Highcliff Nab and Guisborough Moor Circular

You set off into Guisborough Forest on broad tracks, passing the Blue Lake area and working through woodland before reaching Hutton Village. From there the route climbs through Highcliff Wood and out onto open moorland to Highcliff Nab, then continues along the moor edge to the Hanging Stone before descending and returning along the walkway to the visitor centre. Part of the route follows a section of the Cleveland Way. The payoff is the crag itself and the long view from its top, so keep something in reserve for the second half.

Call it moderate to hard, about 6 out of 10. Nothing is technical, but it is a genuine half day with sustained climbing, some steep pitches, and moorland footing that asks more of your legs than the forest tracks do.

Wayfinding is straightforward in the forest where tracks are wide, but junctions are numerous, and once you are on the moor the paths are thinner and easier to lose. Carry a map or a downloaded route rather than relying on memory. Boots with real grip are worth it for the steep and muddy sections.

• Surfaces change from firm forest tracks to narrower paths, open fields and rougher moorland ground.
• The final ascent from the cattle grid is very steep, narrow and worn. If you would rather not tackle it, starting your return from the cattle grid is the gentler choice.
• The descent from the Hanging Stone can be steep and muddy, and there are places where you may want a hand on the rock.
• The moor-edge section is open to wind and weather with little shelter, so carry a layer even on a promising day.

Highcliff Nab is a layered sandstone crag, a large deltaic sandstone slab sitting over Jurassic layers, with an ironstone vein visible in the rock face. From the top the view opens over Guisborough, out to Roseberry Topping and Captain Cook's Monument, across Teesside and back into the moors. Along the way you move through woodland, heather moorland and open fields, with the industrial heritage of the Cleveland Ironstone Formation woven through the landscape.

Dogs are welcome in the Forestry England forest as long as they are under control. Out on the North York Moors moorland, keep dogs on public rights of way, and use a short lead of under 2 m from 1 March to 31 July to protect ground-nesting birds. Keep dogs on a short lead around livestock at any time of year.

Start from the Guisborough Forest & Walkway Visitor Centre, Pinchinthorpe, Guisborough TS14 8HD, with the car park entrance off the A173. The large car park is council-managed and pay-and-display, and there is a cafe and toilets at the visitor centre area.

Roseberry Topping is close by and makes a more compact outing if you want a landmark summit without the full day. This circuit is the fuller version, combining woodland, moorland and crag in one loop.