Hole of Horcum

The Hole of Horcum is a vast natural amphitheatre scooped out of the moors beside the A169 between Pickering and Whitby - a green bowl of hillsides and hidden farmsteads that legend says was gouged out by a giant. From the Saltergate car park on the rim you are immediately at the best vantage, and a short walk to Saltergate Brow puts the whole hollow in front of you. It is a made-for-drone subject: huge scale, sweeping heather (glorious purple in August), and clean lines you can trace along the valley. Two things to weigh. It sits within the North York Moors National Park - the authority will not issue amateur permits on its own land, and the surrounding moor is a grouse moor and partly SSSI, so take off from the car park or roadside verge rather than the open moor, keep clear of ground-nesting birds in spring and early summer, and do not fly on shoot days. Second, and non-negotiable: RAF Fylingdales lies only about 8km to the north-east - do not drift toward it, and keep your flying focused over the Hole itself. No civil FRZ affects you. The car park is popular and can fill on weekends. Go at dawn, or in late August for the heather, on a still, clear day.