4 if you include The Coach House Hotel, I've not been there so don't know if it's a pub as such.
http://www.york-brewery.co.uk/last_drop-inn.html

They also now have Mr Foley's in Leeds which is nice but that's an aside!

Whoever suggested just going to the pubs - me and a friend did that in York a few months ago whilst the wives went shopping! 
We do that every month or 2 in different towns, we all have a pub lunch together, arrange where we are meeting up in a few hours and then seperate off, usually finished off calling for a curry on the way home, very enjoyable day all round!

There's 4 if you include The Coach House Hotel, I've not been there so don't know if it's a pub as such.
http://www.york-brewery.co.uk/last_drop-inn.html

They also now have Mr Foley's in Leeds which is nice but that's an aside!

Whoever suggested just going to the pubs - me and a friend did that in York a few months ago whilst the wives went shopping! 
We do that every month or 2 in different towns, we all have a pub lunch together, arrange where we are meeting up in a few hours and then seperate off, usually finished off calling for a curry on the way home, very enjoyable day all round!

Totally off point, but dh and I could have sworn that York Brewery owned more pubs.  He's a huge fan of York Brewery beers.  Oh well. 

There are fantastic pubs with great lunches in York but it's getting harder to find independent ones that still make their own food.  We're super lucky that our local is one like that.