The distant hills are part of the Yorkshire Wolds, an area of low hills in the counties of the East Riding of Yorkshire and North Yorkshire in north-eastern England.The name also applies to the district in which the hills lie. The view above is from Irton Moor (above Scarborough) looking south west over the Vale of Pickering toward a small area of the wolds.

Wold is an Anglian form of the word, as in other parts of England, different variations can be found. Over the years the meaning changed from "forest" to "high forest land". When the forests were cleared, the name was retained and applied to upland areas in general.