The Vale of Pickering is a low-lying flat area of land in North Yorkshire, England. It is drained by the River Derwent. The landscape is rural with scattered villages and small market towns. It has been inhabited continuously from the Mesolithic period. The present economy is largely agricultural with light industry and tourism playing an increasing role. Location and transport The Vale of Pickering is a low-lying plain, orientated in an east–west direction. It is well defined by the Yorkshire Wolds escarpment to the south, the Corallian limestone foothills of the North York Moors to the north, the North Sea coast to the east and the Howardian Hills to the west. The east–west-orientated main roads (A64 and A170) in the vale follow the shoreline of the glacial lake, which formed in the vale after the last ice age. The main A169 road crosses the vale in a north–south direction, joining the market towns of Malton and Pickering. At the eastern edge of the vale the A165 carries traffic along a north–south coastal route through Scarborough. The main line railway crosses the eastern part of the vale from south to north west linking Malton to Scarborough and the east coast rail line links Scarborough to Filey, and Bridlington. There is a heritage railway from Pickering to Grosmont with connections to Whitby, which operates steam and old diesel engines in the tourist seasons. Administratively, the Vale of Pickering lies largely in the Ryedale District Council area with a smaller area to the east lying in Scarborough District. Physical geography Climate As part of the United Kingdom, the Vale of Pickering generally has cool summers and relatively mild winters. Weather conditions vary from day to day as well as from season to season. The latitude of the area means that it is influenced by predominantly westerly winds with depressions and their associated fronts, bringing with them unsettled and windy weather, particularly in winter. Between depressions there are often small mobile anticyclones that bring periods of fair weather. In winter anticyclones bring cold dry weather. In summer the anticyclones tend to bring dry settled conditions which can lead to drought. For its latitude this area is mild in winter and cooler in summer due to the influence of the Gulf Stream in the northern Atlantic Ocean. Air temperature varies on a daily and seasonal basis. The temperature is usually lower at night and January