Rievaulx Moor - Helmsley, North Yorkshire
An excellent circular walk of about 4-5 miles that takes in the start of the North York Moors, three miles north of Helmsley and offers some fantastic views of the changing landscape and is an ideal way to spend a Sunday afternoon after a large lunch and is suitable for ages an levels of competence.
The North York Moors are the largest continuous area of moorland in the country and three quarters of the worlds moorland areas can be found in Great Britain. They are also home to a lot of nesting birds such as the curlews, lapwings, merlin and golden plover so it is always best to stick to the pathways and not disturb the natural habitat. This also applies to anyone with a dog. Dogs are not allowed on the North York Moors, but they can be taken on the right of ways, providing they are kept on a short lead.
The circular walk round Rievaulx Moor can begin at either the car park located just off the B1257 down Newgate Bank on the west side of the Moor or on the east side which is accessible via a farm lane that heads north out of Helmsley passed the outdoor swimming pool. Both have ample car parking which very rarely fill up. My personal preference is to start from the east and head west as there are public conveniences at the B1257 side, which makes it and ideal half way stop off point.
From the car park follow the moorland path west which follows the contours of the bank for just over two miles. The path is fairly well drained but proper walking footwear is recommended. On the way you will get stunning views of Helmsley Moor to the south, and excellent views of the North York Moors to the north. When we walked the route in early September, there were a large number of dragonflies on route and you will no doubt come across other wildlife as well.
Once at the end of the moorland part of the walk, you enter into the forest and walk for about a quarter of a mile until you reach the start of the other car park. From this point you head north following the bridle way path which goes round the left side of the car park passed a brick tower/view point with a wooden fence. From here the bridleway descends down a narrow path into the forest until you join the main track which leads through the forest. From here you head east up the bank with the tall forest trees on both sides until you come out and there is just the forest on the right hand side and you can see the moors again to your left.
The track then follows the outside of the forest for about a mile before you head into the forest. It is not long before you reach a crossroads at which you take a right and follow the narrow road back up the bank for about quarter of a mile until you reach the car park and the starting point for the walk. The walk should take no more than two to three hours and anyone can do it.
This entry was posted on Monday September 8th, 2008 at 9:28 PM and is filed under Places to Walk. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response.
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