North York Moors Short Walks Made Easy

Discover ten short and leisurely walks across the North York Moors National Park with ‘Short Walks Made Easy’. Perfect for beginners and seasoned walkers alike, these routes are ideal for families and young adventurers, offering enjoyable and manageable routes to explore the National Park together.

Covering 554 square miles of wonderful Yorkshire countryside, the park is an area of upland bounded by the Cleveland plain and Tees Valley to the north, the vales of York and Mowbray to the west, the Vale of Pickering to the south, and the North Sea to the east. With this guide, you can explore heather moorland, daffodil-filled valleys, historic abbeys, and stunning viewpoints, offering a rich blend of natural beauty and heritage.

North York Moors Short Walks Made Easy includes:

• 10 Accessible Walks: Suitable for the whole family.
• Conveniently Short Routes: Walks range from 2½ to 4½ miles, designed to be completed within a couple of hours and suitable for all year round. Perfect for families, casual walkers, or anyone short on time.
• Easy Planning: Each walk features an information panel with details on distance, estimated time, parking, public toilets, nearby cafes and pubs, public transport options, terrain and recommended footwear.
• Clear and Reliable Mapping: Routes include simplified large-scale mapping for ultra-clear route finding and confidence along the way.
• Numbered Points: Link maps to route descriptions, walk profiles, and photographs for each point, ensuring you know exactly where you're going.
• Enriched Walks: Captivating stories behind the walks and Nature Notes on local wildlife and plant species enhance your experience by highlighting what to look out for and learn about along the way.

About the walks:

The crowning glory of the national park is its extensive heather moorland, which in late summer becomes a beautiful expanse of pink and purple – pick the walks to Captain Cook’s Monument and from Hutton-le-Hole to witness this unforgettable sight.

In Farndale, in spring, it is a carpet of yellow daffodils that captivates visitors. The tranquilly set romantic ruin of Rievaulx Abbey, nestled in the pastoral seclusion of Ryedale, contrasts with the haunting Gothic edifice of Whitby Abbey, standing resolutely on its headland hilltop.

Magnificent views can be admired from Sutton Bank (James Herriot’s ‘finest view in England’) and from the clifftop vantage point above Robin Hood’s Bay. You can immerse yourself in the mixed woodland and open glades of Broxa Forest, catch a steam train at Goathland to complete the walk from Grosmont, and enjoy post-stroll refreshment in charming Osmotherley.