Walking, cycling and riding

Magical moorland - delightful dales - spectacular coastline crowned with towering cliffs - this is the North York Moors.

With over 1,400 miles (almost 2,300 km) of paths and tracks to choose from this wonderful corner of North Yorkshire is overflowing with opportunities for walking, cycling and horse riding. The only potential problem is knowing where to begin!

Walkers, cyclists and horseriders will find a warm welcome in the North York Moors and many of the towns and villages in and around the Park make great centres for active holidays. In the summer the Park's own Moorsbus network enables walkers to do linear walks as well as exploring without the hassle of a car. Pickering, just south of the National Park, is working towards becoming a recognised Walkers are Welcome Town. You can find out more from their website.

Finding your way

The National Park Authority looks after the public rights of way network within the North York Moors and waymarks paths using the national colour coding system:

Public footpath - walkers only



Public bridleway - walkers and horse-riders, cyclists too, but give way to other users



Byway - all traffic. Drivers please give way



Concessionary path - Not a public right of way, but the landowner invites you to enjoy it.


Too many waymarks and signs can be intrusive though, so we try to use them sparingly, especially on open moorland where posts can spoil the very quality of remoteness and isolation which visitors cherish.

So that you know where you’re heading, get hold of an up to date map of the area. Ordnance Survey Explorer maps are updated every 3 years or so, including new bridleways and path diversions, and with field boundaries shown they make navigation relatively easy:

• SHEET OL26 covers the western half of the National Park
• SHEET OL27 for the eastern half

There are a host of route guides available, providing everything from a short town stroll to 110 miles of National Trail, from technical mountain biking to a two to three day trek on horse-back.

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