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Trail running routes in North York Moors

Heather moorland, sea cliffs and the Cleveland Way: big skies, honest running and an Esk Valley railway that drops you at the start.

7
Routes
23.9km
Avg distance
3,574m
Total ascent

Areas

Cleveland HillsEsk ValleyEskdaleHambleton HillsTabular HillsWhitby Coast

Which route should I choose?

7 routes in North York Moors, from 8.7 km to 48.3 km. If it is your first time here, start with the easy group below. Every route has a free GPX file, a TRP grade and a note on parking and transport.

Checked: 7 run by TRP. Each route page says which.

First trail run here

Low effort, easy ground, shortest first.

A long day out

Over 25 km. Take food, take a map.

Firm underfoot in wet weather

Lowest mud rating in the region.

By train or bus

Starts you can reach without a car.

Compare all 7 routes in one table
RouteDistanceClimbGradeGroundGetting there
Osmotherley, Cleveland Way and Cod Beck Reservoir8.7 km193 mModeratemoorlandDrive, parking listed
Hole of Horcum11.0 km239 mModeratemoorlandDrive, parking listed
Whitby and Sandsend Coast16.1 km302 mModeratecoastalBus or train
Roseberry Topping from Guisborough17.3 km514 mHardfellBus or train
Great Fryup Dale from Yorkshire Cycle Hub25.4 km660 mHardmoorlandBus or train
Helmsley, Cleveland Way, White Horse and Rievaulx Abbey40.3 km651 mVery HardpathBus or train
Fryupdale Trail Marathon Route48.3 km1,015 mVery HardmoorlandBus or train
Sort:

7 routes

VERY HARD
Fryupdale Trail Marathon Route
48.3km · 1,015m climb · Loop
This crosses a string of side dales that most visitors to the Moors never see, so instead of the honeypot villages you get genuinely remote heather moorland and steep-sided dales one after another.
No car neededDog friendly
HARD
Great Fryup Dale from Yorkshire Cycle Hub
25.4km · 660m climb · Loop
You get both halves of the Moors in one loop: the green, sheltered dale of Great Fryup with its old farms, and the wide purple heather ridges that separate it from Little Fryup.
No car neededDog friendly
Checked Jul 2026
VERY HARD
Helmsley, Cleveland Way, White Horse and Rievaulx Abbey
40.3km · 651m climb · Loop
Three proper North Yorkshire landmarks - a market town, a chalk-cut white horse and a genuinely beautiful ruined abbey - linked by one of the best waymarked trails in the country.
No car neededDog friendly
MODERATE
Hole of Horcum
11.0km · 239m climb · Loop
A genuinely dramatic piece of landscape - a mile-wide natural amphitheatre - covered properly on foot rather than just glimpsed from the roadside viewpoint everyone else stops at.
Dog friendly
MODERATE
Osmotherley, Cleveland Way and Cod Beck Reservoir
8.7km · 193m climb · Loop
A short loop with serious pedigree - this is where the legendary Lyke Wake Challenge begins - through a proper North York Moors village and around a genuinely peaceful reservoir.
Good for beginnersDog friendly
HARD
Roseberry Topping from Guisborough
17.3km · 514m climb · Loop
A summit with a genuinely unusual profile - half sharp peak, half sheared-off cliff face - that Captain Cook is said to have climbed as a boy from the village right below it.
No car neededDog friendly
MODERATE
Whitby and Sandsend Coast
16.1km · 302m climb · Loop
You run the clifftop Cleveland Way from Whitby to Sandsend, high above the North Sea, with the ruined abbey behind you and the wide sweep of the bay ahead the whole way.
No car neededDog friendly

Races in North York Moors

All North York Moors races →

The next races starting in North York Moors, with runner reviews and what people wore where we have them. Train on the routes above.

24

Oct

2026

CTS North York Moors

Ravenscar, North Yorkshire · Endurancelife

Moorland and cliff from Ravenscar.

10, 24.1, 42.6 & 55.2 kmup to 1,241 m climb

HARD TO VERY HARD

Entries open

31

Oct

2026

Sutton Bank Sizzler

Sutton Bank, North Yorkshire · Hardmoors

Seven miles by headtorch off the Sutton Bank edge.

11.3 km344 m climb
Navigation requiredRuns through the night

HARD

Not open yet

7

Nov

2026

Kilburn Kanter

Kilburn Village Institute, North Yorkshire · LDWA North Yorkshire

Twenty-four miles from Kilburn round the western edge of the North York Moors: Oldstead, Cold Kirby, Hawnby, High Paradise, Boltby, Gormire, Sutton Bank and the White Horse. Two hundred places and usually full by October.

24 miles
Navigation required

Entries open

£13–£20

7

Nov

2026

Goathland Trail Races

Goathland, North Yorkshire · Hardmoors

Moor tops and steam trains out of Goathland.

Trail 10K, 25.8 km & 43.5 kmup to 977 m climb
Navigation required

HARD TO VERY HARD

Not open yet

About running in North York Moors

Heather moorland, sea cliffs and the Cleveland Way: big skies, honest running and an Esk Valley railway that drops you at the start.

Seven routes from an 8.7km loop out of Osmotherley to the 48km Fryupdale trail marathon. Roseberry Topping and the Cleveland Hills are the classic climbs, the Hole of Horcum is the moor at its most dramatic, and Whitby to Sandsend gives you cliff-top running with the sea for company. The Esk Valley line between Middlesbrough and Whitby stops at Great Ayton, Danby, Lealholm and Glaisdale, all close to routes. Heather moor is gentle underfoot but exposed, and there's little shelter once you're up. Every route has a free GPX download and an honest TRP Grade.

Safety reminder

In an emergency call 999 or 112 — ask for Police then Mountain Rescue.

No signal? Pre-register emergency SMS: text register to 999.

Safety guides →

Common questions

There are 7 trail running routes in North York Moors on Trail Running Planet, covering 6 areas. All routes include free GPX downloads and honest grading.