About Ryedale

This page is for those of you who don't live in Ryedale and gives a bit of background about our area and its politics.

Ryedale takes its name from the river Rye, which rises in the North Yorkshire Moors above Helmsley and flows down into the Vale of Pickering to join the River Derwent near Malton.

The parliamentary constituency is one of the largest in England, over 50 miles from East to West, and the different parts are very different in many respects. At the centre is the area covered by Ryedale District Council, including the market towns of Kirkbymoorside, Helmsley Pickering, Norton and Malton.

However the Parliamentary boundary extends beyond the District Council area; in the south-west it includes the commuter villages of Huntington, Strensall, Earswick, and Osbaldwick on the outskirts of York, whilst in the east it extends to the North Sea coast at Filey.

Ryedale has a flourishing tourist industry, particularly towards the North Yorkshire Moors around Helmsley, Kirkbymoorside and Pickering, and at the coast around Filey. Manufacturing also employs a surprising number of people. However, particularly in the central area, agriculture remains a high profile industry.