A house in Pickering, North Yorkshire
Pickering is an ancient market town and civil parish in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire, England, on the border of the North York Moors National Park. Historically part of the North Riding of Yorkshire, it sits at the foot of the moors, overlooking the Vale of Pickering to the south. According to legend the town was founded by King Peredurus around 270 BC; however, the town as it exists today is of medieval origin. The legend has it that the king lost his ring and accused a young maiden of stealing it, but later that day the ring was found in a pike caught in the River Costa for his dinner. The king was so happy to find his ring he married the young maiden; the name Pike-ring changed over the years to Pickering. It is a nice tale told to fit the name, but it is not the origin. Pickering is thought to be named after the followers of an Anglian man named Picer or some such personal name – the Picer-ingas.
The tourist venues of Pickering Parish Church, with its medieval wall paintings, Pickering Castle, the North Yorkshire Moors Railway and Beck Isle Museum have made Pickering popular with visitors. Nearby places include Malton, Norton-on-Derwent and Scarborough.