Walks in North Yorkshire
As a compliment to my Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors pages this North Yorkshire section includes walks outside the boundaries of the National Parks, some of them being in the belt of land between the Yorkshire Dales to the west and the North York Moors in the east, and some of them being on the northern and southern fringes of, what some may claim, is the greatest region for walking in Great Britain. It certainly has the diversity of the two national park fringes to lay claim too as well as a wonderful coastline. Then there are also many interesting walks near to the counties wonderful towns and its central city. I am sure you will find lots of walks to enjoy in North Yorkshire in this section.
Roseberry Topping is one of North Yorkshire's most popular hills
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. |
| Skipton Castle Woods | 2.0 | A short walk in the prettiest of woodlands which is inspiring all year round and simply stunning in springtime. |
| Abbey Road, Wood Sculptures & Knaresborough Castle | 3.0 | A chapel built into rock, wood sculptures, an abbey, a hermits cave, woodland, Blind Jack and the castle. |
| Swinsty Reservoir | 3.1 | I love this particular reservoir walk in Autumn. However it has variety and is a great walk all year round. |
| Harrogate Woodland and Parks | 3.6 | A wonderful walk in the woods and parks of Harrogate including fabulous Valley Gardens. |
| Fewston Reservoir | 3.7 | In my humble opinion this is the best reservoir perimeter walk in all of the Leeds and Harrogate area. |
| Bolton Abbey Estate Country Park | 3.8 | An ideal family walk with an option to travel the Embsay and Bolton Abbey Steam Railway. |
| Staithes, Port Mulgrave and Hinderwell | 4.3 | A diverse walk of beautiful Yorkshire coast, countryside, woodland and pretty villages. |
| River Burn, Leighton Reservoir, Druid's Temple and Sole Beck | 4.4 | A quiet countryside walk in the beauty of Lower Wensleydale with an intriguing folly being the central objective. |
| Masham, Ripon Rowel, Shaws Bridge, River Burn and River Ure | 4.7 | A delightful easy stroll in the heart of North Yorkshire with two lovely riversides to follow along the way. |
| Timble village and Swinsty Reservoir | 4.7 | A walk in Upper Washburn from the village of Timble to Swinsty Reservoir makes for a perfect half day stroll. |
| 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. |
| South Stainley and Burton Leonard Lime Quarries | 5.1 | A five mile walk from South Stainley to Burton Leonard which includes a visit to a spectacular Yorkshire Wildlife Trust site. |
| Osmotherley and Cod Beck | 5.3 | A short walk around the popular Osmotherley area on the edge of the North York Moors. |
| Brandsby-cum-Stearsby, Skewsby, Whenby and Foulrice | 5.3 | A short walk around pretty villages and countryside on the south edge of the Howardian Hills. |
| Boroughbridge, Milby, Kirby Hill and Devil's Arrows | 5.4 | A varied terrain walk of town, countryside, riverside, old buildings and pre-historic monoliths. |
| 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. |
| Grewelthorpe, Horsepasture Hill, Nutwith Common, River Nidd and Limehouse Hill | 6.7 | A spectacular section of the River Ure is followed on this great route near Masham. |
| 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. |
| Crackpots Mosaic Trail | 7.0 | A walk to find 22 mosaic tiles in the countryside east of Kirby Malzeard Moor and Dallowgill Moor. |
| Great Timble, Ellarcarr Pike, Lippersley Pike, Gawk Hill Gate and Timble Ings | 7.0 | A high level walk on the moorlands west of Harrogate on the Wharfedale and Washburn Valley watershed. |
| Ripon, Hell Wath Nature Reserve, Studley Park and Studley Roger | 7.1 | A walk starting from Ripon Cathedral which explores the beautiful countryside on the west side of the city. |
| 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. |
| Spofforth Countryside | 8.1 | Walk the wonderful countryside around Spofforth, Kirkby Overblow and Sicklinghall. |
| 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. |
| Dallow Moor, Dallowgill Moor and Skelding Moor | 10.2 | One of North Yorkshire's wonderful moorland walks close to Ripon and Pateley Bridge. |
| Lofthouse, Dale Edge, Scar House Reservoir and How Stean Beck | 10.5 | A walk in Upper Nidderdale, featuring moorland edges and Scar House Reservoir and with a walk along How Stean Beck. |
| 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. |
| Sanctuary Way, Ripon | 10.9 | My brother Dave and I walk the Sanctuary Way, a walk which circumnavigates the City of Ripon. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
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)
