For many people approaching from the south, Pickering is the gateway to the North York Moors, located where the best roads from Hull and York cross the road that runs along the southern flank of the Moors from Scarborough, as well as being the southern terminus of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.
The main shopping street in Pickering runs parallel to the main road, and stretches from the church at the east end to the railway station to the west.
Pickering is on Ordnance Survey Explorer Map OL27 (North Yorks Moors Eastern Area)