NORTH YORK MOORS

ESK VALLEY WALK

(LEALHOLM TO WHITBY)

The River Esk flows through this most beautiful of English valleys from high on the moors to Whitby on the coast. Its wooded gorges are punctuated by ancient stepping stones across the rivers and, if you’re in luck, the chuffing of steam trains on the nearby railway. Distance: 14 miles

Map: North York Moors (East) OL27 Route: Follow the Esk Valley Walk east from Lealholm to Whitby. The waymark logo is of a leaping salmon.

HELMSLEY TO RIEVAULX ABBEY More atmospheric medieval ruins top and tail this walk with superb woodland views over Rye Dale. Helmsley is home to an 11th-century castle and a Tudor mansion, while the 12thcentury Cistercian Abbey at Rievaulx was one of the most important monasteries in the North.

Distance: Eight miles

Map: North York Moors (West) OL26 Route: From Helmsley, take the Cleveland Way along Rye Dale before following the small road north and then east keeping the abbey on your right. Follow the wide track to Griff Farm and back to the Cleveland Way to Helmsley.

RAVENSCAR TO ROBIN HOOD’S BAY A combination of moorland and exhilarating clifftop stretches, this walk takes in Howdale Moor, the abandoned Scarborough-to-Whitby railway line, and the smugglers’ cove of Boggle Hole in Robin Hood’s Bay.

Distance: 12 miles

Map: North York Moors (East) OL27 Route: From Ravenscar, follow the path south-east across the moor and then north to the abandoned railway line, which leads all the way to beautiful Robin’s Hood’s Bay. Then head south along the coast back to Ravenscar.

SUTTON BANK TO BOLTBY Described by James Herriot as having the best views in England, Sutton Bank looks out over the Vale of Mowbray towards the Pennines, with Great Whernside in the Yorkshire Dales visible on a clear day; epic by anyone’s book. Distance: Seven miles Map: North York Moors (West) OL26 Route: From the visitor centre at Sutton Bank, take the nature trail path to Gormire Lake before heading north to the village of Boltby returning to the start along the Cleveland Way.