Activities in the North York Moors

04 August 2010

Magical moorland and delightful dales, this is Ryedale, North Yorkshire.

With over 1,400 miles (almost 2,300 km) of paths and tracks to choose from this wonderful corner of North Yorkshire is overflowing with opportunities for walking, cycling and horse riding. The only potential problem is knowing where to begin!

The North York Moors offers some of the best horse riding terrain in the country. As well as over 500 miles of bridleways, there are cross-country tracks, riding schools and trekking centres, and two promoted long distance trails. The Newtondale Horse Trail is signposted and takes the rider through forest tracks, rolling fields and open moorland between the towns of Pickering and Grosmont. The BHS Heritage Ride is a 350 mile ride which starts in Lincolnshire and finishes in the seaside town of Whitby, on which you get to ride some of our area's most stunning countryside. Whether you have a horse or not, you won't be disappointed if you come riding with us!

Finding Your Way

The National Park Authority looks after the public rights of way network within the North York Moors and waymarks paths using the national colour coding system:

Public footpath - walkers only
Public bridleway - walkers and horse-riders, cyclists too, but give way to other users
Byway - all traffic. Drivers please give way
Concessionary path - Not a public right of way, but the landowner invites you to enjoy it.

Too many waymarks and signs can be intrusive though, so we try to use them sparingly, especially on open moorland where posts can spoil the very quality of remoteness and isolation which visitors cherish.

So that you know where you're heading, get hold of an up to date map of the area. Ordnance Survey Explorer maps are updated every 3 years or so, including new bridleways and path diversions, and with field boundaries shown they make navigation relatively easy:

SHEET OL26 covers the western half of the National Park
SHEET OL27 for the eastern half

There are a host of route guides available, providing everything from a short town stroll to 110 miles of National Trail, from technical mountain biking to a two to three day trek on horse-back.