Roseberry Topping

Overview

About Roseberry Topping

Why stop

Distinctive summit with broad views across Cleveland and the coast

Heads up

Short climb is steep, with slippery footing after rain

A lone, half-collapsed cone rising to 1,050 feet (320m), visible for miles and repaid by a full 360-degree panorama from the top. On a clear day the view runs over the Cleveland Hills, the farmland of North Yorkshire, the Captain Cook Monument and out to the coast.

Parkwolf’s verdictWhy stop

Map

Where it is

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SightRoseberry Topping54.50540, -1.10722

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Plan your stop

Before you go

Best time to go

Weekends and school holidays bring steady queues on the steps and a busy car park, so early morning or a weekday gives the quietest ascent. Late spring pairs bluebells in Newton Wood with long daylight, while crisp, settled days in autumn and winter usually deliver the sharpest long-distance visibility. Arrive early for parking on fine weekends, and allow extra time if the ground is wet.

Access and terrain

Main car park sits off the A173 at Newton under Roseberry, with a fee payable.
Car park toilets include an accessible toilet, usually open daily April to October and at weekends November to March.
Great Ayton is about one mile away on foot, and bus service 18 serves Newton-under-Roseberry.
The path is uneven, steep and often muddy, with stone steps on the main ascent. Wheelchair and pushchair access is difficult because of the steep, uneven ground.
Dogs are welcome on a short lead near livestock and close to the steep drops near the summit.

8 active North York Moors alerts

ClosureHawnby Bridleway 110 closurePublic Bridleway 25.122/110/1 in Hawnby is closed to pedestrians, cyclists and equestrians because its bridge is unsafe. - The closure is between grid references SE 5309 9073 and SE 5335 9097.Official details
ClosureWest Ayton Footpath 1 closurePublic Footpath 1 in West Ayton (Forge Valley) is temporarily closed because its boardwalk is unsafe. - The closure is between SE 9860 8494 and SE 9839 8712.Official details

See all 8 alerts

A park ranger sits on a dash-mounted phone, talking, as Parkwolf’s Tour Guide plays “Army Cutworm Moths: A Grizzly Bear Buffet” on Grand Loop Road below Dunraven Pass in Yellowstone — Parkwolf Tour GuideThe highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.

North York Moors Tour Guide

Your drive to Roseberry Topping, narrated.

Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for North York Moors National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.

Recorded for this place

Roseberry Topping

0:00 / 0:38

“You're coming up on Roseberry Topping, the jagged cone that stands alone above the fields near Newton under Roseberry.”

Plays as you drive up to Roseberry Topping in the Parkwolf North York Moors Tour Guide.

More about Roseberry Topping

What to doWalk to the summit from the car park at Newton under Roseberry, typically 30 minutes to one…

Walk to the summit from the car park at Newton under Roseberry, typically 30 minutes to one hour up.
Loop back through Newton Wood, with centuries-old oak and ash and a bluebell display in spring.
Detour into Cliff Ridge Wood to spot remnants of the narrow-gauge railway that served Cliff Rigg Quarry.
Bring binoculars: the summit and woods make a natural spot for long looks at weather rolling across the moors.

Honest drawbacksThe climb is short but genuinely steep, and the descent can be slippery after rain, which is…

The climb is short but genuinely steep, and the descent can be slippery after rain, which is when most people find the steps hardest going. Views depend entirely on visibility, so low cloud can erase the main reason for coming. Wind at the top is often much stronger than in the car park.

Geology and historyThe Cleveland Dyke formed roughly 59 million years ago, when magma cooled underground into hard…

The Cleveland Dyke formed roughly 59 million years ago, when magma cooled underground into hard whinstone. Quarrying began in 1869, producing setts and road aggregate, and the quarry is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest for its geological interest. The hill's dramatic bare face is linked in local accounts to a mining-related collapse, which is why the profile looks sheared off rather than smoothly conical.

WildlifeSpring: migrating warblers arriving in the woodland.

Spring: migrating warblers arriving in the woodland.
Summer: butterflies on the slopes, plus roe deer and brown hares.
Winter: tits, treecreepers and nuthatches, with fieldfares and redwings feeding on rowan and hawthorn berries.

Wildlife

Wildlife in North York Moors

All North York Moors wildlife maps

15 sightingsEurasian OtterMost seen around 7 PMSighting map

10 sightingsRed DeerMost seen around 7 AMSighting map

79 sightingsGrey SealMost seen around noonSighting map

26 sightingsWestern Barn OwlMost seen around 7 PMSighting map

33 sightingsEuropean BadgerMost seen around 7 PMSighting map

10 sightingsMute SwanMost seen around noonSighting map

Sighting maps show where each species has been reported across North York Moors. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.