Black Hambleton Walk

The payoff is the contrast: enclosed forest and field walking early on, then open heather moorland with long views over the Vale of York and Vale of Mowbray, and the Pennines on clear days.

• Start at Square Corner car park, on the Osmotherley to Hawnby road about 2.5 miles beyond Osmotherley.
• Descend through Silton Forest, then cross lanes and farm fields using gates, stiles and a small bridge.
• Pass Nab Farm, then climb to the ridge.
• Return along the Cleveland Way and Hambleton Street, the broad old moorland track that carries you back to the start.

The grading is moderate for its length rather than its steepness, though there is one steep climb on tarmac and field toward Nab Farm. Surfaces change often, from gravel and moor tracks to a tarmac lane, grass fields and rough farm paths. Plan for gates, stiles and a stream crossing on a small bridge, and choose footwear that copes with soft ground as well as hard track.

The ridge and Hambleton Street sections are open and unsheltered, so wind and sun are felt directly. Signage is only average and moorland visibility can make route finding harder, so carry a map and compass or a GPS track and know your bail out options back to the road.

The circuit strings together three distinct landscapes: heather moorland on the tops, conifer forest at Silton, and working farmland in the middle section. Treat the moor as habitat for ground nesting birds, and expect livestock in the fields, so close gates behind you and give animals space.

The route uses public tracks, bridleways, footpaths and short road sections, so access is by public right of way. Parking is free at Square Corner on Thimbleby Moor, in the large area at the right angled bend on the Osmotherley to Hawnby road. There are no toilets at the trailhead, so plan ahead. Dogs are permitted on these rights of way, but keep them under close control, and on a short lead or at heel near livestock and nesting birds. This is not a family friendly outing, given the length, the stiles and the open moorland navigation.

Nearby Roseberry Topping is the shorter, more compact summit walk with a quick payoff. Black Hambleton is the longer, quieter alternative, with more varied forest and farmland walking on the way to its moorland high point.