Chop Gate in Bilsdale is the start of this walk to Round Hill on Urra Moor, the highest point in the North York Moors. The moorland walking on Urra Moor is on very good paths with excellent views.
Round Hill on Urra Moor, at 454 metres, is the highest point in the North York Moors. The summit provides a fitting focus for a long walk on the Moors. I first completed the walk on a summer’s evening. Although tempted to carry on beyond Round Hill I turned back and to the lovely sunset over the moors to the west. There are not many things more enjoyable than strolling around the moors late in the day. This is partly due to the excellence of the paths, the lovely views and the enormous feeling of freedom that is enjoyed best from the higher lands. The Buck Inn at Chop Gate is an excellent place to start the walk. However be prepared for a steep climb before arriving on the moors.
Aside from walkers the other breed of person you are most likely to meet on Urra Moor are archaeologists. The most striking remain is the Face Stone, a 3 foot high slap of rock of celtic origin. However there is little agreement from the experts as to why it is there.
With warnings of a wide variety of dangers in snakes, ticks and unforgiving bogs it is a racing cert that no-one will leave the paths….despite it being Access Land (have a look at the photo with a notice board on).
Often public rights of way (the green dashes) on maps do not exactly match the paths or tracks on the hillside. There could be a number of reasons, in this case the farm tracks just bulldozed through a straight line which the public right of way was not.
I just did this walk today and, if you plan to walk it in the summer, I recommend a modification of the route. The paths through East Bank Plantation on the way up to the moor top are pretty much impassable unless you are in head to toe anti-tick gear. Both of the footpaths and even the rather disused land rover track are completely covered in chest high bracken. Attempt to bypass it by leaving the paths take you into a nightmare of fallen trees and bog. (The bog can be two feet deep – trust me, I know.) I would recommend taking the route up past Bilsdale Hall to go up and down as it is a decent bridleway and you still have an excellent circular walk on very good paths up on the moor. Once the bracken has died back, I’m sure that the route through the woods will be fine again.
Really appreciate these walks as although I live in the NYMNP it can be frustrating navigating a path not previously verified and ending up clambering through nettles, thistles and even electric fencing! Many thanks. Vivien Fisher and Border Collie Shanti!
Metres (the measure) not meters (the thing measuring). Otherwise an excellent website!
Thanks
Three of us did this walk last Thursday 8 nov 18. published in the Northern Echo on 12 April 2018. Really enjoy this route and the views. Noticed a typo in the route description near the start which could cause the wrong route taken – the view of St Hildas Church is on the left. We did the walk with Explorer OL26 and a compass. Near the start it would have been helpful in the desciption to say the lane is on the right also crosses a ford as the other minor road is also “walled” On the return leg off the escarpment on the footpath down towards the Urra farm actually meets the minor road where you go left back towards Chop Gate via the road. Road is not mentioned at all in the description although obvious once you get to this point it is the only way. Perhaps a few less compass directions and bit more desciption of the route would have been more helpful. Did the Rosedale Abbey walk (published 15th March 2018) and had the same experience regards description.
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Easy walk up mainly slabbed path from Hasty Bank, then easy across the moor on a wide path. Kids squeaking with delight at the world’s first talking grouse, it told my son & daughter “you’re weird”. For good measure it then repeated itself.
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