Cold Moor and Urra Moor Walk

This is a complete closed loop, 14.33 km / 8.9 miles, starting and finishing at Chop Gate Village Hall car park. Expect roughly 454 m of ascent and a realistic 5 to 5.5 hours at a steady pace with stops. It is graded moderate, and that feels about right: nothing technical, but plenty of sustained climbing and a lot of time on open, exposed ground.

You leave the village and climb onto the Cold Moor ridge, which is the first real effort of the day and sets you up high early. The ridge carries you north through heather to the Wainstones, the weathered sandstone outcrops that are the visual centrepiece of the walk. From there the route turns out across open moorland toward Urra Moor and its high, wide-open ground, then works back down through the William Beck area and returns to Chop Gate. Elevation runs from 162 m at the car park to about 394 m at the highest sampled point, and the low points at each end mean you finish with a descent rather than a sting in the tail.

The payoff is space. Broad heather moorland, ridge lines that keep giving you something to look at, and long views over Bilsdale and the surrounding Cleveland Hills. The Wainstones themselves are rough, blocky sandstone standing clear of the heather, and they are worth slowing down for. Urra Moor is a different flavour: less drama, more sky, big rolling high ground.

Surfaces are rough grassy and heather paths, uneven rocky ground around the Wainstones, and peat that turns genuinely boggy after wet spells. There are steep ascents and descents. Wear proper boots. Between the steep grades, rough ground, boggy sections and rocky footing, this is a demanding walk for anyone who needs smooth or level surfaces.

Long sections are fully exposed with no shelter from wind or sun, and the open tops can lose visibility quickly. Carry a map and compass as a backup rather than relying on a phone alone, and be honest with yourself about turning back if the cloud comes down on the high ground. Clear weather is what makes this route worth the effort, because the views are most of the reward.

Ground-nesting birds are the thing to be aware of, particularly in spring and early summer. Dogs are welcome on the route under control, but use a short lead around livestock and from 1 March to 31 July for nesting birds. Start and finish parking is at Chop Gate Village Hall car park.

The drawbacks are real: it is a long day with two significant climbs, the ground can be wet and tiring, and in poor visibility you lose the views that justify the distance. If you want something gentler in the same broader area, the Lord Stones Walk is a shorter and easier moorland circuit.