Where every path carries a story — from high moors to riverside meadows.
Yorkshire and the Humber is classic walking country — a region where landscapes feel both wild and lived-in, shaped by centuries of stonework, sheep farming, and movement across the hills. From the rugged Pennine edges to the limestone valleys of the Yorkshire Dales and the wide horizons of the North York Moors, this is a place where walking holidays come naturally.
Dry-stone walls trace the folds of green dales; heather moorland rolls under huge skies; and riverside paths link stone villages where pubs, footbridges, and market squares sit at the heart of local life. This is walking at its most rooted — scenic, atmospheric, and full of contrast.
Yorkshire is just as rewarding for outdoor adventures, whether you’re hiking clifftops on the Cleveland Way, exploring moorland ridges above Goathland, or paddling peaceful stretches of river in quieter corners of the Dales and Wolds. Add scenic cycling holidays on quiet back roads, rail-trail cycleways, and rolling countryside routes, and you’ll find endless ways to explore at your own pace.
And when the day slows, Yorkshire offers independent places to stay close to its trails, villages, coast, and countryside — from walkers’ pubs and stone-built cottages to moorland inns, village guesthouses, and B&Bs overlooking valleys and fields.
Limestone valleys, stepped waterfalls, and classic green dales. Walk Malham Cove, Gordale Scar, or Aysgarth Falls, or explore quieter landscapes in Swaledale and Wensleydale. Village-to-village trails connect Grassington, Hawes, Reeth, and Kettlewell. Long-distance routes include the Dales Way and the Herriot Way for gentle, scenic multi-day journeys.
An upland landscape of heather moors, steep-sided dales, and wooded valleys. Explore Rosedale, Farndale, or Goathland Moor, or follow the Cleveland Way — a National Trail crossing the Moors before running along the coast from Saltburn to Filey. Expect quiet paths, far-reaching views, and purple moorland in late summer.
This stretch of Britain’s first National Trail climbs gritstone edges and high moors from Malham and Horton-in-Ribblesdale towards Haworth and Hebden Bridge. Rugged, literary, remote — it captures Yorkshire’s upland character at its most atmospheric.
For gentler walking, the chalk hills of the Yorkshire Wolds offer open farmland, hidden dry valleys, and soft horizons, with the Wolds Way winding across the landscape. Around the Humber Estuary, explore quiet estuarine paths near towns like Beverley, Howden, and Hessle — perfect for slow travel, birdwatching, and peaceful countryside days.
Yorkshire is bold, grounded, and full of space to breathe — a walking landscape that welcomes anyone who loves open country, good paths, and quiet moments between the hills.
Top areas include the Yorkshire Dales (Malham, Wensleydale, Swaledale), the North York Moors (Rosedale, Goathland, Cleveland Way), and the Pennine Way’s central moorland section. For gentler walking, the Yorkshire Wolds are ideal.
Yes — the Cleveland Way runs along the clifftops from Saltburn to Filey, offering some of the UK’s most dramatic coastal scenery.
Absolutely. The Dales Way, Cleveland Way, Herriot Way, and sections of the Pennine Way all offer excellent multi-day routes with welcoming villages along the way.
Cycling is superb across the Dales and Moors. You can also enjoy river paddling, nature reserves, birdwatching, heritage sites, stargazing spots, and rugged photography walks.
Stay in walkers’ pubs, stone cottages, B&Bs, moorland inns, and rural guesthouses in places like Reeth, Hawes, Grassington, Helmsley, and Robin Hood’s Bay — all close to major paths and routes.
