Living in Yorkshire, I have visited many sites before I became a blogger that I now need to revisit to take those all-important pics. We are very lucky in Yorkshire to have so many places that are an absolute paradise for any blogger. Here are my go-to places from my own personal list.
1. York — York Minster, The Shambles & city walls
The city of York is an embarrassment of content riches: the cathedral (York Minster) alone is a cathedral-of-a-story, with stained glass, soaring vaults and a climbable tower if you want skyline shots. Wander the medieval Shambles for cobbled streets, quirky shopfronts and those perfect narrow-street lifestyle frames. Book tours for inside access and aim for early morning light to avoid crowds.
I visited here before I really knew what I was doing with the camera, now I can’t wait to return!
2. Whitby & Whitby Abbey
Whitby is dramatic in the best possible way — a fishing town with Gothic ruins on the headland. Whitby Abbey is photogenic from every angle: climb the 199 steps, shoot the town from above, and let the brooding abbey ruin be the backdrop for moody editorial portraits. For history notes and opening info check English Heritage.
3. Haworth — Brontë Parsonage & the moors
The Brontë Parsonage Museum in Haworth is a must for literary bloggers and portrait shoots that want brooding, windswept vibes. The surrounding moors practically write the captions for you. Book entry times for the museum and take a walk on the moors for atmospheric shots.
4. Malham Cove & Malham village (Yorkshire Dales)
Malham Cove’s limestone amphitheatre, the stone pavement on top and sweeping views down the dale are iconic — great for landscape posts, hiking stories and geology-meets-travel features. The Dales make for brilliant “day in the life” adventure content.
5. Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal Water Garden (Ripon area)
This UNESCO World Heritage site combines evocative ruins, formal water gardens and deer-studded parkland. It’s a perfect place for lifestyle shoots (picnic spreads, elegant autumn walks) or history-rich longform features. Expect to spend a good chunk of the day exploring — there’s that much to photograph.
6. Rievaulx Abbey (Helmsley area)
Lesser-visited than some ruins, Rievaulx has a quiet, contemplative atmosphere great for reflective posts, slow travel pieces and minimalist landscape photography. English Heritage runs the site and there are audio tours if you want historical colour for captions.
7. Robin Hood’s Bay (North York Moors coast)
Narrow alleys, stacked cottages and a real sense of place: the bay is ideal for seaside lifestyle shoots, storytelling posts about smugglers and coastal walking guides. Capture the tide, the tide pools, and those red-roofed rows spilling down to the beach.
8. Scarborough (seaside charm + modern amusements)
If you want seaside variety — classic piers, arcades, beaches and a functioning small-town vibe — Scarborough covers it. Great for family travel content, nostalgia-heavy feeds and sunset beach photography.
9. Harrogate — RHS Harlow Carr, Turkish Baths & chic streets
Harrogate brings elegant spa town energy: gardens, teahouses and those Victorian Turkish Baths. Harlow Carr is especially photogenic for garden content and seasonal features (spring bulbs, autumn leaves). Great for wellness, food and garden-design posts.
10. Ilkley Moor & the Cow and Calf rocks
For dramatic moorland shots and short hiking posts, Ilkley Moor’s gritstone outcrops are perfect. Add a folklore or local-history angle (spoiler: the moors have stories) and you’ve got a strong narrative post. (Good for sunset, silhouette and golden-hour landscapes.)
11. Grassington, Hawes & other Dales villages
Quintessential Dales villages — stone cottages, cosy pubs and market-town energy — are gold for food and lifestyle content. Grassington and Hawes make excellent bases for cheese-focused stories (hello Wensleydale) and pastoral photography.
12. Gordale Scar & Janet’s Foss (Malhamdale)
For waterfalls, dramatic scars and gorge shots, these places are headline-worthy. They’re also great for “hidden Yorkshire” or “off-the-beaten-track” lists — the kind of posts that get shared.
13. Scarborough Open Air Theatre / Peasholm Park
If your content leans to events, festivals, concerts or quirky parkscapes, Peasholm Park’s boating lake and Scarborough’s open-air theatre provide lively, colourful visuals and people-first stories.
14. Smaller detours that make great micro-posts:
Sutton Bank (views over the Vale of York), Filey (peaceful beach), and the market town of Ripon (cathedral + foodie spots). These are perfect for “24 hours in…” or “weekend escape” posts.
Practical tips for bloggers (so you actually come home with usable content)
- Golden hour is your friend: Yorkshire light can go from bleak to magical quickly — aim for sunrise at coastlines and sunset over the Dales.
- Pack layers: moors and coast are windy; bring a windproof jacket and lens cloths.
- Tickets & timings: places like York Minster, Whitby Abbey and Brontë Parsonage can have set opening times and occasional closures — check official sites before you go.
- Local stories = better captions: do a quick read on each site’s history (abbeys, Brontë lore, mining history, etc.) to lift your captions from “nice photo” to “story.”
- Shoot for reels + carousel: capture short clips of wind in the grasses, waves on the stones, or a local pouring tea — these work great as hooks for short-form video.
- Respect access & safety: some ruins and clifftops have fragile areas; follow signage and don’t take risky climbs just for the shot.
Yorkshire is a place where landscapes and stories collide — and that’s the blogger’s dream. Whether you’re writing long features about abbeys and authors, or building a moody coastal feed, the county supplies texture, history and genuine local colour.
Plan a route that mixes a city (York or Harrogate) with some coastal time (Whitby/Robin Hood’s Bay) and a few Dales days — you’ll come away with a week’s worth of content and a notebook full of post ideas.
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