Parking
Hutton le Hole National Park car park (YO62 6UB/6UA), start and finish; public toilets, including an accessible toilet with a RADAR key.
Overview
About Hutton-le-Hole and Lastingham Circular Walk
Why go
- Two historic villages and Lastingham's Norman crypt
- Sweeping views from the Spaunton escarpment
Heads up
- Muddy or slippery field paths after rain
- Short road sections and a fairly steep woodland ascent
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the North York Moors map
Full mapElevation98–183 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Best time to go
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 Hutton-le-Hole and Lastingham Circular Walk, 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
Hutton-le-Hole and Ryedale Folk Museum0:00 / 0:32
“Up ahead is Hutton-le-Hole, where a beck winds through a broad green grazed by sheep. A village wander can be brief, but give Ryedale Folk Museum around three hours if local history interests you.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf North York Moors Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- St Mary's Church, Lastingham
- The Sundial That Dates a Church
- Three Heathers, One Purple Moor
- The Road Across Rudland Rigg
- 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 Hutton-le-Hole and Lastingham Circular Walk
The Route in BriefA loop of about 4 miles / 6.4 km, usually walked in around 2 hours 30 minutes.
A loop of about 4 miles / 6.4 km, usually walked in around 2 hours 30 minutes. It starts and finishes at the Hutton le Hole National Park car park (grid reference SE 705 902), so you can leave the car once and walk the whole thing without retracing your steps.
Sequence and PayoffFrom Hutton le Hole, with its open green and the beck running through it, the walk heads out…
From Hutton le Hole, with its open green and the beck running through it, the walk heads out along the edge of the moors towards Lastingham. A short detour there takes you to St Mary's, where the eleventh-century crypt is the atmospheric highlight of the day. The return climbs out onto the southern edge of Spaunton Moor and crosses fields and paths by way of Austin Head, with sweeping views from the Spaunton escarpment before the drop back into the village.
Difficulty and FootingThis is a moderate walk rather than a strenuous one, but it is not flat.
This is a moderate walk rather than a strenuous one, but it is not flat. Expect quiet fields, country lanes and moorland tracks, plus woodland sections that include a fairly steep ascent. Surfaces vary and are not made up throughout, so field paths and tracks can be muddy and slippery after rain. Boots with grip are sensible in any season. There are gates rather than stiles along the way.
Roads and NavigationThere is a short section on a minor moorland road, along with stretches of country lane, so…
There is a short section on a minor moorland road, along with stretches of country lane, so keep alert for occasional vehicles and walk facing traffic where there is no verge. Carrying the OS map or a GPS track helps at field boundaries and where paths cross open ground.
Access, Facilities and DogsPark at the Hutton le Hole National Park car park (postcode YO62 6UB), which is pay and display.
- Park at the Hutton le Hole National Park car park (postcode YO62 6UB), which is pay and display.
- Public toilets are available at the car park, including an accessible toilet opened with a RADAR key.
- Dogs should be kept under control throughout, and on a short lead near livestock and game birds.
- On the moorland sections, dogs must stay on the public right of way and be on a short lead or kept to heel.
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.
