The North York Moors

Overview map

Introduction

Brief history of the moors

North York Moors industries

Getting to the North York Moors

Getting around the North York Moors

Accommodation

Food and drink

When to walk

Maps of the routes

National park visitor centres

Tourist information centres

Emergency services

Using this guide

The Tabular Hills

Walk 1 West Ayton, Hackness and the Forge Valley

Walk 2 Hackness, Broxa and Whisper Dales

Walk 3 Lockton, Stain Dale, Saltergate and Levisham Moor

Walk 4 Levisham and the Hole of Horcum

Walk 5 Levisham Station, Levisham and Newton-on-Rawcliffe

Walk 6 Hutton-le-Hole, Lastingham, Cropton and Appleton-le-Moors

Walk 7 Gillamoor, Boonhill Common and Fadmoor

Walk 8 Newgate Bank, Rievaulx Moor and Helmsley Bank

Walk 9 Helmsley, Beck Dale and Ash Dale

Walk 10 Hawnby Hill and Easterside Hill

The Hambleton Hills

Walk 11 Rievaulx Abbey and Old Byland

Walk 12 Byland Abbey, Mount Snever and Oldstead

Walk 13 Sutton Bank, Gormire Lake and the White Horse

Walk 14 Osmotherley, Thimbleby, Siltons and Black Hambleton

The Cleveland Hills

Walk 15 Osmotherley, Beacon Hill and High Lane

Walk 16 Chop Gate, Cringle Moor and Cock Howe

Walk 17 Chop Gate, Urra Moor, Hasty Bank and Cold Moor

Walk 18 Kildale, Ingleby Moor and Battersby Moor

Walk 19 Kildale, Leven Vale, Baysdale and Hograh Moor

The Northern Moors

Walk 20 Great Ayton, Easby Moor and Roseberry Topping

Walk 21 Guisborough, Gisborough Moor and Hutton Village

Walk 22 Danby, Siss Cross, Commondale and Castleton

Walk 23 Scaling Dam, Clitherbeck, Danby and Beacon Hill

The High Moors

Walk 24 Chop Gate, Cock Howe, Ryedale and Wetherhouse Moor

Walk 25 Chop Gate, Tripsdale, Bransdale and Bilsdale

Walk 26 Low Mill, Harland, Rudland Rigg and West Gill

Walk 27 Church Houses, Bloworth Crossing and Farndale Moor

Walk 28 Hutton-le-Hole, Ana Cross, Spaunton Moor and Lastingham

Walk 29 Rosedale Abbey, Hartoft, Lastingham and Ana Cross

Walk 30 Rosedale Ironstone Railway around Rosedale Head

Walk 31 Rosedale Ironstone Railway from Blakey to Battersby

Walk 32 Westerdale, Fat Betty, Westerdale Moor and Esklets

Walk 33 Danby, Castleton, Botton Village and Danby Rigg

Walk 34 Lealholm, Heads, Glaisdale Moor and Glaisdale Rigg

Walk 35 Glaisdale Rigg, Egton High Moor and Egton Bridge

The Eastern Moors

Walk 36 Goathland, Simon Howe, Wheeldale and Mallyan Spout

Walk 37 Rail Trail from Moorgates to Goathland and Grosmont

Walk 38 Goathland, Sleights Moor and Whinstone Ridge

Walk 39 Goathland, Eller Beck, Lilla Howe and Goathland Moor

Walk 40 Chapel Farm, Lilla Howe and Jugger Howe Beck

Walk 41 Sleights, Ugglebarnby, Falling Foss and Littlebeck

The Cleveland Coast

Walk 42 Runswick Bay, Hinderwell, Staithes and Port Mulgrave

Walk 43 Runswick Bay, Kettleness and Goldsborough

Walk 44 Whitby, Saltwick Bay, Robin Hood’s Bay and Hawsker

Walk 45 Robin Hood’s Bay, Boggle Hole and Ravenscar

Walk 46 Cloughton, Staintondale, Ravenscar and Hayburn Wyke

The Lyke Wake Walk

Walk 47 Osmotherley, Carlton Bank, Cringle Moor and Hasty Bank

Walk 48 Clay Bank, Urra Moor, Bloworth Crossing and Blakey

Walk 49 Rosedale Head, Hamer, Wheeldale Moor and Simon Howe

Walk 50 Eller Beck, Lilla Howe, Jugger Howe Moor and Ravenscar

Appendix 1 Route summary table

Appendix 2 Useful contacts

Extracts from the Ordnance Survey Landranger series of maps, at a scale of 1:50 000, are used throughout this guidebook, with overlays showing the routes. These extracts are adequate for navigation on the walks, but if you wish to explore more of the countryside off-route, and want to see exactly where you are in relation to other walking routes, then obtain the appropriate Ordnance Survey maps. The Landranger maps covering the North York Moors National Park include sheets 93, 94, 99, 100 and 101. Greater detail and clarity are available on Ordnance Survey Explorer maps, at a scale of 1:25 000. The relevant Explorer maps are OL26, covering the western half of the national park, and OL27, covering the eastern half of the national park. Bear in mind that these maps are printed on both sides, so that each sheet has a North and South side. The relevant Ordnance Survey maps for each walk are quoted in the information box introducing the walk. The starting points for the walks can be pinpointed using the six-figure Ordnance Survey grid references supplied. The BMC/Harvey map of the North York Moors covers all but six of the routes in this guidebook.

Use up-to-date maps, as dozens of rights of way have been officially diverted over the years, often to avoid farmyards or fields of crops. On the high moors walkers who are good map-readers will frequently notice that the clear path or track they are following is not actually a right of way, and that the right of way shown on the map is quite untrodden on the ground! For the most part, walkers are voting with their feet and have done so for many years, and landowners seem to accept the situation.

Large areas of open moorland have been designated as open access land under the Countryside and Rights of Way (CRoW) Act 2000. Open access land should not be regarded as offering unlimited access. Some areas are indeed open at all times, but others are restricted and can be closed for various reasons, including grouse shooting and the movement of animals. In some areas there may be a complete ban on dogs at any time, or it might be a requirement for dogs to be kept on a lead, particularly in areas where ground-nesting birds are present. It is a good idea to check whether any restrictions or closures are in force, which can be advised by the Open Access Contact Centre, tel 0300 0602091. Remember that access is granted on foot only and doesn’t extend to bicycles or vehicles, nor does it imply any right to camp on a property. Also, remember that access to the area surrounding RAF Fylingdales is strictly forbidden.

August 2022

Temporary access closures

May 2019

Updates

Some of the finest walking in North Yorkshire

As a youngster I often used to stay during the Summer holidays with relatives who owned a cottage in Fryupdale and therefore got to know the area round there quite intimately - Danby High Moor, Fryupdale & Glaisdale. In later years I walked both the Cleveland Way and the Lyke Wake Walk. lt was therefore somewhat of a nostalgia trip when I started reading Paddy Dillon's latest walking book containing fifty walks on the North York Moors.

The walks are distributed through seven regions within the park, enabling walkers to discover and appreciate the Tabular Hills, Hambleton Hills, Cleveland Hills, Northern Moors, High Moors, Eastern Moors and Cleveland Coast.

For those who like a challenge, the course of the classic Lyke Wake Walk, crossing the national park from east to west, is also described. This is some of the finest walking in North Yorkshire. Paddy Dillon, who has over 70 walking books to his credit, describes these walks in intimate detail, and includes sketch maps and numerous colour photographs throughout the 260 pages of the book.

The walks range in distance from four to 131h miles in length, with the exception of the Lyke Wake Walk which is 42 miles but even that is split into four separate walks enabling the walker to either walk it in its entirety over a long weekend or on four separate days. Most of the walks are circular but there are a few linear walks as well with suggestions for transport to return the walker to their initial starting point.

A number of the walks cover part of the Cleveland Way with an alternative route to return the walker to their starting point. A couple of weekends ago I tested one of tile walks in this category on the coast from Cloughton with a party of youngsters and the route description was very easy to follow. This too brought back happy memories of my Cleveland Way walk back in the seventies.

Apart from the route descriptions themselves there are chapters on the history of the area, industries, transport details, accommodation, availability for refreshments, visitor and tourist information centres and details of maps to use in addition to those incorporated into the text. This is another fine book from Cicerone publications and well worth the £12.95 price tag, which works out at only 26p per walk.

John Burland