Fryupdale Trail Marathon Route

The route

Based on the Hardmoors series format, this route runs through the network of side dales that drain into the River Esk from the southern moors: Great Fryup Dale gives the route its name, with Glaisdale and the moor above Lealholm also part of the loop. It's a long day rather than a technical one, gaining just over 1,000m over the full distance in a series of steady climbs out of each dale rather than one sustained pull.

The side dales

What makes this part of the North York Moors distinctive is the repeating pattern of steep-sided dales cutting into the moor, each with its own small becks and scattered farms. Great Fryup Dale in particular has a reputation among Moors regulars as one of the most atmospheric and least-visited of these valleys, with heather moor closing in above the intake fields on both sides.

Underfoot

The going alternates between good valley paths and rougher moorland tracks, with heather and peat underfoot on the higher sections between dales. None of it is technical, but the cumulative effect of repeated climbs and descents over nearly 50km — more than 1,000m of ascent in total — adds up to a serious day.

Why it's worth the effort

Routes like this reward runners who want genuine solitude over convenience - there's no crowd here, no honeypot village at the halfway point, just a long day across some of the most overlooked ground in the National Park. It suits anyone training for an autumn ultra who wants time on their feet over technical terrain that isn't the Lake District or Snowdonia.

Getting it right

This is genuinely remote in places, with long stretches between villages and limited phone signal on the moor tops. Carry more food and water than the distance alone might suggest, and treat the moorland sections with proper respect for weather and visibility - this is easy country to underestimate from a map.