Parking
Start at Osmotherley Market Cross and the village green, using legal village parking. Do not use the limited Cod Beck Reservoir car park as the default start for this longer loop; roadside parking there is restricted by a two-mile clearway.
Overview
About Osmotherley and Cod Beck
A complete closed loop of 5.1 miles (8.2 km) starting and finishing at the Market Cross and village green in Osmotherley. Distance follows the mapped line for the whole circuit, so an older rounding of 5.3 miles describes the same walk rather than a different version. Allow about 2.5 hours with ordinary stops, and expect roughly 250 m of ascent.
Why go
- Varied moorland, reservoir and woodland in one loop
- Broad Vale of Mowbray views from the upper ground
Heads up
- 250 m of ascent with an exposed moorland stretch
- Village parking can be constrained
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the North York Moors map
Full mapElevation146–296 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 Osmotherley and Cod Beck, 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
Mount Grace Priory0:00 / 0:30
“You're coming up on the access road for Mount Grace Priory, tucked away beyond the main road.”
Plays on the road 1.9 km from the trailhead in the Parkwolf North York Moors Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Cod Beck Reservoir and Sheep Wash
- Black Hambleton from Square Corner
- The Bells of Mount Grace
- The Meal Through the Wall
- 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 Osmotherley and Cod Beck
The sequenceThe payoff is the contrast: broad views over the Vale of Mowbray and towards the hills of the…
The payoff is the contrast: broad views over the Vale of Mowbray and towards the hills of the Yorkshire Dales from the moor top, then sheltered water and woodland on the way back.
- Leave the village green and climb steadily on Ruebury Lane, then Ruebury Hill, gaining height quickly above the rooftops.
- Cross open moorland past a microwave radio station and out over Scarth Wood Moor, the most exposed part of the day.
- Drop to the north end of Cod Beck Reservoir, then follow an old track through conifer plantation and into mixed woodland.
- Return by Green Lane and a section of the Cleveland Way, finishing beside Cod Beck as it runs back into Osmotherley.
Difficulty and footingRated 5 out of 10, a substantial but ordinary day walk rather than a technical hike.
Rated 5 out of 10, a substantial but ordinary day walk rather than a technical hike. The work is front loaded in the sustained pull out of the village. Surfaces change often, from village lane and firm track to moorland path and woodland trail, so ankle support and grip help more than anything technical. Scarth Wood Moor has no shelter from wind or sun, and the moor can hold water after wet spells. Wayfinding is straightforward, with the radio station, the reservoir and the Cleveland Way waymarking all acting as clear reference points, but carry a map for the open moorland section where paths cross.
Dogs and accessDogs are welcome on the public rights of way here under close control.
Dogs are welcome on the public rights of way here under close control. On moorland, keep dogs on the rights of way rather than roaming across open access land, since most grouse moorland does not allow dogs away from the path. Use a short lead near livestock, on lanes and around the reservoir, and follow any signs on the ground.
Parking, and a shorter optionPark in Osmotherley and walk the loop from the village.
Park in Osmotherley and walk the loop from the village. Parking at Cod Beck Reservoir is very limited and roadside parking is prohibited along a two mile clearway, so treating the reservoir as the trailhead often does not work. If you want something much easier, there is a separate reservoir circuit of about 1.5 miles taking around an hour, wide, well surfaced and mostly flat within the boundary fence, with its own parking north of the water. It is a genuinely different walk and does not include the moorland climb described here.
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.
