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Little & Great Fryup Dales from Duck Bridge

North York Moors Walk

Nat Park - North York Moors - North York Moors West

County/Area - North Yorkshire

Author - Andy Chaplin

Length - 8.3 miles / 13.4 km    Ascent - 1000 feet / 303 metres

Time - 5 hours 10 minutes    Grade - moderate

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Walk Route Description

Photo from the walk - Little & Great Fryup Dales
Click image to see photo description.

There is a reasonable amount of parking at Duck Bridge at grid ref. NZ720077. It is worth starting from here as the bridge is the "cutest" crossing over the River Esk and will ensure you start off in a cheerful mood. This North York Moors walk then takes in views into Danby Dale, Greta and Little Fryup Dales and along the Esk Valley.

From the parking area on the east side of the bridge, cross the bridge and turn right along Easton Lane. Continue along the lane for about 800 metres to reach Kadelands House. Just beyond the house (grid ref. NZ712079) turn left across a small bridge and adjacent stile. Continue into the field and walk with hedge left to the end of the field. Turn right and then after 160 metres turn left over a stile and head slightly right across two fields to reach Low Combs Farm. Keep the farm on your right and pick up the path that cuts right to reach the Ainthorpe to Danby Castle road (grid ref. NZ707073).

Cross over the road onto the track that leads onto Danby Rigg. After a short way, the track forks. Keep straight on to reach the main well-defined path that heads roughly south along the top of the Rigg. Pass the standing stones to your right. At the point where this path reaches the edge of the Rigg (grid ref. NZ710061), bear right, ignoring the path descending into Little Fryup Dale, and head south west on the path that follows the edge towards the trig point, which is reached after a further 300 metres.

Continuing along the edge past the grouse butts at Double Dyke you meet the Jack Sledge Road (grid ref. NZ705051), some 700 metres past the trig point. where the moorland track leads up from New Way to the butts. Follow this track southwest to reach the path along the edge (grid ref. NZ702047). Bear left here and turn south, with a view into Danby Dale on your right. After the third wood after Botton Farm down in the valley and some 700 metres beyond the Jack Sledge Road at grid ref. NZ702039, leave the edge path and head south-east on a path across the moor to descend to the lane at Wolf Pit (grid ref. NZ705036).

Cross the road and head downhill to Raven Hill. Go through the wall then follow the track/stream sharply downhill and zigzag down past a ruined farm building beside the field wall. Then turn left along the walled track that heads north-east to Woodhead Farm (grid ref. NZ716040). Pass through the farm and continue on the farm drive to reach a lane (grid ref. NZ719044). Continue straight ahead for 250 metres to reach Nuns Green Lane. Turn right and after 300 metres turn left onto a track (grid ref. NZ724047). The turn off is quite overgrown as it is no longer a farm entrance into the field.

Follow the track with the wall to your right. Go through the gate and turn left (wall now on your left) and continue through a wall gap with a wood to your right. Turn right up through the wood but it has seen little use for many years so find your way up through the wood to the top. Clearing the wood there is a gate in the wall at grid ref. NZ722052 which is visible as you climb so just aim for that. Continue along the west side of Heads to a bridleway (grid ref. NZ725058). Continue along the bridleway to the gate at grid ref. NZ727065. Here head slightly back on yourself and follow the path downhill to another bridleway (grid ref. NZ724063) that runs from Stonegate Beck Farm to Crag Farm. Turn right on this bridleway and continue towards Crag Farm.

Before Crag Farm you come to a meeting of several bridleways. Head towards the gate that is at the end of the farm road that leads past Crag Farm. Follow this access road over the River Esk to Lawns Road. Turn left along Lawns Road back to Duck Bridge.

Other walks nearby

Walk 3737 Commondale & Esk Valleyeasy/mod8.2 miles
Walk 1012 Glaisdale, Great Fryup Dale and Eskdalemoderate7.5 miles
Walk 3187 Esklets and Rosedale Head from Westerdalemoderate11.0 miles
Walk 1452 Leaholm Moor & Scaling Dammoderate9.8 miles
Walk 1538 Baysdale Circularmoderate9.5 miles
Walk 2685 Highcliff Nab and Guisborough Moormoderate11.1 miles
Walk 1675 The Esk Valley & Egton High Moor moderate10.5 miles
Walk 2077 Glaisdale Moor circular moderate11.9 miles
Walk 1527 Farndale Circular from Little Blakeymoderate12.0 miles
Walk 1674 Rosedale Valley circular from Little Blakey moderate11.0 miles

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