Parking
Use the free Danby Head car park beside the Millennium Stone. The walk starts with the road north from the car park and returns by road.
Overview
About Great Fryup Dale and Glaisdale Moor
A circular loop of 9.3 km (5.8 miles) starting and finishing at the free Danby Head car park, beside the Millennium Stone. Allow about 4 hours. Around 3 km of the total is road walking, and the route climbs about 275 m and descends about 277 m, moving between roughly 162 m and 421 m between the moor top and the dale head.
Why go
- Big views from Yew Grain Scar over Great Fryup Dale
- Contrasting dale, heather moor and flagged causeway
Heads up
- About 3 km of road walking
- Steep bracken sections and an indistinct line in high summer
- Exposed moorland and stream crossings
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the North York Moors map
Full mapElevation168–417 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
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
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
North York Moors Tour Guide
Your drive to Great Fryup Dale and Glaisdale Moor, 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 trailhead
Danby Head and Great Fryup Dale0:00 / 0:27
“You're approaching Danby Head, the start of a demanding loop through Great Fryup Dale and Glaisdale Moor. The path drops through rough bracken into the dale, then climbs back to a stone-flagged causeway across open moor.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf North York Moors Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The Merlin's Low Chase
- Young Ralph Cross, Blakey Ridge
- The Lion Inn, Blakey Ridge
- Blakey Junction and the Rosedale Railway
- 298 audio storiesacross North York Moors’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Eurasian Otter, Red Deer, Grey Seal, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 126 trails, 65 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“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!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Great Fryup Dale and Glaisdale Moor
The walk in sequenceThe route sets out on road, then turns onto a bridleway that drops through bracken and farmland…
The route sets out on road, then turns onto a bridleway that drops through bracken and farmland near Woodhead Farm and Wood End Farm, crossing a stream on boards. It works along the head of Great Fryup Dale, passing the viewpoints at Yew Grain Scar and the hummocky ground known as The Hills, crosses a second stream on boards, and climbs back out. The later part crosses open Glaisdale Moor on the flagged George Gap causeway, with a road section returning you to Danby Head.
Difficulty and effortRated moderate to hard (6/10).
Rated moderate to hard (6/10). The distance is modest, but there are steep ascents and descents, rough bracken and grass underfoot on the bridleway, two stream crossings on boards, and open, exposed moorland.
Terrain and footingExpect variety and some rough going:
Expect variety and some rough going:
Route-finding needs attention where bracken and rough vegetation obscure the line, so carry a map and compass or a GPS track for the dale head and the open moor.
- Rough grass and bracken on the bridleway around the dale head
- Two stream crossings on boards
- Stone-flagged causeway across open Glaisdale Moor
- Tarmac for roughly a third of the walk
Views and sceneryA quiet walk with a contrast between high moorland and enclosed dale.
A quiet walk with a contrast between high moorland and enclosed dale. Yew Grain Scar gives broad views over Great Fryup Dale, while The Hills are irregular hummocks formed by glacial landslide, seen from the bridleway alongside them. Heather, bracken, rough grass, field walls and wide dale views make up the scenery.
Dogs, livestock and rights of wayDogs may use the public rights of way on this route.
Dogs may use the public rights of way on this route. They should generally stay on those rights of way and be kept on a short lead or at heel, particularly from 1 March to 31 July and near livestock. The route passes farmland with grazing animals, so gates and lead control matter throughout.
Parking and accessStart at the free Danby Head car park by the Millennium Stone.
Start at the free Danby Head car park by the Millennium Stone. There is no formal accessibility classification for this route, and the bridleway sections are rough and steep in places.
Wildlife
Wildlife in North York Moors
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.
