Parking
Start at East Row Car Park in Sandsend. This is a point-to-point route, so arrange a pickup, second vehicle or public-transport return from the Rake Farm bridge area in Glaisdale.
Overview
About Mulgrave Way
The Mulgrave Way is a 9 mile one way, point-to-point walk across the Mulgrave Estate, starting at East Row Car Park in Sandsend and finishing at the Rake Farm bridge area in Glaisdale, where the route joins the Esk Valley Walk. The waymarked line measures close to 8.8 miles (about 14.2 km) on the current manager mapping, which matches the rounded official 9 mile figure. There is no circular option here, so plan the return before you set off.
Why go
- Connects the coast to the Esk Valley
- Varied woods, fields, bridges and big views
- A clear waymarked linear story
Heads up
- Point-to-point transport logistics are unavoidable
- Road crossings, gates, stiles and livestock fields interrupt the flow
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the North York Moors map
Full mapElevation19–214 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 Mulgrave Way, 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 area
A Castle Revealed in Stages0:00 / 0:27
“Near Dunsley, the approach to Mulgrave Castle was designed to keep visitors guessing.”
Plays on the road 0.9 km from the trailhead in the Parkwolf North York Moors Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Whitby’s Fossil Gem
- When Hares Box
- The Bill That Opens Shells
- The Castle Without Stone Walls
- 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 Mulgrave Way
The walk in sequenceLeave East Row car park on the green track and climb the steps through Birstly Dale wood.
- Leave East Row car park on the green track and climb the steps through Birstly Dale wood.
- Cross fields and farm drives, then continue through Dunsley Wood and past farmsteads.
- Cross fields and roads around South Lodge and West Skelder Farm.
- Follow Kitter Lane and the old drove road.
- Cross Tanner's Wood, pasture, Peel Wood, bridges and Rough Close Wood.
- Cross the A171, then continue through Moorside Plantation and fields near Egton.
- Pass through Hell Scar Woods and more bridges.
- Follow fields beside the River Esk, pass under the Esk Valley railway bridge, and reach Rake Farm bridge.
SceneryThe reward is the steady change of scene: Sandsend and coastal views at the start, wooded becks…
The reward is the steady change of scene: Sandsend and coastal views at the start, wooded becks and estate woodland in the middle, then open arable and pasture fields, hedged lanes and the Esk Valley at the finish. It was designed as a linear link between coast and countryside, and it reads that way on the ground.
Effort and surfacesExpect a long, rolling country walk on woodland paths, pasture, arable field edges, farm tracks…
Expect a long, rolling country walk on woodland paths, pasture, arable field edges, farm tracks and short lanes and roads, with gates, bridges and some stiles. Nothing is technical, but 9 miles with repeated ascents and descents and mixed footing makes this a solid moderate to hard day walk, rated 6/10. Fields can be wet or uneven, so choose footwear that copes with mud and long grass.
Crossings, gates and estate landCross the A171 with care, along with the smaller country roads on the route.
Cross the A171 with care, along with the smaller country roads on the route. The official directions include several sleeper and stone bridges, numerous gates, and a stile near Moorside Farm. The walk runs through working estate and farm land, so stay on the waymarked line, close gates behind you, and give space to estate, forestry and farm operations.
DogsDogs are allowed on this route.
Dogs are allowed on this route. Keep them on leads near livestock and during the bird nesting season.
Access, parking and return logisticsStart from East Row Car Park at Sandsend; the waymarked line begins roughly 65 m from the car…
Start from East Row Car Park at Sandsend; the waymarked line begins roughly 65 m from the car park access point. Because the finish is at Rake Farm bridge in Glaisdale, arrange a pick-up, a two-car shuttle, or a public transport return in advance. There is no single mapped destination point for the route as a whole, so navigate to the Sandsend car park and follow the waymarks from there.
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.
