Ryedale Folk Museum

Ryedale Folk Museum is an open-air museum in Hutton-le-Hole, on the southern edge of the North York Moors. About twenty buildings stand on six acres, each one either moved here from a village nearby or rebuilt from evidence, so a short walk takes you from a moorland cottage to a manor house and on to a working blacksmith's. Together they show how people lived and worked in this corner of rural Yorkshire.

The museum opened in March 1964. It grew from the collection of Wilfred Crosland, and after his death in 1961 his sisters carried the work on, with Bert Frank as the first curator.

From Tea Time Cafe at 87 Market Place, Hutton-le-Hole is about 24 miles and 45 minutes by car. The modelled route takes the A170 east through Helmsley towards Kirkbymoorside, then turns north up to the village. Use YO62 6UA in a satnav.

Parking is in the village. The Crown Inn car park is right next door and charges 3 for the day, coins only, for visitors not eating at the pub. The North York Moors National Park car park on Moor Lane is about 300m away, costs more and has the Blue Badge bays. This is a car trip from Thirsk.

Start at the entrance building and work up the gentle slope through the site. Look for Stang End, a cottage with a witch post, a relic of local folk belief. Harome Hall is the manor house, Pickard's Cottage and the Daylight Photographic Studio are reached up steps, and there is a reconstructed Iron Age roundhouse. There are craft workshops, a working blacksmith and farm animals.

Until 29 November 2026 the Making a Meal of It exhibition runs inside, and Simon Crawford's art exhibition is free to see outside the paid area. The last two days of the season, Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 November, are a Christmas Shopping weekend from 10am to 4pm. There is a gift shop, and the heritage orchard has picnic spots.

Stang End and its witch post are the piece most people remember, because they show what moorland families believed as well as how they lived. The scale suits a family: six acres of buildings, workshops and animals, walked at your own pace with the orchard for a break. Dogs on a lead can come inside the buildings with you. A ticket lasts a year, so a November visit pays for a return trip next season.

The museum closes every Friday, so plan any other day. The 2026 season ends on Sunday 29 November, and after that it shuts for the winter with no 2027 dates published yet, so check the website before you set off in the new year. Hours from October are 10am to 4pm and no last entry time is published, so arrive by early afternoon. Bring coins for the Crown Inn car park. Pack a picnic for the orchard, as food on site is limited to pop-ups on some event days. Keep your ticket, because it gives a year of entry. Borrowing a scooter or wheelchair is free if you ring 01751 417367 first. Helmsley is on the way home, and its walled garden opens Wednesday to Sunday until 20 December.