Parking
Start and finish at Helmsley Market Place. Long-stay parking is limited, so public transport or an overnight arrangement with your accommodation is the sensible plan.
Overview
About The Inn Way to the North York Moors
A closed circular loop that begins and ends at Helmsley Market Place, covering the conventional published total of 89 miles (142 km) across the North York Moors. Six walking days is the standard plan, linking moorland ridges, wooded valleys and a string of villages with inns and pubs along the way.
Why go
- Big moorland scenery and varied dale landscapes
- Six clear stages with villages and inns along the way
Heads up
- Some sections are boggy, rough or steep
- Long stages demand good fitness and careful navigation
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the North York Moors map
Full mapElevation43–393 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 The Inn Way to the North York Moors, 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
Helmsley Castle and Town0:00 / 0:34
“Helmsley's market square is coming up, with the castle a short walk away. Inside those medieval defences, look for the surviving timber panelling and plasterwork: part of the fortress became an Elizabethan mansion.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf North York Moors Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- National Centre for Birds of Prey
- A Buzzard's Free Lift
- Helmsley's Garden with Two Purposes
- Rievaulx Terrace
- 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 The Inn Way to the North York Moors
The six stagesHelmsley to Hutton-le-Hole, 14 miles
- Helmsley to Hutton-le-Hole, 14 miles
- Hutton-le-Hole to Levisham, 13 miles
- Levisham to Egton Bridge, 15 miles
- Egton Bridge to Rosedale Abbey, 15 miles
- Rosedale Abbey to Hawnby, 16 miles
- Hawnby to Helmsley, 16 miles
Terrain and difficultyField paths, forest tracks, green lanes, quiet country lanes, heather moorland and old trods.
Field paths, forest tracks, green lanes, quiet country lanes, heather moorland and old trods. Expect rough or boggy ground, steep climbs and descents, exposed ridges and long remote stretches as the route crosses the Rosedale and Esk valleys and several moorland watersheds. Difficulty is rated 8 out of 10, so a good level of hill fitness and navigation confidence is needed.
Access and planningLong-stay parking in Helmsley is limited, so arrive by public transport or arrange overnight…
Long-stay parking in Helmsley is limited, so arrive by public transport or arrange overnight parking with your accommodation. Book beds and evening meals ahead, since villages are small and spaced a full day apart. Shops are scarce outside the larger settlements, so plan resupply and carry food and water for each stage. Take a current map or GPS track: fog can settle quickly on the tops and the moorland ridges offer few landmarks.
HighlightsKirkdale Minster and the church and crypt at Lastingham, the industrial remains and railway…
Kirkdale Minster and the church and crypt at Lastingham, the industrial remains and railway lines of Rosedale, glacial meltwater channels near Levisham, and a succession of dales, ridges and stone-built villages. The route's inns are part of its character and shape the daily rhythm of the walk.
Dogs and safetyDogs may use public rights of way, but livestock is common throughout.
Dogs may use public rights of way, but livestock is common throughout. Keep dogs under close control, stay on rights of way when crossing moorland, and use a lead no longer than 2 metres from 1 March to 31 July to protect ground-nesting birds. Carry warm and waterproof layers year round, and be ready to shorten or reroute a stage if visibility drops.
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.
