Moorland safety and wildfire

Wildfire: the one that matters

The North York Moors holds the largest continuous expanse of heather moorland in England and Wales, growing on deep peat. In a dry spell that combination burns easily and burns deep: surface fire in heather and gorse moves fast in wind, and peat below it can smoulder underground for days and break out again long after the flames are out. A single moorland fire can destroy decades of habitat, nesting birds, carbon store and grazing at once.

Almost every fire here is started by people, usually without meaning to. Disposable barbecues on hot ground, campfires and stoves, cigarettes flicked from cars, glass bottles left in bracken and sky lanterns are the recurring causes.

The rules are simple. No disposable barbecues, campfires or open flames on moorland or in the forests, at any time of year. No sky lanterns. Take all glass home. Park where you are not blocking gates, tracks or passing places, fire appliances need them. And if a fire severity warning is in force, take it seriously.

If you see smoke or flame: call 999 and ask for the fire service. Give a grid reference or what3words location if you can, or the nearest road, farm or landmark. Do not attempt to tackle it. Move upwind and downhill away from the smoke, and keep gateways clear as you leave.

Weather and navigation

The high moor is exposed, featureless in cloud and several degrees colder than the dales below, with wind that turns a pleasant afternoon into a serious one. Sea fret, cold coastal fog, can roll several miles inland in minutes on the eastern moors and the coast, and it does so on days that started clear.

Carry a paper map and compass and know how to use them; mobile signal is patchy to absent across most of the interior, and phone batteries fail in the cold. Take more layers and more water than the forecast suggests, tell someone your route, and remember that winter daylight here is gone by four. Our seasons guide sets out what each part of the year is actually like.

Cliffs and tides on the coast

The coastal half of the park is soft Jurassic shale, and it is actively slipping, that is why the fossils keep appearing. Stay well back from cliff edges, which are undercut and unfenced, and well out from cliff bases, where rockfall is constant.

Check a tide table before any beach walk. The shores at Robin Hood's Bay, Runswick Bay and Sandsend all cut off against the cliff at high water. Walk out on a falling tide, not a rising one. In an emergency on the coast, call 999 and ask for the coastguard.

Ticks, adders and livestock

Ticks are common in bracken and long grass and can carry Lyme disease. Cover legs, keep to paths, and check yourself, your children and your dog at the end of the day; remove any tick promptly with a tick tool, pulling straight out, and see a doctor if a spreading rash or flu-like symptoms follow.

Adders bask on paths and warm stones from spring to autumn. They want nothing to do with you, watch your feet, keep dogs on the path, and if a person or dog is bitten, get medical or veterinary help immediately rather than treating it in the field.

Sheep and cattle range freely on unfenced moorland and roads. Drive slowly over the cattle grids and at night, and never feed livestock. Dogs must be on leads on access land from 1 March to 31 July for ground-nesting birds, and around stock at any time, the details are in our dogs and access guide.

Driving the moor roads

Single-track lanes with passing places, blind summits, 1-in-3 banks such as Chimney Bank at Rosedale, and sheep that will not move. Use passing places for the vehicle coming uphill, pull in rather than reversing at speed, and never park on a verge that blocks a gateway. Snow closes the high roads over Blakey Ridge and Rosedale several times most winters, sometimes at short notice.

Who to call

999 for fire, ambulance, police, coastguard or mountain rescue, ask for the service you need, and for inland rescue ask for police, then mountain rescue. Give a what3words location or grid reference. If you have no signal, walk to higher ground or the nearest road; emergency calls will sometimes connect on another network when your own has nothing.

Moorland safety FAQs

Why do moorland fires start in the North York Moors?

Because dry heather, gorse and deep peat burn readily, and almost every fire has a human cause: disposable barbecues, campfires, cigarettes, glass, sky lanterns and, occasionally, controlled burns getting away. Peat can smoulder underground for days and reignite, which is why moorland fires take so long to put out.

Are barbecues allowed on the North York Moors?

No. Disposable barbecues, open fires and campfires are not permitted on the open moorland or in the forests, and many local shops have stopped selling them. Use a stove only where the site or landowner allows it, and never on peat, heather or forest floor.

What should you do if you see a fire on the moors?

Call 999 immediately, ask for the fire service, and give the best location you can. A grid reference, what3words or the nearest named landmark or road. Do not try to fight it yourself, move away upwind and downhill of the smoke, and keep access roads and gateways clear for fire appliances.

Can you wild camp in the North York Moors?

No. There is no right to wild camp in the national park; the moorland is privately owned working land with grouse, ground-nesting birds and livestock on it. Use a campsite, or ask the landowner's permission directly. This is also the single most effective thing visitors can do to reduce fire risk.

Are there adders on the North York Moors?

Yes, adders live on the heather moor and are most often seen basking on paths and warm stones between spring and early autumn. They are shy and bites are very rare, keep to paths, watch where you put hands and feet, keep dogs on the path, and if anyone or any dog is bitten, seek medical or veterinary help straight away.

Do I need to worry about ticks in the moors?

It is worth taking seriously. Ticks live in bracken, long grass and heather and can carry Lyme disease. Cover your legs, keep to paths, check yourself, children and dogs afterwards, and remove any tick promptly with a tick tool or fine tweezers, pulling straight out. See a doctor if a spreading rash or flu-like symptoms follow.

When must dogs be on leads on the moors?

By law on access land between 1 March and 31 July for ground-nesting birds, and near livestock at any time of year. In practice a lead on open moor is sensible year-round: sheep, lambs, grouse, adders and unfenced roads are all up there.