Parking
Start and finish in Guisborough town centre on Church Street, the documented start of the route. Arrange public town-centre parking before setting off and walk to the start; do not use private or short-stay lots without checking their terms.
Overview
About Samaritan Way
This is a strenuous, high-level moorland loop that starts and finishes in Guisborough. Leave Church Street and climb through woodland and open moor to Commondale, then cross Great Fryup Dale, Glaisdale and Farndale Moors. The return runs through Westerdale and Baysdale, crosses Kildale and the high ground around Captain Cook's Monument, and continues over Great Ayton Moor and past Belmont Farm before dropping back to Guisborough.
Expect roughly 38.6 miles and about 1,650 metres of climbing, with heather moor, rough paths, bridleways, farm tracks, lanes, gates and stream crossings. The route strings together many rights of way and rural turns rather than following one continuous waymarked path, so carry a current map or GPS. Plan it as a very long challenge or split it over multiple days.
Dogs can use the public rights of way, but most moorland open-access land is not dog-accessible off the right of way. Keep dogs under control near livestock and on a lead shorter than 2 metres on moorland from 1 March to 31 July. Exposed weather, rough or muddy ground, road sections and remote stretches make this a demanding outing.
Why go
- Varied moorland, dale and village scenery
- A satisfying long-distance loop with a memorable monument finish
Heads up
- Very long and strenuous with substantial climbing
- Exposed, muddy sections and easy-to-miss rural turns
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the North York Moors map
Full mapElevation95–409 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
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 Samaritan 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
The Tunnel for Livestock0:00 / 0:28
“One of Guisborough Forest's most surprising relics is a little tunnel under the old railway. It wasn't made for people: it let smaller livestock pass toward Lowcross Farm without crossing the tracks.”
Plays on the road 1.6 km from the trailhead in the Parkwolf North York Moors Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Guisborough Forest and Walkway
- A Pond Made by a Mine
- The Rock Beside Roseberry
- Roseberry Topping
- 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!!!!”
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.
