North Yorkshire Moors guided walking holidays

The North Yorkshire Moors National Park is an extensive upland plateau, a vast expanse of heather moorland which at its eastern edge, ends abruptly in a dramatic coastline of soaring cliffs. To the west the plateau falls away to create the Cleveland escarpment, which affords superb views across the Vale of Mowbray to the Yorkshire Dales. In places the plateau is dissected by dales, some broad and sweeping and others steep-sided and intimate. These secluded valleys are lined with pasture enclosed by stone walls, and contain attractive broad-leaved woodlands and stone-built villages characterised by red tiled roofs.

Pic: Hawnby Moor - britainonview/Joe Cornish

There are few motor roads across the plateau but ancient tracks and pathways still exist and the weathered stone crosses which mark the these routes create an atmosphere of mystery and timelessness. Evidence of Bronze Age occupation can be seen in the tumuli and stone circles dotted across the moor. Wildlife is plentiful with moorland birds such as Grouse, Curlew, Golden Plover, Ring Ouzel and Merlin on the high ground, Dippers, Kingfishers and songbirds in the valleys, and a multitude of seabirds on the coastal cliffs.

Our walks will sample all aspects of the National Park and highlights of the tour will include the wonderful views from the Cleveland Escarpment and the summit of Roseberry Topping; the attractive Eskdale villages of Glaisdale, Egton Bridge and Grosmont; the view down onto the red -roofed cottages of Robin Hood's Bay; the attractive harbour at Staithes and Cowbar Nab; the historic port of Whitby; and the space and expansiveness of the high plateau.

We stay at Gisborough Hall Hotel [ETC/AA****], a magnificent country house which stands in extensive wooded grounds, close to the picturesque market town of Guisborough, on the eastern edge of the North Yorkshire Moors National Park. Gisborough Hall is a member of the prestigious Macdonald group of hotels and has an enviable reputation for luxurious accommodation, fine cuisine and an atmosphere of Victorian elegance. All bedrooms have ensuite facilities

• Introduction
• Far West Cornwall
• South Devon Coast
• Exmoor National Park
• Dorset World Heritage Coast
• The Cotswolds
• Pembrokeshire Coast National Park
• Lake District National Park
• Yorkshire Dales
• North Yorkshire Moors
• Hadrian's Wall Country
• The Tweed Valley and Scottish Borders