Walks
Lake Gormire and the Sutton Bank escarpment
By Jon Cosson · Updated 2 November 2026 · Checked
Park boundary status unconfirmedLake Gormire lies below Whitestone Cliff, beneath the Sutton Bank escarpment. The descent through Garbutt Wood is a separate undertaking from the upper White Horse path. An official measured full circuit was not confirmed, so the earlier eight-mile claim is withdrawn.
The Sutton Bank escarpment above Garbutt Wood and Lake Gormire.
The walk at a glance
- Distance
- Not publishedAn official measured full circuit was not confirmed in October 2026; previous eight-mile claim withdrawn
- Ascent
- No verified whole-route ascent. The National Park gives Garbutt Wood a site height difference of about 150 m, not a circuit ascent
- Difficulty
- Steep descent and return climb, muddy uneven paths, steps and boardwalks. Not the easy upper viewpoint path.
- Start & parking
- Sutton Bank National Park Centre car park; The walk starts at Sutton Bank; £3.90 up to 2 hours, £6.20 over 2 hours, coach £7.50; admission to the centre itself is free; grid ref SE 516 831 (car park, National Park accessible viewpoints page); nearest postcode YO7 2EH
- Waymarking
- The Cleveland Way National Trail runs along the top of the bank
- Dogs
- Our Sutton Bank notes say only that the cliff edge is unfenced in places, so keep children and dogs close.
- Pushchairs
- Upper clifftop path only; not the lake descent.
- Wheelchairs
- Upper Cleveland Way access does not include the steep woodland descent.
- Toilets
- Accessible toilets and Changing Places at the National Park Centre
- Public transport
- The official guide names seasonal Moorsbus M4. The 2026 network has finished; no winter or funded 2027 connection confirmed. Choose a rail-accessible town outing off-season.
- Hazards
- The lake descent is not an accessible viewpoint walk. The authority limits wheelchair and buggy access to the upper Cleveland Way from the centre to the reserve edge. Mud, steps, steep slopes and unfenced edges need care. Check local signs for livestock, ground-nesting birds and forest work. Wet paths, mud and bracken can obscure footing; do not push through vegetation to make a shortcut.
- The lake
- One of the very few natural lakes in the North York Moors, dammed by a landslip at the end of the last ice age, with no stream flowing in or out, inside the Garbutt Wood nature reserve
Opens the walk finder with this walk’s length and effort already set.
About this route
Route guidance from the published sources below, with mapping where available. Information last checked: 1 November 2026. Unconfirmed details and separately dated variants remain explicit. If you find a change, use the contact page.
- October 2026: https://www.northyorkmoors.org.uk/things-to-do/attractions/garbutt-wood-naturereserve
- yorkshiremoors.co.uk
- Walking Britain
- North York Moors National Park Authority
- https://northyorkmoors.org.uk/suttonbank
- https://www.northyorkmoors.org.uk/access-for-all/accessible-viewpoints
- https://www.northyorkmoors.org.uk/plan-your-visit/car-parks-and-toilets/car-park-list
- https://www.northyorkmoors.org.uk/things-to-do/attractions/garbutt-wood-naturereserve
Distance notes: An official measured full circuit was not confirmed in October 2026; previous eight-mile claim withdrawn.
Ascent: No verified whole-route ascent. The National Park gives Garbutt Wood a site height difference of about 150 m, not a circuit ascent.
Area map
Sutton Bank National Park Centre area. This map shows the area, not a verified route line.
Current route and access check
Park boundary status unconfirmedThe reserve guide describes the steep wooded descent below Whitestone Cliff, with steps and boardwalks, then a climb back to the escarpment. It does not establish a measured combined Sutton Bank and Gormire circuit. Choose a published route map before leaving.
The lake descent is not an accessible viewpoint walk. The authority limits wheelchair and buggy access to the upper Cleveland Way from the centre to the reserve edge. Mud, steps, steep slopes and unfenced edges need care.
Route file and official map
No licence permitting this guide to redistribute the GPX was established. Use the official route platform directly.
Official route or reserve guidance
Details not confirmed
- No official combined circuit distance, total ascent or duration confirmed.
- Reserve feature grid references do not establish a car-park start.
Planning the route
Sutton Bank National Park Centre is the escarpment start. The National Park's Garbutt Wood guide describes the reserve dropping about 150 m from the clifftop to its western boundary just above Lake Gormire. That is the site's height difference, not a measured total climb for a circuit.
A route taking in the lake requires a mapped descent through Garbutt Wood below Whitestone Cliff and a return climb. The official source read did not establish the precise linked circuit or its distance. This is a planning outline, not turn-by-turn directions: use a published route map and check access before leaving the escarpment.
The lake
Lake Gormire lies in the woods at the foot of the cliffs, one of the very few natural lakes in the North York Moors. It formed at the end of the last ice age when a landslip dammed the meltwater, and it has no stream flowing in or out. That, along with the dark still water beneath Whitestone Cliff, has earned it a good stock of legends, from a supposedly bottomless bottom to a ghostly white mare and rider. It sits within the Garbutt Wood nature reserve.
How this differs from the White Horse walk
The Sutton Bank White Horse walk follows the upper escarpment. A lake route adds a wooded descent and climb; the distance of the full combination has not been confirmed. Do not use the upper path's distance for a route to Gormire.
Before you go
Parking is at the National Park Centre, pay and display, with a tearoom and toilets at the start. The cliff edge along the escarpment is unfenced in places. There is more on the centre, the gliders and the view in the Sutton Bank guide, and our moorland safety notes are worth a read before any longer day out here.
Lake Gormire walk FAQs
How long is the Lake Gormire walk?
An official measured full loop was not confirmed during the October 2026 check. The earlier eight-mile figure is not retained as a verified distance. Choose a published route and its map before setting out.
Why is Lake Gormire unusual?
It is one of the very few natural lakes in the North York Moors. It formed at the end of the last ice age when a landslip dammed the meltwater, and it has no stream flowing in or out.
Where is Lake Gormire?
In the woods at the foot of the Sutton Bank cliffs, beneath Whitestone Cliff, within the Garbutt Wood nature reserve.
Is the walk down to the lake steep?
Yes. It is a fine loop, but a steep one down from the top of the escarpment and back up again.
What are the legends about Lake Gormire?
Its dark, still water has attracted a good stock of them, from a supposedly bottomless bottom to a ghostly white mare and rider.
Stay near the western moors
Helmsley, Rievaulx and the Hambleton Hills all put Sutton Bank within a short drive.
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