Take to the water for a secret view of the coast, try paddleboarding on the River Esk in Whitby.
The coastal margins of the national park can be explored from the water as well on land.
One of the best options is to take to the River Esk, which runs along the northern lip of the park, by paddleboard. A typical trip begins in Whitby and follows the Esk on the high tide (it’s a tidal river) and return to the town as the river ebbs.
‘It gives you a very different perspective on the landscape, you see it from an angle that few people do,’ says Simon Palmer of SUP Adventures who runs paddleboarding in and around the moor.
As well as chances to spot wildlife, paddleboarders pass photogenic small villages, boats upturned against the weather by fishermen and viaducts dating to the Victorian age.
‘It gets increasingly isolated as we go upstream, you see the moors cloaked in purple hues and what you’re looking at is a scene that’s pretty much unchanged for the past 200 years,’ says Simon.
The stillness can be haunting and if weather forecasts are favourable, Simon offers clients the opportunity to indulge in paddleboard yoga. ‘We have a docking platform and we bring the paddleboards together in a circle,’ he says. ‘Even if yoga is not your thing, the trip gives you a couple of hours to yourself.’