Restaurant · North York Moors National Park
Open fires and vast moorland views at a 16th-century ridge-top freehouse
Overview
Perched high on Blakey Ridge at around 1,325 feet, this 16th-century family-run freehouse has been serving travellers since the 1550s. It sits alone on open moorland with Farndale falling away to the west and Rosedale to the east, so the drive in is part of the appeal: miles of heather, dry-stone walls and big sky before the long, low building appears beside the road. Inside it is the opposite of the exposed landscape outside, with original low beams, thick stone walls and open fires.
Parkwolf’s verdictWhy stop hereMap
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
North York Moors Tour Guide
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
The Lion Inn, Blakey Ridge“You're coming up on the Lion Inn, sitting alone on Blakey Ridge between Farndale and Rosedale.”
Plays as you drive up to The Lion Inn, Blakey Ridge in the Parkwolf North York Moors Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
This is one of the best-known Coast to Coast stops, sitting near the summit of the ridge with the high moorland crossings on either side. It works equally well as a base for local walks past nearby howes and burial mounds and the old cross on the ridge. Practical touches include 13 bedrooms with breakfast included, tea and coffee facilities and TV in the rooms, some dog-friendly rooms on request, secure cycle storage and free Wi-Fi.
Wildlife
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 mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across North York Moors. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ModerateMiles without Stiles (For some) - Rosedale Railway and Kilns14.6 km · 3.9 hr · 0.9 km awayNine level miles of old railway to Rosedale's 16-arch ironstone kilns
ModerateGreat Fryup Dale and Glaisdale Moor9.3 km · 4 hr · 2.4 km awaySteep bracken descent into a quiet dale, then flagged open moorland
EasyFarndale Daffodil Walk5.6 km · 2 hr · 4.5 km awayWild daffodils line the River Dove on an easy 3.5-mile dale loopEasyMiles without Stiles (For some) - Farndale Daffodil Walk6 km · 1.6 hr · 4.5 km awaySurfaced riverside walk to Church Houses through wild daffodil meadows
ModerateRosedale Abbey and Blakey Ridge Circular Walk10 km · 3.8 hr · 5.9 km awayRiverside fields climb to an old ironstone railway high above RosedaleModerateRosedale Walk12.1 km · 5 hr · 5.9 km awayPriory ruins, dale farms and an old ironstone railway: 12 km loop
EasyMiles without Stiles (For many) - Rosedale Mineral Railway2 km · 1 hr · 6.1 km awayLevel cinder railway past ironstone kilns to a bench above Rosedale
ChallengingRudland Rigg, Cockayne, Bilsdale East Moor and Bransdale19 km · 5 hr · 7.3 km awayOld drove road ridge, hidden dale hamlet and a long moor returnParkwolf’s North York Moors ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
