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Walk Overview
This classic walk visits the iconic North York Moors landmarks of Roseberry Topping and Captain Cook’s Monument in one circular route.
Roseberry Topping may be only 320 metres tall, but this is a little hill that looks every inch a mountain. Affectionately known as the Yorkshire Matterhorn, its rocky crown and distinctive profile have fired the imagination of many aspiring young mountaineers.
This beautiful walk starts in the pretty village of Great Ayton before climbing the hillside to visit Captain Cook’s Monument, a 60ft obelisk built in memory of the legendary British explorer who was born in nearby Marton.
From there you’ll follow the Cleveland Way over Great Ayton Moor before climbing to the summit of Roseberry Topping, then dropping down through oak woodlands to your start point.
Give yourself plenty of time to enjoy the dramatic scenery of this northern corner of the North York Moors National Park, because this is one of the best countryside walks in Britain.
This route was voted 23rd in a 2017 ITV poll to find Britain’s Favourite Walk.
TOG VERDICT: Two famous landmarks for the price of one on a beautiful walk through ancient woodlands, across dramatic moorland and up to one of England’s finest summits.
Nearest Train (or tube) Station(s):
Nunthorpe, Middlesbrough