Great Fryup Dale from Yorkshire Cycle Hub
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.
Mostly on runnable ground, but most runners still walk the steepest climbs.
A 25.6km loop from Yorkshire Cycle Hub into Great Fryup Dale, linking the Esk Valley floor with the heather moor ridges above. Big, open North York Moors running on a mix of dale path and moorland track.
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.
The route
Start from The Yorkshire Cycle Hub in the Esk Valley and head south into Great Fryup Dale. The route runs 25.6km, dropping through the dale before climbing onto the moorland ridges that divide Great and Little Fryup, then working back to Danby. It is a route of two characters: the intimate, farmed dale bottom and the open, exposed moor above, each with its own feel underfoot.
The moor
The high ground is classic North York Moors: heather as far as you can see, sandy and peaty track, and the long views that come with a flat-topped moor. Danby Rigg and the ridge between the two Fryup dales carry the route across this ground, past old boundary stones and cairns. In August the heather turns the whole plateau purple, which is the moor at its best, though the same ground is bleak and wind-scoured when the weather is in.
Why it works
This is a substantial loop that shows off the range of the Moors without needing a summit. The dale sections are green and sheltered with good path; the moor sections are open and can be boggy and rough after rain, with some navigation needed where tracks branch on the tops. It suits a long steady run or a hard training day, and the Esk Valley setting makes it feel remote despite the railway threading the valley below. Save the exposed ridges for a clear day, carry proper kit for the moor, and check the forecast, as this ground offers little shelter. The lower estate sections make a good family outing on their own if you want a shorter day, with the show cave and the nature trail giving younger legs a reason to keep moving. Danby, with the National Park centre, makes a good base. Come in late summer for the heather and the loop is at its best, with the added bonus of the railway making a car-free day genuinely easy.
The moor ridges are exposed and offer no shelter, with boggy, rough ground after rain and branching tracks that need a map in poor visibility. Grouse shooting affects the moors between August and December.
Safety on this route
- No signal? Text 999 — pre-register first: text register to 999
- Tell someone your route and expected return time before you head out
Leave No Trace
- Leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but memories.
- Please respect the countryside and all its inhabitants.
- Dogs on leads near livestock, and around ground-nesting birds from March to July.
- Gates as you find them — open or closed, leave it that way for the farmer and the next runner.
- Take it all home — wrappers, peel, tissue, the lot. It doesn't count as biodegradable if you can still see it.
- Stick to the path where the ground either side is wet, planted, or nesting habitat.
Common questions
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