Parking
Start at Sutton Bank National Park Centre on the A170, 5.5 miles east of Thirsk and 7.5 miles west of Helmsley. The large car park has designated accessible spaces; toilets and a cafe are on site.
Overview
About Miles without Stiles (For many) - Sutton Bank and Kilburn White Horse
A managed Miles Without Stiles route, mapped as a one-way corridor and walked by most visitors as an out and back: 3.5 miles / 5.7 km round trip, around 1 hour 35 minutes at an easy pace, with only about 41 m of ascent and 41 m of descent. It runs from the front of Sutton Bank National Park Centre to the small car park on Low Town Bank Road.
Why go
- Step-free route to the White Horse information board
- Wide firm path with benches and long views
Heads up
- Busy A170 crossing
- Unfenced escarpment edge and gliding area
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the North York Moors map
Full mapElevation243–300 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 Miles without Stiles (For many) - Sutton Bank and Kilburn White Horse, 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
Sutton Bank0:00 / 0:36
“Sutton Bank is coming up, where the moorland plateau ends abruptly above the Vale of York.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf North York Moors Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Kilburn White Horse
- Why the White Horse Needs Whitening
- The Fort Beneath the Gliders
- Why Gormire Lake Sits Below the Cliff
- 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 Miles without Stiles (For many) - Sutton Bank and Kilburn White Horse
The route in orderStart at the front of the National Park Centre and use the newer, safer crossing of the A170.
- Start at the front of the National Park Centre and use the newer, safer crossing of the A170.
- Follow the escarpment path along the cliff top, with open ground falling away to the west.
- Reach the information board at the top of the Kilburn White Horse, the natural turning point for many walkers.
- Continue, if you wish, on a higher path through trees to the small car park on Low Town Bank Road, then retrace your steps.
Difficulty and accessibilityThe route is graded For many.
The route is graded For many. The section as far as the top of the White Horse is graded For all: wide, firm and hard compacted, with no steps, gates or stiles and gentle gradients. Beyond the White Horse the character changes. The path narrows to about 1 m with no passing places, and gradients reach 1 in 10. There is also a short stretch of roughly 15 m at 1 in 8 just before the White Horse. Trampers hired from the centre turn at the White Horse information board; a personal Tramper can continue to the far car park.
Views and photographyThe walk gives long open views over the Vale of York and across the North York Moors, and…
The walk gives long open views over the Vale of York and across the North York Moors, and passes alongside the Yorkshire Gliding Club airfield, where gliders are often part of the scene. The White Horse itself is a turf-cut figure about 96 m long and 70 m high, dating from 1857. From the escarpment path you cannot see it face-on, so treat it as a chance to appreciate its scale and setting rather than a postcard shot. Benches and viewpoints along the way make good stopping points for photographs of the vale below.
Parking and facilitiesStart and finish at the National Park Centre, which has a large car park including designated…
Start and finish at the National Park Centre, which has a large car park including designated accessible spaces. On site there are toilets, including a RADAR-key accessible toilet, plus a shop and cafe, and Tramper mobility scooters are available for hire.
Safety and dogsTake care at the A170 crossing, which uses a busy main road.
- Take care at the A170 crossing, which uses a busy main road.
- Part of the route runs beside an unfenced escarpment edge; keep well back from the drop.
- Never enter the airfield or landing area. Gliders can approach silently from any direction.
- Keep dogs on a lead and on the path for the whole route.
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.
