The North York Moors. Paddy Dillon

and Whitby. These centres can help with various enquiries, including accommodation, attractions and transport.

       Town Hall, Nicholas Street, Scarborough, YO11 2HG, tel [phone] www.discoveryorkshirecoast.com

       Langbourne Road, Whitby, YO21 1DN, tel [phone] www.discoveryorkshirecoast.com

Emergency services

      No matter the nature of the emergency, if you require the police, ambulance, fire service, mountain rescue or coastguard, the number to dial is 999 (or European number 112). Be ready to give a full account of the nature of the emergency, and give your own phone number, so that they can stay in contact with you. Callers cannot request helicopter assistance, but based on the information supplied, someone will decide if one is needed. Always carry a basic first-aid kit to deal with minor incidents, be self-sufficient in terms of food and drink and dress in or pack the appropriate clothing to cope with all weather conditions. Those venturing on to exposed moorlands need the experience and skills to cope in such an environment, as well as the common sense to turn back if things get difficult or dangerous. Think about your actions and aim to walk safely.

Using this guide

      This guidebook contains details of 50 walking routes, spread all around the North York Moors National Park. Most are circular, so that anyone using a car can return to their vehicle at the end of the walk; however, a few are linear and require the use of public transport to complete them. Together, these routes cover almost 725km (450 miles) of rich and varied countryside, taking in some of the finest and most interesting features on and near the moors. The route summary table in Appendix A is provided to help you choose between the different routes.

      Read the route descriptions carefully before setting out, and if carrying Ordnance Survey maps in addition to the extracts used in this book, be sure to take the ones listed for each walk. The essential information for each route is presented under standard headings.

      Start/Finish: usually the same place, but sometimes different.

      Distance/Ascent/Descent: given in kilometres, miles, metres and feet.

      Time: duration of the walk, but not including time spent resting, eating, etc.

      Terrain: summary of the nature of the terrain and the paths used.

      Maps: OS Landranger and OS Explorer sheet numbers.

      Refreshment: summary of pubs, restaurants and tearooms on the route.

      Transport: summary of the available buses and/or trains serving the route.

      GPX tracks

      GPX tracks for the routes in this guidebook are available to download free at www.cicerone.co.uk/951/GPX. A GPS device is an excellent aid to navigation, but you should also carry a map and compass and know how to use them. GPX files are provided in good faith, but neither the author nor the publisher accepts responsibility for their accuracy.

      The ‘Surprise View’ at Gillamoor stretches across Farndale to Spaunton Moor (Walk 7)

      THE TABULAR HILLS

      Forge Valley Woods is part of a National Nature Reserve (Walk 1)

      THE TABULAR HILLS

      The Tabular Hills stretch along the southern part of the North York Moors National Park. The land rises gently from south to north and is cut by a series of dales that leave tabular uplands between them. The gentle slopes often end abruptly at their northern ends in a series of shapely knolls, or nabs, that look out towards the rolling moorlands at the heart of the national park. From east to west, from Scarborough to Helmsley, the more prominent nabs include Barns Cliff, Langdale Rigg End, Blakey Topping, Whinny Nab, Levisham Moor, the Nab, Boonhill Common, Birk Nab, Helmsley Bank, Easterside Hill and Hawnby Hill. Prominent dales from east to west include the Forge Valley, Hole of Horcum, Newtondale, lower Rosedale, lower Farndale, Sleightholm Dale, Riccal Dale, Ash Dale, Beck Dale and lower Ryedale.

      The rocks that make up the Tabular Hills are seldom exposed but belong to the Middle Oolite Group in the Corallian series of the Jurassic period and, hence, are around 170 million years old. They are essentially a limestone and lime-rich sandstone series, porous enough to allow surface water to drain away rapidly. In the more deeply cut dales the bedrock is formed from the older Oxford Clay, which is impervious and supports the flow of rivers and streams. Some areas of the Tabular Hills have been turned over to commercial forestry. The land is very fertile and easily ploughed but the soil is often too thin to support good root crops. However, grain crops such as wheat, barley and oats are grown in rotation, and oilseed rape blazes yellow early in summer.

      As if to celebrate the distinct nature of these gentle heights, the waymarked Tabular Hills Walk has been established. It traverses the low hills and intervening dales from the coast at Scalby Mills to the bustling market town of Helmsley, a distance of 80km (50 miles). The signposts and waymarks for the route feature directional arrows and a Tabular Hills logo. The route has been designated a regional trail and is an initiative of the North York Moors National Park Authority.

      Ten walking routes through the Tabular Hills are described, including two routes around Hackness, three in the Lockton and Levisham area and one each around Hutton-le-Hole, Gillamoor, Rievaulx Moor, Helmsley and Hawnby. Some of these take in the distinctive nabs, while others wander more through the dales. From time to time, on the higher ground, it is possible to look along the range and see how the higher nabs end abruptly, and the High Moors then stretch northwards into the heart of the North York Moors.

WALK 1

      West Ayton, Hackness and the Forge Valley

Start/finish	Ye Olde Forge Valley Inn, West Ayton, SE 987 847
Distance	15km (9½ miles)
Total ascent/descent	240m (790ft)
Time	5hrs
Terrain	Easy walking along woodland paths and field paths, as well as farm tracks and minor roads
Maps	OS Landranger 101; OS Explorer OL27 South
Refreshments	Ye Olde Forge Valley Inn at West Ayton, East Ayton Lodge Hotel and Denison Arms at East Ayton, Everley Country House Café is off-route between Mowthorpe and Hackness, and Hackness Grange Hotel is off-route near Hackness
Transport	Regular Scarborough & District buses serve West and East Ayton from Scarborough, Pickering and Helmsley

      The River Derwent once flowed straight from the moors to the sea, but at the end of the Ice Age its course was blocked and water overflowed, carving out the Forge Valley, which was later choked by wildwoods. These trees were harvested for charcoal to fuel small ironworks in the 14th century. The River Derwent repeatedly flooded the low-lying Vale of Pickering, so in the 18th century the Sea Cut was engineered to take the river along its original course to the sea. This walk explores the wooded Forge Valley, takes a look at the Sea Cut and offers the chance to visit the lovely estate village of Hackness.

      Start at Ye Olde Forge Valley Inn at West Ayton. Follow the A170 road across the bridge to East Ayton and turn left along a road called Castlegate, signposted for the Forge Valley. Pass the East Ayton Lodge Hotel and walk down the road. Follow the road until