Nestled somewhere between the middle of nowhere and the North York Moors you’ll find the small village of Gilling East.

As part of my surprise Valentines weekend away we were booked to stay here.

Of course if you’ve been to Gilling East you’re probably thinking.. Why here? Whilst there might not be anything to do here there’s plenty of good reasons why a stay at Gilling East won’t disappoint.

So let’s start with our accommodation. We like something a little different and unique when we go away and this was certainly no exception.

How about staying at a disused railway station?

The Parcel Shed is a converted 19th century railway shed! A studio apartment now sits on what used to be a railway station and you can stay here just like we did.

The room was a cosy little hideaway looking out into the countryside.

Its private and a perfect little home away from home.

Just don’t expect to be able to jump on a train from here as I don’t think one will turn up anytime soon!

In Gilling East you’ll find a lovely pub and restaurant with a beautiful beer garden for those rare sunny days!

The Fairfax Arms has a real country feel on the inside but with an elegant restaurant located in the conservatory attached to the pub. We had a lovely meal here to celebrate Valentines day. Whilst this was quite fancy and more expensive than what we’d normally go for, it was very good food worth the price!

The pub has a good local feel and is dog friendly as to be expected out in the countryside!

Walking around the small village you won’t really find anything. But that’s what’s great about staying out in the countryside.

What we did find and will likely revisit is Ryedale Miniature Railway. In the winter this is closed so we didn’t get to see any trains but in the summer it looks like they do some events. We could just about see the little tracks.

So if you fancy exploring North Yorkshire some more and want to stay somewhere peaceful within easy reach of lots of attractions, Gilling East is your place.

We visited all of the below places whilst staying here and they are all within easy driving distance.

• Helmsley & Helmsley Castle
• Duncombe Park Estate
• Rievaulx Abbey
• Castle Howard
• Kirkham Abbey

Have a question? Just drop me a comment below I always love to hear from you.