Walks in the North York Moors
Moorland near Goathland in glorious late summer colour
The North York Moors has been a National Park since 1952 and covers over 550 square miles of magnificent country, mainly comprising of open moorland but also rich in coastal scenery and delightful deep verdant dales. The moorland offers a great range of fantastic spacious walks with big skys and wide panoramas. The dales walk all have charm and most visit quaint friendly villages, typical of the area. There are also a number of well known walks which cross the North York Moors including Alfred Wainwright's Coast to Coast, the Cleveland Way and the Lyke Wake Walk 24 hour challenge. The most noted towns in and around the National Park include Helmsley, Great Ayton, Pickering, Kirkby Moorside, Guisborough and Whitby. Well known villages include Glaisdale, Grosmont, Goathland (of Heartbeat fame), Danby, Osmotherley, Sleights and Kilburn with its famous White Horse. Enjoy a range of North York Moors walks from this page.
Interactive map of the walks
| Walk | Miles | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Falling Foss and the Hermitage | 1.0 | A short woodland walk to a wonderful waterfall and to a remarkable carved out boulder. |
| Bridestones and Dove Dale | 1.9 | A wonderful walk to superb sandstone outcrops in a National Trust managed area. |
| Staithes, Port Mulgrave and Hinderwell | 4.3 | A diverse walk of beautiful Yorkshire coast, countryside, woodland and pretty villages. |
| Hawnby, Easterside Hill, Hawnby Moor and Hawnby Hill | 5.0 | Hawnby Hill is a small and distinctly shaped ridged hill which is surrounded by giants. |
| Osmotherley and Cod Beck | 5.3 | A short walk around the popular Osmotherley area on the edge of the North York Moors. |
| Goathland Moors & Waterfalls | 6.0 | This walk is a jewel with lots of absolutely brilliant moments including Mallyan Spout. |
| Helmsley and Rievaulx Abbey | 6.2 | This walk links two of the North York Moors most visited places, one inhabited and one deserted. |
| Hole of Horcum from Levisham | 6.5 | There is a monumental hole to visit on this popular circular walk on the North York Moors. |
| Old Byland, Nettle Dale, Rievaulx Abbey, River Rye and Deep Gill Wood | 6.8 | A walk in the North York Moors, featuring the best of Ryedale. |
| Robin Hood's Bay & Ravenscar | 7.0 | A brilliant walk part at sea level and part above the magnificent North Yorkshire sea cliffs. |
| Runswick Bay, Kettleness, Goldsborough and Disused Railway Line | 7.0 | Walk along a wonderful sandy beach to start this coastal adventure which includes a railway line. |
| Roseberry Topping | 7.0 | A walk up Teesside's classic hill, the walk includes a trip to Captain Cooks monument. |
| Lowna Bridge, Farndale and Harland Moor | 7.1 | This fabulous dale is a draw in springtime for its famous daffodils. Enjoy them here. |
| Kirkham Priory, Crambe, Barton-le-Willows and Howsham Mill | 7.2 | A scenic walk in the Derwent valley and the countryside on the south-east edge of the Howardian Hills. |
| Swainby, Carlton Moor, Faceby and Whorlton | 7.4 | A scenic walk from Swainby to the Cleveland Hills and then down to Whorlton Castle. |
| Staithes, Cowbar, Roxby Wood and Borrowby Dale | 7.6 | A refreshing coast and woodland walk from this attractive coastal town loved by artists. |
| Rosedale Abbey, Northdale, Dale Head, Rosedale and Thorgill | 7.8 | A wonderful walk in the beautiful heritage area of Rosedale with a visit to a fantastic tea shop. |
| Nether Silton, Thimbleby Moor, Black Hambleton and Kepwick Moor | 8.0 | A lovely moor walk from Nether Silton to the iconic hill of Black Hambleton. |
| Hutton Village, Gisborough Moor, Captain Cook's Monument and Roseberry Topping | 8.3 | Gisborough Moor, Captain Cook's Monument and Roseberry Topping all feature here. |
| Arden Great Moor, White Stones and Thorodale | 8.8 | A stunning circular around the edge of one of the great moors of North Yorkshire. Superb views throughout. |
| Whitby, Ruswarp, Stainsacre, Widdy Head and Saltwick Nab | 8.9 | One of my best walks on the North Yorkshire coast is just one highlight of this spectacular countryside walk. |
| Danby, Castleton, Castleton Rigg, Danby Botton and Danby Rigg | 9.4 | A walk in a very pretty area of the Eastern North York Moors in the midst of full Heather blossom. |
| Scugdale, Cold Moor, Wainstones, Cringle Moor and Bilsdale West Moor | 10.0 | A lovely walk across moorland with an exploration of the Wain Stones on top of Hasty Bank. |
| Kilburn, Byland Abbey, Sutton Bank and Kilburn White Horse | 10.6 | Walk to the ruins of Byland Abbey and then to the awesome views from Sutton Bank. |
| Osmotherley, Oak Dale, Osmotherley Moor, Scugdale and Cod Beck | 11.0 | A walk in the North York Moors, featuring the moorlands and reservoirs near Osmotherley. |
| Whitestone Cliff, Gormire Lake & White Horse | 11.2 | A spectacular walk on and below the North York Moors fabulous escarpment, a geological marvel. |
| Ingleby Cross to Clay Bank Top | 11.2 | This walk follows the Cleveland Way onto and over the North York Moors. Views abound. |
| Coneysthorpe, Castle Howard, Hollin Hill and Slingsby Bank | 11.6 | A Howardian Hills walk with landscaping, buildings and follies of Castle Howard to be enjoyed on the way. |
| Runswick Bay, Port Mulgrave, Staithes, Skinningrove and Saltburn by the Sea | 11.6 | A walk of ups and downs along the spectacular erosive coastline. Don't get too close to the edge! |
| Rudland Rigg, Cockayne, Bilsdale East Moor and Bransdale | 11.8 | Walk along the ancient Waingate road and then into Bransdale with a beautiful secluded hamlet. |
| Fox and Rabbit, Stain Dale, Bridestones, Hole of Horcum, Levisham Moor and Cross Dale | 12.2 | One of the most popular east North York Moors walks with two geological features and wonderful moors. |
| Cold Kirby, Sutton Bank, Whitestone Cliff, Boltby Scar, Gowerdale and Murton Heights | 12.2 | A super 12 mile walk with excellent views and visits to geological marvels of the Jurrasic Era and last ice age.. |
| Glaisdale to Clay Bank Top (linear) | 17.5 | A walk to blow the cobwebs away on top of the North York Moors. |
| Robin Hood's Bay to Glaisdale (linear) | 18.6 | A challenging walk from the North Yorks coast over moors into Eskdale. |
Feedback and Suggestions:
I am always pleased to received feedback on the structure and content of the website. I also welcome suggestions on how I can improve the website which may include new areas to cover, new walks or route alterations to existing walks. To contact me with feedback and/ or suggestions please complete the Walking Englishman Feedback Form. Thank you.
(Note: Walking without proper preparation can be dangerous. Information and downloads on this website are provided free of charge; it is each walker's responsibility to check the material and use accordingly. Postscript: My walk reports are not route guides and should not be treated as such. They are written with personal reflections of my walks)
