Baysdale Circular

A closed circular walk of 9.5 miles / 15.4 km, starting and finishing at Hob Hole Car Park. Reckon on about 5 hours 30 minutes and roughly 1,200 feet / 364 m of climbing. The official grade is moderate, and that feels fair: no scrambling, but a long day on rough upland ground with real navigation.

• From Hob Hole, head north on the road toward the Castleton junction, then turn left onto the bridleway running west high above Baysdale Beck.
• Follow the wall past a derelict barn and a signed path junction, then drop down toward Baysdale Abbey.
• Pass the bridge over the beck and follow the road through the farm area, picking up the signed field path toward the woods.
• Climb by Middle Head Intake and out onto open moor, passing the marked line near the Shooting Box and swinging around the Grain Beck valley, with views toward Stock Dale and the Esk valley.
• Turn north, descend Little Hograh Moor to John Breckton Road, and follow it back to Hob Hole.

Baysdale is a remote-feeling valley in this corner of the moors, and the walk gives you both sides of it: an intimate lower valley of grassy tracks, walls, plantation edges and working farms, then a wide moorland crossing where the dale opens out beneath you. The route runs between about 177 m down at the beck and roughly 387 m on the high moor, so the contrast is constant.

Expect a mix of firm tracks, grassy bridleway, field paths and boggy moorland. Some sections are rough or wet underfoot, and the high ground is fully exposed to wind and weather with no shelter. There are gates to work through, and the start sits beside a ford and footbridge over the beck. Boots with decent grip and a waterproof layer are sensible in any season.

This is the part to take seriously. There are multiple track and path junctions on the moor where the correct line is not obvious, and mist removes the landmarks you would otherwise steer by. Carry a map and compass or a loaded GPS track and know how to use them. Save this one for a fine, clear day.

Baysdale Abbey marks the site of a medieval Cistercian nunnery, though what stands there now is private residence and the walk passes by without any public access to the buildings. The surrounding moorland is ground-nesting bird habitat, which is why the seasonal dog rules below matter, and the farms, walls and barns along the lower dale show how this valley has been worked for centuries.

Dogs are welcome on the public rights of way used by this route, but most of the surrounding Open Access moorland does not permit dogs, so stay on the rights of way throughout. On moorland, use a lead under 2 m from 1 March to 31 July for ground-nesting birds. Keep dogs to heel or on a lead near livestock and never let them chase.

Start from Hob Hole Car Park and picnic area at the ford and footbridge over Baysdale Beck near Westerdale, reached by the single narrow road from Kildale over Warren Moor. It is a remote access point, so arrive self-sufficient with water, food and everything you need for the day. If you would rather a longer route with a different flavour, the separate Kildale to Baysdale circular starts at Kildale and takes in Warren Moor Mine.