Miles without Stiles (For some) - Broxa Forest

This is a circular loop of 9.2 km / about 5.7 miles, allow roughly 2 hours 20 minutes at a steady walking or rolling pace. It starts and finishes at the informal Forestry Commission car park at Reasty Hill Top, about 4.5 miles northwest of Scalby near Scarborough. Total ascent is modest at around 72 m, with the route sitting between roughly 165 m and 223 m.

A shortcut can trim about a mile, but the loop described here is the full 9.2 km version.

• From the far end of the car park, cross the road and take the short path signed Public Bridleway, then turn right onto the track.
• The first stretch runs through areas where tree felling has opened up the outlook, so you get views earlier than you would expect in a forest.
• The payoff comes at the escarpment edge, looking out over Harwood Dale.
• The return leg drops back into mixed woodland: pine and other conifers, patches of semi-natural woodland, and heath-like clearings.

Underfoot it is surfaced aggregate or tarmac forest track throughout. Gradients are mostly gentle: the steepest on the main route is 1:12 for 50 m, with other pulls up to 1:15 for up to 100 m.

This is graded Miles without Stiles - For some, which means strong and confident wheelchair users with a helper may find it within their abilities, and it may suit off-road mobility scooters. It is not a route that will work for every wheelchair user, so judge it against your own experience and equipment. Expect mud, puddles and rutting in places. If you are considering the shortcut, note it has an 80 cm barrier and a short 5 m slope at 1:3 with cross-slope up to 1:5, which is a different proposition from the long loop.

Part of the route follows the Moor to Sea Cycle Network, so expect cyclists, and occasional vehicles use these forest tracks. Walk and roll with that in mind, especially on bends where sightlines are short.

Broxa is noted nightjar habitat. The birds feed at dusk and nest on the ground in bracken, which is a good reason to keep to the tracks and to follow any signs about sensitive wildlife periods.

In Forestry England woods, dogs may be off lead only when they are effectively controlled. Use a short lead near farm animals and around cyclists, and never let a dog chase wildlife.

The Reasty Hill Top car park is informal, with an aggregate surface, around 20 spaces and no parking charge. Plan around the limited space rather than expecting facilities on site.