Walks
From twenty-minute riverside strolls to full days on the heather, some of the best walks in Yorkshire, all in one national park. These are the routes we send friends on.
The moors are high, open and exposed, but rarely steep for long. Most classic routes climb out of a wooded dale, run along a level moorland edge with enormous views, then drop back down. Paths are generally well trodden and waymarked, but the moor tops have few landmarks, so carry OS Explorer OL26 or OL27 and don't rely on phone signal.
Ground conditions matter more than distance here. After heavy rain the peat and bracken sections hold water, and the flagged causeways can be slippery. Boots, a windproof layer and more water than you think you need cover almost every day out.
Nesting season on the moors runs roughly March to July, keep dogs on leads across open moorland, and check for grouse shooting notices in late summer and autumn.
Full guide, the classic 5-mile circular from Saltergate, the Skelton Tower diversion, parking and heather timing.
Weathered sandstone outcrops above Dalby Forest, on a National Trust nature reserve.
Goathland's waterfall in a wooded gorge, short, scrambly and often wet underfoot.
Gentle beck-side and field walks from one of Yorkshire's prettiest villages.
Full guide, 'Yorkshire's Matterhorn': the quick summit climb, the circulars via Captain Cook's Monument, and parking.
109 miles from Helmsley to Filey Brigg, in stages. Plus the best day walks on it.
Wainwright's route, now a National Trail. The moorland half from Osmotherley to Robin Hood's Bay.
109 miles against 190, a horseshoe against a crossing of England, and the logistics that decide it.
Sheets of wild daffodils along the River Dove each spring, an easy 3 miles from Low Mill.
The moorland rules that matter, seasonal hazards, and the best dog-friendly walks.
Quick, straight answers to the questions visitors ask most. Each one links through to the fuller guide.
The Kilburn White Horse, cut in 1857 below Sutton Bank, is England's most northerly hill figure; other landmarks include Captain Cook's Monument, the Bridestones, Ralph Cross (the park's symbol) and the Wainstones.
Walks on the moors →The Hole of Horcum is a vast natural amphitheatre about 400 ft deep off the A169; Roseberry Topping is the distinctive 320 m "Yorkshire Matterhorn" near Great Ayton; the Cleveland Way is the 109-mile National Trail looping from Helmsley around the moors to the coast.
Walks on the moors →Outstanding, over 1,400 miles of paths, from the 109-mile Cleveland Way (Helmsley to Filey) to countless short circuits. Classics include the Hole of Horcum, Roseberry Topping, Mallyan Spout at Goathland and the Helmsley–Rievaulx Abbey walk.
Walks on the moors →Round Hill on Urra Moor, at 454 metres (1,490 feet). It sits on the Cleveland Way and the Lyke Wake Walk above Bilsdale, and the usual approach is the roughly three-kilometre climb from the Clay Bank car park.
Walks on the moors →Typically mid-August to early September, when the moors turn a spectacular purple; the Hole of Horcum and the high moor roads are classic viewing spots. Exact timing shifts a little year to year with the weather.
Walks on the moors →Sutton Bank ("the finest view in England"), the Hole of Horcum, Roseberry Topping, the Blakey Ridge road across the high moor, and the cliff tops of the Cleveland Way on the coast.
Walks on the moors →