Walks
Lake Gormire and the Sutton Bank escarpment
By Jon Cosson · Updated 6 October 2026
This is the long version of the Sutton Bank walk: roughly eight miles linking the escarpment top, the White Horse of Kilburn and Lake Gormire, the strange still lake in the woods below Whitestone Cliff. Three miles along the top, or eight taking in the lake below, is the choice here, and this is the eight.
The escarpment the long loop follows before dropping into the woods to the lake.
The walk at a glance
- Distance
- 8 miles; Roughly eight miles, linking the escarpment, the White Horse and Lake Gormire
- Ascent
- About 1,600 ft (490 m) over 8.5 miles (13.5 km), per yorkshiremoors.co.uk. Walking Britain gives 800 ft (242 m) for a shorter 3.4-mile circuit that reaches Gormire but does not take in the White Horse
- Time
- No published time for the full 8.5-mile circuit. Walking Britain allows 2 hours 20 minutes for its shorter 3.4-mile version
- Difficulty
- A steep loop down from the top of the escarpment and back up again
- 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 (non-transferable); coaches £7.50 (National Park tariff); 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.
- Wheelchairs
- Not described as accessible: a steep descent from the escarpment top into Garbutt Wood and back
- Toilets
- Accessible toilets and Changing Places at the National Park Centre
- Public transport
- Moorsbus, April to September at weekends and bank holidays. Nearest station Thirsk, 7.5 miles. Check times before you travel.
- Hazards
- The cliff edge along the escarpment is unfenced in places
- 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 compiled from Ordnance Survey mapping and the published sources below. Parking, grid reference and transport details checked on 6 October 2026. If you walk it and find a change, use the contact page.
- 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
Distance notes: Roughly eight miles, linking the escarpment, the White Horse and Lake Gormire.
Ascent: About 1,600 ft (490 m) over 8.5 miles (13.5 km), per yorkshiremoors.co.uk. Walking Britain gives 800 ft (242 m) for a shorter 3.4-mile circuit that reaches Gormire but does not take in the White Horse.
Area map
Sutton Bank National Park Centre area. This map shows the area, not a verified route line.
The route in outline
The loop starts at the Sutton Bank National Park Centre, follows the escarpment along the line of the Cleveland Way, takes in the White Horse of Kilburn, and at some point drops off the edge into the woods to the lake before climbing back to the top. Roughly eight miles in all. Carry the OS sheet and follow the waymarking on the ground, particularly on the steep wooded descent below the unfenced cliff.
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 short walk
The three-mile circuit stays along the top: the view, the Cleveland Way and the White Horse, and back to the centre. This one adds the descent to the lake and the climb out again, which is where the extra five miles and nearly all the effort go. If the weather is closing in or the light is going, take the short one.
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?
The classic longer loop from Sutton Bank is roughly eight miles, linking the escarpment, the White Horse and the lake. The shorter three-mile circuit stays along the top and does not drop to the lake.
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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